Posts filed under 'Home Gardens'
The American Meadow Garden
In his new well-illustrated book, The American Meadow Garden, John Greenlee has targeted the Great American Lawn – that notorious sink of fossil fuels, water, chemicals and spare time – for destruction. “The revolution is clearly on,” he says, adding: “It’s a one-garden-at-a-time revolution.” Greenlee describes one of the most exciting new directions in horticulture and design, yards made of combinations of grasses and compatible accent plants for different kinds of meadows. One chapter catalogs grasses and grasslike plants now available in the horticultural trade; another showcases outstanding domestic meadows, including some of Greenlee’s own designs.
Add comment October 21, 2009
Vegetable gardens crop up in Seattle parking strips
Seattle Times Newspaper, July 25, 2009, By Maureen O’Hagan
The Seattle City Council is working to increase availability of affordable, locally grown food. One approach: allowing folks to grow vegetable gardens in parking strips — the no man’s land between sidewalk and curb.. (see full article)
Add comment July 29, 2009
Ecology Action
Ecology Action is a Santa Cruz, CA nonprofit environmental consultancy delivering cutting edge education services, technical assistance, and program implementation for initiatives that assist individuals, business and government to maximize environmental quality and community well being.
Since 1970 Ecology Action has combined municipal, foundation, and private funding to establish cutting-edge conservation programs, prove their effectiveness financially and operationally, and establish each program as a permanent community resource.
They seek innovative ways to instill environmental awareness, promote pragmatic change, and create opportunities for individuals, businesses, and community agencies to save money, create jobs, and contribute to a sustainable local economy.
Browse some of their current programs:
Add comment May 16, 2009
A Way to Control Nut Grass
This information on getting rid of nut grass (Purple nutsedge or Cyperus rotundus) comes from a C/T/H/A/R (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources—University of Hawai’i Manoa) publication.
This is from removing from ornamental areas but seems appropriate for organic veggie gardens too—if you have 2-4 months.
Weed cloth, or woven black polypropylene weed mat, can be effective in suppressing purple nutsedge when used properly. It is porous to air and water and can be an effective tool for reducing underground tubers without the use of chemicals or tedious hand-weeding. It is a very durable material that can be re-used many times if handled carefully to avoid making holes by tearing. Using weed cloth against purple nutsedge requires that the garden area be fallow (not planted or tilled) for a period of 2–4 months. After the last crop is harvested, remove all plant residues by mowing or rototilling, and cover the planting area with the weed cloth. The method of securing the cloth to the soil is crucial in preventing purple nutsedge penetration through the weed cloth. The preferred securing method is to use long (10–12 inch) spikes fitted with a large flat washer. These spikes secure the weed mat to the ground but should not be used to pull the weed mat too tight. There should be enough slack to allow some air space between the soil and the weed mat. The worst way to secure the weed mat is to use rocks, soil, or other heavy objects. When the weed mat is held tightly to the ground, purple nutsedge shoots can push through the fabric.
With the weed mat properly in place, purple nutsedge is induced to sprout by generous and frequent watering. A new weed mat tends to repel water, but after a 2–3-week exposure to full sunlight, shrinkage occurs and water can pass through the material. As the purple nutsedge germinates, it pushes the weed mat upward, as if it was inflating it. The purple nutsedge grows so fast that when the pointed tip of the leaf blade gets caught in the weave of fabric, the rapidly elongating leaf blade starts to crinkle up behind it, and penetration of the cloth is thus prevented.
The weed mat must remain in place long enough for weeds to germinate below it and die from lack of sunlight. After several cycles of weed growth and die-back during the 2–4-month period, the weed mat can be removed and the garden replanted. Most of the weed propagules (including purple nutsedge tubers) will have tried to emerge and died.
When the plastic is removed, it is important not to disturb the soil unnecessarily. Cultivation brings up lower layers of soil that will likely contain viable weed seeds and purple nutsedge tubers. Mulching the soil surface after removing the weed cloth will help to suppress any weed seeds remaining in the soil and slow nutsedge germination by preventing increases in soil temperature.
