How I garden

a better tile and so it makes things clearer

 

 

My small patch of garden,
has never seen pesticides
or store bought fertilizer.
It was not used as a garden before i came here,
way back in 1991,
but is it organic?
That is a question i ask myself,
often.
Knowledge is a dangerous thing...
i will write in plain language now,
for it seems better to make things clear...

Organic?:

I have had issues with the term "organic" for years and it is not because i am a chemist and was soaked in Organic chemistry from school.
It is because of what i learned while working...
Did you know that DDT is still in soil?
It was banned from use in 1972.
How about the next generation of pesticides, Aldrin (with dieldren as its active component) and chlordane?
Dieldren was banned from use in agriculture in 1974, but still available for use in termite control until 1981.
Chlordane was banned in agriculture in 1977, but permitted for household use and termite control until 1988.
They still can be found in soil and well water and sediment of lakes and estuaries...
Think about it - the "organic label" only requires a farm to have not used "restricted substances" for 3 years...think about it.
My vegetables does not meet my own strict concept of "organic" because i do not know if things were applied in the area before 1991, even though i have a good idea this was only an unused piece of land since 1978.

How i treat the soil:

my house mate raises birds, mostly pigeons, but also doves and occasional chicken.
There is no "organic label" for the bird feed he feeds them, so i can not verify this, yet the cleanings from the coops go into a heap, along with all the kitchen scraps and tree leaves.
This is left for several years.
They turn into dark rich earth, full of earthworms and that is how i replenish the nutrients of the soil. The garden area is very small - maybe 15 feet by 12 feet and i plant things very close together,
contrary to what is recommended and the water is from the tap, which i tested when working and i know it is fine and it is not a worry.

What i plant:

And so i have this garden with many many fruits and vegetables, planted according to season,
peas, radishes and lettuce first
cilantro, dill and anise overwinter in the soil and begin about the same time
then we have cabbage (red and green and savoy), Bok Choy, Napa cabbage, Swiss chard, beets.
Raspberry bush comes up every year, but the fruit does not come till summer.
Potatoes, red, white and sweet.
Beets.
Vaious peppers, sweet, spicy and insanely hot.
Tomatoes of various varieties are next
Finally cucumbers and squash (i do not have much luck with squash).
There is fencing and trees around for the vines to climb and so the garden does go somewhat vertical.
There are many spices, mint basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, tarragon, anise, dill  and cilantro.  These are in pots (clay) and can be moved around.

Pest Control: 

So i have indicated that i do not use pesticides, so with all of this how do i control the pests?
Certain herbs are not liked by pests - basil, rosemary, oregano, mint and thyme and then there is anise and dill, but more on those two in a bit.
marigolds!  a plant and flower that is not well liked by things that like my tomatoes, but there is more!
The flowers of the dill and anise attract bees and wasps and in order to propagate, they want worms to give to their young.  Control!  Balance!  Life!
I am happy and even the most aggressive of the wasps (yellow jackets) are too happy with everything else in the garden to bother with me!

Harvesting and preserving:

The vegetables and fruit and used when they are ready, but it means i do not have lettuce in the summer and only occasional so i have a lettuce and tomato salad.
I can get 2 crops from cilantro and dill and lettuce.
I have "sauced" my tomatoes and used them in the winter.
Peppers (especially the hot ones) i freeze for use in various salsas.
The standard for drying herbs - cutting the stems and shaking the leaves after drying, is easy, but WRONG!
Yea, i did extractions and tests when i was working and found 10 to 50% of the flavor retreats into the woody stems while drying.
So i remove the leaves while they are fresh and dry then in a covered location...
DO NOT PLACE THEM IN THE SUN, the same thing happens).
there are various ways to "extract" the flavors, but leave that to a chemist (yea, like me) to get it done and each herb is different.

Cleaning:

I am weeding all the time, even after the soil is barren.  Weeds take nutrients and moisture from your plants.  Placing hay over your soil for the winter is okay, but i like the idea of planting clover instead,
tho i have not done this yet.

Winter, is of course a difficult time for me, especially when the garden is filled with 3 feet of dirty snow and i enjoy what ever i have been able to preserve for the months i can't get in there.

and so the question is...

does this post go here?
or in my cooking blog?
or in the environmental blog?

i am clueless so i will start it here.
So many questions asked of me,
so many things i seem to know,
from years of experience,
from work,
from others,
from me just being curious.

