Garden play.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
~Proverb

PLANetizen recently posted an article by Julia Galef called Making a 'Playborhood' about "Mike Lanza, an entrepreneur in Palo Alto, CA,...[who is] using his front yard as a place for his friends and neighbors to gather and play." Basically he wants to bring back the kid-friendly, neighborly communities of the past that disappeared about the same time front porches, followed closely by family dinners, did. He wants his kids to experience the outdoors, community and play with the same kind of freedom that he enjoyed as a kid. When I read his manifesto, it turns out Mike Lanza is fondly recalling his childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! Well, whaddaya know?


When we lived in RI, we had a bungalow with a front porch (pictured above just before we sold the house). I grew all sorts of perennials in my front yard, and when I'd be out there planting, watering and weeding, I really got to know my neighbors and my neighbors' kids. Pretty soon I was like an Auntie to all the neighborhood children—kids would scrape up their knees and come to me for a band-aid; one teenage girl would stop by on her way home from school to cry about her boyfriend troubles; little girls would ask me for sunflowers seeds to plant in their yards; and two adolescent boys would come by to help me with yard work in exchange for some money for their video game savings fund. In a short amount of time, I knew everyone on the block, and I was the one introducing the older neighbors to one another even though they had lived on the same street for decades and decades. And when I thought about what the difference was between me—a new neighbor and the life-timers, it was because we had a front porch and I gardened, and they did not.


We now live back in Pittsburgh, and we so wanted a bungalow with a front porch, but alas, it was not meant to be. We ended up buying a 1940s Mock-Tudor (pictured above on move-in day). It lacks a porch but has a small front stoop which was in dreadful condition and has been under construction for last six months (winter and a zoning regulations can sure slow a process down). The front yard is south-facing and is the only place that gets adequate sunlight, so it is by default the place of my vegetable and herb garden. I had always envisioned a backyard garden, but since I have decided to go ahead with my front yard food garden, I have already experienced the neighborhood benefits of gardening "in public" as I am getting the pleasure of meeting all sorts of lively characters and gentle souls. Our yard and projects have become sort of a conversation topic amongst the old-timers who frequently stop by to ask me what I am planting this year, how much they enjoyed last year's tomatoes, and when on earth are we going to finish the front stoop?

I am not sure I want to turn our front yard into a Playborhood complete with jungle gym and trampoline per se. But the article about Mike Lanza did get me thinking about how we can make our front yard more welcoming. The stoop will already be an improvement with wider landing, sturdier railings, shallower risers, and deeper treads. Even the walkway (now permeable with a brick herringbone pattern) is wider to allow two people to walk side-by-side or make it easier for a visitor in a wheelchair or walker, though unfortunately my grandmother died before she could benefit from this. But I have been acutely aware that when our 92 and 87 year old neighbors come to visit us, there isn't a place for them to sit. Kids can park themselves on the stoop, but Russ and Helen deserve a proper bench, and preferably one that is shaded. Perhaps instead of tepees, my sweet peas, cukes and Italian tree tomatoes can grow up a lil arbor. Wouldn't this be dreamy? Haha.

And perhaps the best place for the raspberry bushes and long-stemmed daisies is near the public sidewalk so passers-by can nibble on some sweetness or pick a flower to put behind their ear or the lapel hole of their jacket. I should take the time to make labels for my plants even though I know what they are, so that others enjoying the garden can identify them. And maybe there should be a bike rack of some kind and a lil spot to leash a dog. And I would love to make some sidewalk chalk paintings and quotes-of-the-day.

That's my vision now. Not just a food garden with pollinator flowers for my personal enjoyment or to be viewed from a distance or an interior window, but an interactive space for sittin' with our neighbors, chattin' and sippin' lemonade.

Perhaps, 'Playborhood' gardening is the ultimate organic gardening because it takes into consideration the health and happiness of all the creatures in the ecosystem, including the human creatures.

Through the PLANetizen article, I also found these websites that are really worthwhile, so the links are included here:
Project for Public Spaces (PPS)
Making Places (the PPS blog)

Composting 101.

What greater stupidity can be imagined than that of calling jewels, silver and gold "precious", and earth and soil "base"? People who do this ought to remember that if there were as great a scarcity of soil as of jewels or precious metals, there would not be a prince who would not spend a bushel of diamonds and rubies and a cartload of gold just to have enough earth to plant a jasmine in a little pot, or to sow an orange seed and watch it sprout, grow and produce its handsome leaves, its fragrant flowers and fine fruit. It is scarcity and plenty that make the vulgar take things to be precious or worthless; they call a diamond very beautiful because it is like pure water, and then would not exchange one for ten barrels of water.
~Galileo Galilei

I wonder what Galileo would think of calling compost "black gold"? My quest is ever for black gold—soil so rich and dark, and teeming with life and nutrients. When you have black gold, you have incredibly healthy plants, able to fend off disease and pests, abundant in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They're stronger, tastier, more productive and pleasing to look at. You eat plants that were grown in black gold, and you reap health benefits as well.