Add comment May 8, 2009
Victory Gardens
What is a Victory Garden?
During World War I and World War II, the United States government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. Emphasis was placed on making gardening a family or community effort — not a drudgery, but a pastime, and a national duty.
Why plant a victory garden?
Today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming.
Planting a Victory Garden to fight global warming would reduce the amount of pollution your food contibutes to global warming. Instead of traveling many miles from farm to table, your food would travel from your own garden to your table.
How can my actions make a difference? I’m only one person.
Each one of us may only be one person. However, we each have an impact on the environment and can make changes to reduce our impact.
I have no backyard, what can I do?
You can combine vegetable plants with flowers in your frontyard. You can plant in containers on your porch, patio, or balcony and can grow sprouts indoors. You can also choose to purchase foods which are grown close to home by visiting your local farmer’s market. If local foods are not available to you, choose foods which use fewer chemical pesticides – such as organics, are in season, or have minimal packaging.
Do I need to use a lot of pesticides to increase yield?
Organic soil building with compost pays for itself with increased plant productivity.
What do I do with the food that I grow?
Eat what you can and then share or preserve the rest.
Wondering how to get started?
Contact your local County Extension office for information on gardening in your area.
Community
Growing food with family, friends, and neighbors can be a community building experience. Trade produce and share tools with neighbors. Visiting the farmer’s market can bring you into direct contact with the people who are growing food.
Look for more information at:
Revive the Victory Garden website
Future FarmersVictory Gardens 2007+ website
Add comment May 7, 2009
Focus Maui Nui—Victory Gardens
Add comment May 7, 2009
Edible Garden Tour: Great success!
On April 4 over 100 people visted three Kihei home gardens on our first Edible Garden Tour. The garden owners did a great job of showing us around and answering our questions. Manky thanks to them and to all those who participated.
FUTURE TOURS
We will be doing another garden tour in the future, and welcome any feedback about what worked for you, what didn’t and what you might like to have included next time. We appreciate you taking time to let us know via email. Send us some photos of your garden and we’ll post them to our website—or you can post them yourself on the SMS social network site.
NOTES FROM THE TOUR
So much great information was shared, we imagine it would be useful to all. We have also had requests to compile the notes taken at the gardens and find a way to make them available to our members. If you took notes and are willing to type them up, please email them to us. We will also post them to our social network site so everyone can participate in the conversation and add their knowledge.
FRUIT FLY TRAP
One of the owners had a fruit fly trap which he made after attending a UH “Fruit Fly Training Program”. No, they don’t train the flies, they train you to eradicate them. If enough South Maui folks are interested, we could have a 2 hour training somewhere in South Maui. Let us know if you are interested in this idea by emailing us. Let us know if days, evenings or weekends are best for you.
Add comment April 13, 2009
Starting your own garden: Talk – April 14 – Kahului
Growing Your Own Food, Starting Your Garden
In these times of challenges around the vitality of our food supply, it is important to remember how to nourish our-self through the food we eat. What better way to get the nutrition we need then through food grown in, living, mineralized, balanced soil. Whether we have a “green thumb” or not, learning about the value of growing our own, can only inspire us to find what we need to be well.
Norman Oshiro is the Director of the MOA True Health Center is Kahului, a Jorei practitioner for over 40 years, Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arranging) Instructor for 20 years, Bontemae practitioner for 8 years, Nature Farming Advocate/Practitioner for 35 years, and Licensed Massage Therapist for 8 years. And he loves to play golf in his spare time.
Time: Open at 9:00 A.M.
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Location: Hale Maha’olu – Elima
11 Maha’olu St. – Recreation Hall
Kahului, HI 96732
Doors will open at 9:00 a.m. and the presenter will speak about 9:30 A.M.
Suggested donation is $10.00 which includes speaker, continental breakfast, & drink.
For more info. call Charlie Kirchner at 871-1110 or e-mail
Add comment April 12, 2009
White House Vegetable Garden – A Reality
Clck here to read New York Times Article: Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden.
Click here to see detail of White House garden layout.
Add comment March 22, 2009