My small patch of garden,
has never seen pesticides
or store bought fertilizer.
It was not used as a garden before i came here,
way back in 1991,
but is it organic?
That is a question i ask myself,
often.
Knowledge is a dangerous thing...
i will write in plain language now,
for it seems better to make things clear...

Organic?:

I have had issues with the term "organic" for years and it is not because i am a chemist and was soaked in Organic chemistry from school.
It is because of what i learned while working...
Did you know that DDT is still in soil?
It was banned from use in 1972.
How about the next generation of pesticides, Aldrin (with dieldren as its active component) and chlordane?
Dieldren was banned from use in agriculture in 1974, but still available for use in termite control until 1981.
Chlordane was banned in agriculture in 1977, but permitted for household use and termite control until 1988.
They still can be found in soil and well water and sediment of lakes and estuaries...
Think about it - the "organic label" only requires a farm to have not used "restricted substances" for 3 years...think about it.
My vegetables does not meet my own strict concept of "organic" because i do not know if things were applied in the area before 1991, even though i have a good idea this was only an unused piece of land since 1978.

How i treat the soil:

my house mate raises birds, mostly pigeons, but also doves and occasional chicken.
There is no "organic label" for the bird feed he feeds them, so i can not verify this, yet the cleanings from the coops go into a heap, along with all the kitchen scraps and tree leaves.
This is left for several years.
They turn into dark rich earth, full of earthworms and that is how i replenish the nutrients of the soil. The garden area is very small - maybe 15 feet by 12 feet and i plant things very close together,
contrary to what is recommended and the water is from the tap, which i tested when working and i know it is fine and it is not a worry.

What i plant:

And so i have this garden with many many fruits and vegetables, planted according to season,
peas, radishes and lettuce first
cilantro, dill and anise overwinter in the soil and begin about the same time
then we have cabbage (red and green and savoy), Bok Choy, Napa cabbage, Swiss chard, beets.
Raspberry bush comes up every year, but the fruit does not come till summer.
Potatoes, red, white and sweet.
Beets.
Vaious peppers, sweet, spicy and insanely hot.
Tomatoes of various varieties are next
Finally cucumbers and squash (i do not have much luck with squash).
There is fencing and trees around for the vines to climb and so the garden does go somewhat vertical.
There are many spices, mint basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, tarragon, anise, dill  and cilantro.  These are in pots (clay) and can be moved around.

Pest Control: 

So i have indicated that i do not use pesticides, so with all of this how do i control the pests?
Certain herbs are not liked by pests - basil, rosemary, oregano, mint and thyme and then there is anise and dill, but more on those two in a bit.
marigolds!  a plant and flower that is not well liked by things that like my tomatoes, but there is more!
The flowers of the dill and anise attract bees and wasps and in order to propagate, they want worms to give to their young.  Control!  Balance!  Life!
I am happy and even the most aggressive of the wasps (yellow jackets) are too happy with everything else in the garden to bother with me!

Harvesting and preserving:

The vegetables and fruit and used when they are ready, but it means i do not have lettuce in the summer and only occasional so i have a lettuce and tomato salad.
I can get 2 crops from cilantro and dill and lettuce.
I have "sauced" my tomatoes and used them in the winter.
Peppers (especially the hot ones) i freeze for use in various salsas.
The standard for drying herbs - cutting the stems and shaking the leaves after drying, is easy, but WRONG!
Yea, i did extractions and tests when i was working and found 10 to 50% of the flavor retreats into the woody stems while drying.
So i remove the leaves while they are fresh and dry then in a covered location...
DO NOT PLACE THEM IN THE SUN, the same thing happens).
there are various ways to "extract" the flavors, but leave that to a chemist (yea, like me) to get it done and each herb is different.

Cleaning:

I am weeding all the time, even after the soil is barren.  Weeds take nutrients and moisture from your plants.  Placing hay over your soil for the winter is okay, but i like the idea of planting clover instead,
tho i have not done this yet.

Winter, is of course a difficult time for me, especially when the garden is filled with 3 feet of dirty snow and i enjoy what ever i have been able to preserve for the months i can't get in there.

Adventures in the garden

I have been having a very good harvest this year - tomatoes - all kinds, cucumbers, lettuce, arugula, basil, celery and many other spices, but not so much with my hot peppers.
I have been getting Cherry peppers, which are hot enough for most, but not me.  My ghost pepper seeds did not come up, so i was very disappointed.  I moved an unknown pepper to a different location, with a bit of shade and i started to get flowers and peppers, but i did not know what kind they were and so i picked one and tried a very small piece....