The most accessible and affordable black gold is the black gold you make yourself through the method(s) of composting. You know its quality because you know the quality of the ingredients that went into making it. It's fun, it's satisfying, it doesn't take a lot of effort, and it saves you money on purchasing compost, as well as trash and yard waste bags.

PREFACE
This post is meant to serve as an introduction to and general overview of composting basics. Not all methods of composting are covered here, such as lasagna composting or worm composting a.k.a. vermiculture; those methods will be covered in future blog posts. I will include more how-to instructions for specific bins and methods in future posts as well.

I learned almost everything I know about composting from Rich Pederson, friend and manager of Southside Community Land Trust's (SCLT) City Farm in Providence, RI, and Rodale Organic Gardening Basics, Volume 8: COMPOST © 2001. The Rodale book is now out-of-print and apparently selling for hundreds of dollars, but for free, you can visit an organic grower (find local farmers here) like Rich at City Farm and see first-hand a variety of composting bins, tumblers and piles being used at the farm. I recommend going this May 16th & 17th as it is the 17th Annual Rare & Unusual Plant Sale that benefits SCLT's mission to grow food in and around Providence; Rich has outdone himself again by growing 5,000 tomato plants (all organic and many of them heirloom varieties) in addition to other vegetables, herbs, flowering annuals and perennials.

My husband Ben, Rich and me seated on a wooden bench at City Farm in Providence, RI during a visit last June 2008. Behind us is a plastic mesh compost bin.

DEFINITION
Composting is the decomposition of organic materials. It involves a balance of carbon (Dry Browns) and nitrogen (Wet Greens) at about a 3:1 ratio, water and oxygen in the form of air, as well as the activity of millions and billions of microorganisms and creatures living in the soil.

COMPOST INGREDIENTS
DRY BROWNS (High-Carbon)
-Dry leaves
-Pine needles
-Pine cones
-Straw
-Hay (can be composted but may have weed seeds)
-Chopped cornstalks
-Eggshells (make sure you wash with warm, soapy water first)
-Nutshells
-Aged sawdust (from untreated, unpainted wood)*
-Wood chips*
-Prunings*
-Twigs*
-Shredded paper (moderate amounts)*
* = Wood and wood products need lots of nitrogen in order to decompose, so it should be used sparingly or with extra wet greens to compensate.

WET GREENS (High-Nitrogen)
-Vegetable scraps
-Fruit scraps, citrus peels & fruit pomaces (acidic)
-Coffee grounds (acidic) & their unbleached paper filters
-Tea bags (acidic)
-Fresh grass clippings
-Fresh leaves
-Weeds (you must soak in water in hot sun for several days to “drown” seeds and roots)
-Green garden debris (like bolted lettuce)
-Hair (pet or human)
-Laundry lint (use biodegradable laundering products)
-Manure from herbivores only (cows, poultry, horses, pigs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, etc.). Make sure manure compost is aged properly before using in food gardens.
-Zoo-Doo / Zoo-Poo (zoo animal manure from herbivores: elephants, giraffes, etc.)
-Seaweed & algae

WATER
You can recycle water to be used in watering your compost pile.
-water left over in the salad spinner
-water left over from boiling potatoes or pasta, or steaming vegetables
-water removed from a fresh water aquariums
-water from a hot water bottle
-water leftover in drink glasses or water bottles
-water saved from waiting for it to heat up in the shower or when washing dishes
-greywater (water from dish washing, bathing or laundry), although special consideration of residues, soaps and cleaning agents is needed

DO NOT ADD:
-Meat scraps (attracts rodents)
-Dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter (attracts rodents)
-Fats, oils and grease (attracts rodents and can make soil organisms sick)
-Droppings from caged birds (contains harmful bacteria)
-Droppings from dogs, cats, pigs, reptiles or other carnivores (contains harmful bacteria) - [see future post on Composting Pet Waste.]
-Human waste (contains harmful bacteria)
-Diseased plants (so you don't end up spreading disease when you spread your compost)
-Weeds with seeds or roots in tact (so you don't end up spreading weeds when you spread your compost)
-Grass clippings from lawns/yards treated with chemicals
-Highway trimmings or roadside debris (could contain petroleum residues)
-Florist shop wastes (could contain pesticide residues deemed "safe" for flowers but not for food)
-Color or glossy newspapers (could contain heavy metals and chemicals)
-Sunflowers and Black Walnut debris (contain chemicals that prevent other plants from growing)

The smaller the ingredients' fragments, the more quickly they will decompose. For example, cider pomace will compost faster than a slice of apple which will compost faster than a whole apple. Ingredients that are chopped or shredded will compost more quickly than if they were left whole. Let's say you need to compost a whole watermelon; chop it up or at the very least slice it in half before you add it to your compost pile.


