We talk about the weather often. A recurring spring question for gardeners is, “Has the weather settled?” We want to plant frost tender crops, but we do not know when the last frost will occur. As of May 1st, it is not likely going to frost, but there is still a possibility. About 20 years…
I am sad and don’t feel much like writing lately. It’s a real tragedy when an Arkansas bank lends a man over a million dollars to build chicken houses and then immediately my garden fills up with the mud from his farm. Is that part of my garden no longer organic? And what’s next?
Spring brings beautiful things, flowers and bees and a bird that sings. Gardeners are busier than bees, blooming in their exuberance and humming right along with mother nature’s display. We’ve added necessary minerals, gently tilled the soil, and livened things up with plenty of compost and biodynamic preparations. Let’s go!
Recent discoveries in quantum physics, microbiology, and ecology verify something gardeners have long known. Everything in nature is related. There are no solid lines between the plants’ roots, the soil, and the bacteria and fungi tying it all together. To help understand why garden crops do or do not thrive, we are led into the…
“Composted” chicken litter is not compost or a fertilizer. It is a toxic waste product from a horrible industrial process known as commercial chicken houses. The small and poisons create ill feelings with neighbors and it pollutes the land and water, besides the air. The only place it should be spread is on the heads…
What is the difference between organic and biodynamic? Both are farming methods which contrast drastically with the chemical agriculture so common today. They both attempt to build up the soil’s humus content, and rely on biological activity for fertility and pest control. The use of toxic chemicals – whether insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers –…
We need farms for a variety of reasons, besides just a place to get our bread. The domestication of cattle and the dawn of agriculture gave birth to the rise of civilization and the growth of human culture. Much of the work was done by slave labor. As consciousness expanded, hired labor became the norm….