(Via The Blogging Nurseryman - The Art of Running a Small Garden Center or Nursery)

Posted by admin to Blogging, lifestyle on 2008-01-30, 15:58:55

From the comments I received at the last post it would appear that we are all ready for the idea that vegetable and fruit growing will be on the rise. Genie mentioned that the resurgence in vegetable gardening may be partly because we “have the Food Network to thank for some of this. People are learning how to cook better, and therefore want better ingredients, and a lot of that is because they’re being exposed to cooking in a way they hadn’t ever before.” I think Genie is correct. I have always found the Food Network a source of interesting programming and have spent time watching Emeril, Bobby Flay, and the rest. I think however that the real action is on the Internet. Lets face it, we are a voyeuristic society and find it fun to see what our neighbors are up to. That’s why I think its more fun to see what Genie or Melinda have cooked up. People want to be a part of a community, and its a lot easier to be a part of a food bloggers community than Bobby Flays.

I noticed that Melinda is involved in a “dark days of winter” food challenge. Here are the rules, “eat 90% local for every meal, an average of 50% from the garden. If we can’t get something local, we’ll purchase bulk and organic from a local supplier. Coffee, tea, spices and sugar will be organic, sustainable harvested and fair trade whenever possible. (There are some exceptions for traveling when we do.)” What I take away from this is her enthusiasm for the challenge. Its not a drag to do these things, but fun!It’s a challenge and its fun to see if you can do it. Gardening and eating local can be fun? Who would have guessed.

Here is why I think this stuff will lead to a growth in vegetable and fruit gardening. We’re talking about it! People are talking and sharing. Its so much easier to comment at a garden/food blog than at HGTV. Sure they accept e-mail but do you really think Emeril is going to write back? Community is built by a back and forth between community members. That back and forth is easily facilitated by blogging. This acts as a magnet for other people who feel the same way. Its starting to happen. Like Top Veg said “It is interesting to see how everything is coming together - to bring the increased interest in gardening. It is certainly happening in the UK.” It’s happening here, too.

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Trees & Conifers on 2008-01-30, 13:10:48

Sadly, and deplorably, yes!

I stumbled across a site where the REAL geeks hang out and talk about gardening topics when they've run out of gadgets to review. Here at stevenf.com, the blog's author decided to share his views on trees. And it's not a bad review except it comes from one who seems devoid of taking the reviewed item for a test drive in his own garden. Instead, it comes from a guy loitering around car yards kicking the tyre rims to test their value.

But, I'm not about to berate him on his views of trees and their worth to society. He doesn't claim to be a passionate gardener, after all.

Yet reading through his comments you'll find some obvious gardening EXPERTS spreading their views upon the geekdom realm.

Trees are for noobs, I'm all about the shrubbery.

or,

Personally, I think trees are vastly overrated. A lot of tree-fanatics and tree heads claim their existence improves the vista, that they're pretty or somesuch nonsense, but when I look out of my window right now, all I see are ugly brownish stumps. My proposal would be to only have trees during the summer; they are an eyesore in winter.

and then this gem from someone who KNOWS,

Excellent review. We've got a number of trees installed at my house, although I wonder whether their much-hyped environmental benefits are all they're cracked up to be, especially when you consider the huge amount of waste they generate (do you have any idea how many different chemicals are in a leaf?!)[Emphasis mine]

All this from guys who are helping the environment by increasing server power, updating superfluous gadgetry and caring little about their carbon footprint.

It hit me hard though, when I read one commenter recommending the Brotherhood of the Anti-Arboreal Association - treehater.com. Treehater? People HATE trees? Wow! What kind of mixed up society do we live in?

Hey, Treehaters - try breathing without them!

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 12:36:24

Every gardener loves "accessorizing" her garden. Whimsical or formal, sentimental or practical, garden stepping stones complete a garden by further extending the gardener's personality beyond plant selection.

(Via grow this)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 11:16:00

"A tree beside the sandy
River-beach
Holds up its topmost boughs
Like fingers towards the skies
They cannot reach,
Earth-bound, heaven-amorous.

