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A bunch of rain
2 weeks ago
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Future of Food
The Future of Food is a documentary about genetically modified food and the moral, ethical, and health issues associated with it. It has a definite slant against, but unlike a lot of documentaries which try to terrify you; this one leans more towards the perspective of this is a relatively new technology, maybe it should be studied a little bit better before it is too late. It is analogous to an intelligent dinner guest offering a point of view rather than a protestor screaming at you with a placard and is worth the watch.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Daikon!
Similar to the regular radish which would not grow well in the heavy, clay soil at the home garden, the daikon radish turned out well in the much looser soil of the victory garden.
Groundhog Update
The groundhog got into the home garden and did a lot of damage to the peas and beans. I’ve put up a bigger door and that seems to have kept him out. The beans have recovered nicely and are producing well, but we were not so lucky with the peas.
Meanwhile, at the victory garden, another groundhog has been getting in. A number of the other people at the victory garden have complained of similar and a few have even taken to setting out traps. The two odd things about this groundhog are that it only eats the squash plants and seems to be going over the fence rather than under it.
Here is an article from the New York Times about the raising popularity of rooftop gardens. That’s certainly one way to deal with groundhogs!
New York Times Story
Meanwhile, at the victory garden, another groundhog has been getting in. A number of the other people at the victory garden have complained of similar and a few have even taken to setting out traps. The two odd things about this groundhog are that it only eats the squash plants and seems to be going over the fence rather than under it.
Here is an article from the New York Times about the raising popularity of rooftop gardens. That’s certainly one way to deal with groundhogs!
New York Times Story
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Free Fruit
Every year, there is always one or two vegetables which we end up with much too much of and we end up giving it away to friends and neighbors. Some people seem genuinely happy for this, but there are always a couple which seem to be just polite.
Last year, we put a box at the end of the driveway with a can to put coins in and let people help themselves. People actually paid including some random strangers who just happen to be driving past the house.
Here is an article in the New York Times about networks of people sharing fruit that falls off of trees and is other wise just going to waste.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/dining/10Fruit.html
The article also had links to two other sites that allow you to trade excess fruit and vegetables with people in your area.
veggietrader.com
neighborhoodfruit.com
Last year, we put a box at the end of the driveway with a can to put coins in and let people help themselves. People actually paid including some random strangers who just happen to be driving past the house.
Here is an article in the New York Times about networks of people sharing fruit that falls off of trees and is other wise just going to waste.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/dining/10Fruit.html
The article also had links to two other sites that allow you to trade excess fruit and vegetables with people in your area.
veggietrader.com
neighborhoodfruit.com
Beans & Radish
I went to the Victory Garden and was surprised to find string beans ready to pick. String beans always come a little bit earlier than a lot of other things, but the ground hog wrecked the plants last year and I guess I had forgotten.
I also picked a nice bunch of radishes. The dirt in the yard has a lot of clay in it and root vegetables like radish and carrots never did very well. The dirt at the Victory Garden is much looser and these turned out well.
I also picked a nice bunch of radishes. The dirt in the yard has a lot of clay in it and root vegetables like radish and carrots never did very well. The dirt at the Victory Garden is much looser and these turned out well.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Recent News Stories
A couple of interesting stories from the New York Times this week.
The first is about two regular people who quit their day jobs and bought a farm in Georgia where they are raising organic meat. Click through to their web site after reading the article. Their blog would make James Herriot envious.
New York Times story
Nature's Harmony Blog
The second is about Stonyfield Farms, the yogurt maker, trying to make the cows that supply them produce less methane (and global warming) by feeding them a diet that is more consistent with their natural diet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/us/05cows.html
The first is about two regular people who quit their day jobs and bought a farm in Georgia where they are raising organic meat. Click through to their web site after reading the article. Their blog would make James Herriot envious.
New York Times story
Nature's Harmony Blog
The second is about Stonyfield Farms, the yogurt maker, trying to make the cows that supply them produce less methane (and global warming) by feeding them a diet that is more consistent with their natural diet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/us/05cows.html
When To Water
I’ve been asked a couple times lately do I follow a watering schedule and / or what is my watering schedule.
I do not actually follow a schedule and let the plants tell me what to do. In the case of the plants in the backyard, I simply look at them every day and if they look droopy I give them a good soak. In the case of the plants at the community garden, I do not see them every day and need to exercise a little bit of judgment mostly by keeping an eye on the weather. If it has been rainy or mild, I am comfortable leaving them for a few days. If, however, it is pounding hot, I will increase the frequency of my checks, but use the same rule of thumb regarding how rigid or droopy the plants are. Additionally, not all plants require the same amount of water (e.g. tomatoes need less, cucumbers need more) and will only water the sections that need it.
Some other general watering advice:
Early morning or late afternoon are best. Mid day allows most of the water to evaporate off in the heat. Night watering promotes fungus.
Water the base of the plant and avoid watering the leaves directly.
Less frequent, heavy watering promotes deep roots.
Frequent, short watering promotes shallow roots. Deep roots are better.
Use mulch (straw, newspapers, ground tree bark, old grass clippings) around the base of the plants to keep down weeds and keep moisture in.
I do not actually follow a schedule and let the plants tell me what to do. In the case of the plants in the backyard, I simply look at them every day and if they look droopy I give them a good soak. In the case of the plants at the community garden, I do not see them every day and need to exercise a little bit of judgment mostly by keeping an eye on the weather. If it has been rainy or mild, I am comfortable leaving them for a few days. If, however, it is pounding hot, I will increase the frequency of my checks, but use the same rule of thumb regarding how rigid or droopy the plants are. Additionally, not all plants require the same amount of water (e.g. tomatoes need less, cucumbers need more) and will only water the sections that need it.
Some other general watering advice:
Early morning or late afternoon are best. Mid day allows most of the water to evaporate off in the heat. Night watering promotes fungus.
Water the base of the plant and avoid watering the leaves directly.
Less frequent, heavy watering promotes deep roots.
Frequent, short watering promotes shallow roots. Deep roots are better.
Use mulch (straw, newspapers, ground tree bark, old grass clippings) around the base of the plants to keep down weeds and keep moisture in.
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