Those who know peppers, know this ad a not fully ripe ghost pepper and i was hoping aroung the kitchen after just the smallest sliver...
I am now happy.

the questions that come

I am working in the garden,
before the big rains come,
that have been predicted.
They have yet to be correct,
but i pull weeds
and harvest my crops.
My first tomato,
more lettuce,
Swiss chard
and dill weed.
The garden is full of aromatics:
dill,
cilantro,
basil,
fennel,
mint,
oregano,
rosemary
and flowers.
Each fill my nostrils
with their delectable aroma
and today was dills turn.
As my head is filled,
with the aroma of freshly picked dill,
my heart calms again.
My mind slows
and my thoughts are calm.
"What is it that i am having so much trouble with?"
Is it coming back from that place of ultimate rest?
Or is it the struggles,
that occur daily,
just to continue on?
I have no complete answer,
but believe it is a bit of both.
I let the aroma of the dill overwhelm my senses
and leave the question alone,
becoming lost the the deliciousness,
that the dill brings to me.

observations though a day

The morning,
snowy and cold,
numbed my mine.
Not again,
for it came down in a torrent,
but only for a while.
darkness and snow,
though the sun was up,
but unseen.
I waited,
did things that need done
and wasted the rest of the morning.
For no reason,
my eyes strayed to the door,
the clouds had parted
and the sun came out.
Still cold,
i rushed,
as best as i can rush now,
to open the door.
the birds were singing!
The cold of what was the morning,
was gone.
Still a chill in the air,
though past noon,
i ventured out.
The sun dispelled the remaining clouds
and i laughed.
i could feel the Spring,
for the first time.
The snow of morning had gone
and most of the old snow,
from a bitter February,
was also melting.
The garden. long unattended,
beckoned me
and so I cleaned.
i could feel the sap in the tree,
begin to waken,
bringing slight color to the branches,
life to what looked dead.
This is the season, isn't it?
The season we all celebrate,
life coming from what appeared dead.

funny stuff

Years ago, from a Jewish co-worker, I learned to like Matzos.
yes, that makes me strange, but not funny, but...
I have 2 dogs that at times are very particular about what they eat, yet now that i brought Matzos in the house for me to eat, they are begging for a taste ...all the time.  Are they Jewish?

More fun because it was over 40 for 2 days in a row and there is a light rain and i am feeling like gardening, but not out side yet.  I have a small, but very effective greenhouse window and that is how i start seeds.
Basil, parsley, Italian hot peppers and then came my finale, ghost peppers.
Yes, i like things hot.  My Indian friends say i am the only white person they know who can keep up with the spice that use and that includes the heat!
Mistake one - I handled the seeds my hand.
mistake two - after washing my hands, i had lunch - a sandwich and the heat was still there...so not touching my eyes!
mistake three - I breath in while planting the seeds and began a coughing fit because of the level of heat.
I never do learn, do i?
Otherwise things are doing okay.
I have been going to a writing group at the church I attend on Wednesdays and am almost finished my memoir about the time working.
then i will look for a place to publish it.
It has been an exciting journey going through my tattered memory and finding the gems that made my work enjoyable.

First Fruits

I seem to be aware of my surrondings,
people tell me do not plant until such and such date,
but many times i do not listen,
The result is i have my first "harvest"...
Radishes and scallions.

There are more coming...
lettuce and cabbage and parsely and more
Mint and anise has been up and use them often.
Peppers are in and they have flowers.
The pollenators are out, bees and wasps and butterflies.
The cold in the morning reminds me of the mountains,
but i have a first harvest with more to come...
i guess i am a stubborn cuss!

This sunday

I have definitely been caught up in "things to do", but my internal and external struggles are still very real.
I sometimes find a lack of motivation to tackle something and then find i can still do it when i get up that courage.

My garden gives me hours of pleasure and work, but it is worth it.

Back to the Garden

A little dry post here today.
What would you think the most difficult thing to do in the garden is for me?

Squatting or knelling down?

Planting the plants?
Picking weeds?
Standing up?
watering?
No, its moving myself between the rows so i do not crush anything.
My balance is very, very bad and i have sticks forced into the ground so i can grab on and not fall down, killing everything!

Of course, i was working in the garden today!

After a particularly rough week

Many, many challenges at work and i go home and perform the most challenging thing of all...
i work in my garden...
Walking in between the rows is difficult, standing upright and then bending down is tough, but i love my garden!
It is worth it!
In a few days we will have lettuce, we all ready have chives and oregano and cilantro.
It is worth the challenge!