“This is the soul of man.
Body and brain
Hungry for earth
our heavenly flight detain.”

Sri Aurobindo (1872 – 1950) “Tree”

Our rain may be over for now. The storms this past weekend, including the gusty winds, have made a mess outside my back window, shredding my fish-shaped whirligig, overturning empty flower pots, leaving downed pine needles and small branches askew in puddles. But towering over the disheveled yard, the old and diseased pine tree that anchors the whole yard is still standing. In past winter storms we’ve watched as the taller older branches are pruned by gusts of wind, leaving the tree looking like a headless, distressed bonsai, albeit considerably bigger.

The coast live oak I planted beneath the pine last October is struggling. You can see the top of the oak's head peeking over the rocks at the base of the pine tree in both pictures. I expected some die back as it settled into it’s new home, but it’s going to have to work for a living - at least until it finds the secret paths beneath the waterfall rocks that have kept the pine alive. Both trees are situated in the high point of the yard, amid large rocks tossed there 40 years ago by the home builder to clear the footprint where the house stands (see the roof in the background of the second picture).

The so-called soil where the trees are planted is a thin covering of pine needles and dirt deposited since then, and amended once or twice with my compost. This veneer of soil covers a surface we generously call DG rock, aka decomposing granite. This means the “soil” is actually not quite dissolved rock, and thus not very root-friendly. I’ve got a tough old wisteria ‘alba’ on the arbor at the bottom of the big rocks. You can see the bare wisteria branches next to the arbor in the first picture. The wisteria is like the older tree, both are patient enough to take their time working roots through the same unforgiving soil.

I’ve amended the live oak’s feet with compost, and even planted some allium bulbs in the same spot. They’re beginning to poke their heads up beneath the ubiquitous nasturtiums that don’t seem to take much notice of the seasons. While they bloom madly in the spring, nasturtiums continue to bloom any time they get a decent watering.

My design here is pretty simple. The idea is that by the time the old pine finally succumbs, the live oak will stand ready to take it’s place, eventually providing shade for whoever else manages to cling to the meager soil and patiently assist the granite in its decomposition.

I’ve situated the black stone Buddha head at the trunk of the pine, where it protects the tiny sapling growing out of its brain. The dying old tree and it’s optimistic offspring quietly provide a metaphor for such slow changes man witnesses: bound here on earth where we linger a while before continuing our journey to our ultimate destination.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 10:03:57

Many people appreciate gardening for a number of reasons; the most important thing for your own self is to make sure that you are able to make your gardening practices your own. If you only grow in the winter, that's your thing; if you only like to grow root vegetables, that's fine as well. There are a number of things you can do to more fully ensconce yourself in gardening and to make sure that you make every decision completely your own when it comes to your gardening practices.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 10:02:30

Trees are such massive and imposing things that we tend to take their needs for granted. We fuss and fret over annual bedding plants, and get all hot and bothered if a small dry spot appears on the lawn. Lawns and flowers though are ephemeral elements in the garden, while the tree is a long term matter.

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 08:34:44

Indoor gardening can be a rewarding alternative to regular outdoor gardening. Imagine growing organic fruits, and vegetables in your home without soil...

(Via OregonLive.com: Dig in with Kym)

Posted by admin to plants on 2008-01-30, 08:00:00

I don't know why, but I tend to overlook crabapples. I think a lot of people do. But not my friend, Nancy Buley, who works for J. Frank Schmidt and Son nursery out in Boring. It is a HUGE wholesale...

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-30, 06:48:14

Now I don't function very well without getting my hands just a little dirty on a daily basis, so I had to come to terms with this unloved yard and see what I could create, without spending a fortune or wasting too much of my time. It was early spring when I moved in, so an organic vegetable garden was my first priority.

(Via Gardening Question of the Day (from the Old Farmer's Almanac))

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-01-29, 20:00:00

I suspect insects of some sort destroyed my lawn last summer. How can I tell what kind of bug did it? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.