COMPOST INGREDIENT COLLECTION METHODS and DEVICES
To collect kitchen waste, a 1-gallon plastic ice cream pail with its lid, or a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, or a plastic bin with a lid work great and can be fit easily under the kitchen sink. You can also purchase a variety of plastic, ceramic, copper, or even bamboo counter-top crocks and pails.

To collect yard waste, paper yard waste bags, trash cans or Fiskars Kangaroo Pop-Up Bags work well. It's great to keep some dry browns on hand during winter months so that you can be sure that your 3:1 ratio of dry browns to wet greens is maintained.

COMPOST METHODS and DEVICES
There are many types of compost bins, tumblers, and piles. Each device and method has its own pros and cons.

COMPOST PILES or HEAPS
If you live on a farm, in a rural or country area, or have a vast yard, compost piles or heaps are an option for you. Piles and heaps are probably the easiest to create and maintain, and have the scale suitable to deal with lots of leaves and clippings, but they also can be the slowest at delivering the finished compost. Wild animals may seek out your pile for food or warmth, but given the expanse of land, it shouldn't be too problematic. If you own a cat or dog, they can help keep unwanted guests at bay.

Basically you need at least a 3'x3' space situated away from your house. Clear away any debris, especially weeds. Loosen the soil with a spading fork or shovel. You can begin your pile now or dig about 12" down over the entire space that is to be the compost pile, and place the removed soil in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp off to the side to save as soil inoculant. Lay some straw or twigs at the bottom of the pile to help facilitate drainage. Begin layering your dry browns and wet greens, throwing in an occasional scoop of soil inoculant until it is all used up. The soil inoculant will supply the necessary beneficial soil microorganisms and creatures that aid in the decomposition process. Water the pile so that there is some moisture; you want a damp pile not a wet or waterlogged one, so aim for moderation. Keep adding material as you have it, building your pile to a minimum of 3' high. You can go as high and wide as you want it, but generally speaking, the higher and wider the pile, the longer the decomposition of its materials will take; a 3'x3'x3'pile is optimal. If you don't mind waiting a couple of years, you can ignore the pile and let nature take its course. If you want finished compost more quickly, you will need to monitor the pile more closely, aerating and watering the pile when necessary.

COMPOST TRENCHES or HOLES
This is perhaps my favorite method, as this is how my grandmother described my great-grandfather's compost method. Many of my European friends use similar methods in Holland and Germany. You dig a trench 8-12" deep or a hole 18-24" deep in the ground near your back entrance (a kitchen or basement door if you are lucky) or in a fallow section of your garden, setting aside the removed soil to serve later as soil inoculant. The size of the trench or diameter of the hole is dependent on how much kitchen and yard waste you generate. Then put a layer of dry browns at the bottom, fill in with wet greens and top off with more dry browns. The top six inches of the trench or hole should be filled with soil inoculant. This soil will disguise the smell of any of the kitchen waste and prevent unwanted guests from making themselves at home. Mound the remaining dirt on top because as the dry browns and wet greens decompose, the trench or hole contents will shrink and create a pit. Mounding the dirt on top will help prevent a tripping hazard. You can also mark the perimeter of your compost trench or hole with stones, logs or bricks, or place a little flag in the center. If you live in a cold climate and plan on adding to the compost trench or hole during the winter, spread a combination dry leaves and grass clippings on top, or layer a thick carpet of straw (at least 6-8" deep). Dig compost trenches or holes as you need them (make sure holes are dug before the ground freezes). Once the trench or hole is filled, you can let the soil organisms and creature feast as you have essentially built them a cafeteria. They will enter from all sides, eating their way towards the center, thus making this method of composting a rather effective, fast and efficient one. After a couple of months, you should be able to plant directly into the compost trench or hole; your plants should thrive in the rich compost.

If you want to make your compost hole or trench a semi permanent-to-permanent structure to keep any rodents or wild creatures away, you can build a frame (cedar works well because it is rot resistant) slightly larger than the outline of the trench or the opening of the hole. You secure the frame to the ground by driving post in the corners of the frame, about a foot deep. Create a lid that can be hinged, plug fitted or just placed over the pile with a rock or brick to secure it in place. You just lift the lid when you want to add more materials to be composted.

I will be converting my wire compost bin into a compost trench later this spring. Please check back for pics.

COMPOST BINS and TUMBLERS
If you live in a suburban or urban neighborhood where the houses and apartment buildings are close together, a pile or heap might attract unwanted rodents like raccoons or rats, so a more structured bin or tumbler is probably best. Bins are usually stationary, and require aeration using a tool (aerator, pitchfork, shovel) or pole method explained below. Many communities provide a black compost bin that has an uncanny resemblance to Darth Vader. Tumblers are compost bins that are cranked, rotated or rolled for aeration. Tumblers deliver finished compost very quickly, sometimes in just two weeks. This website gives a good overview of the various compost bins and tumblers available for sale.

For urban composters, a classic "Oscar the Grouch" style metal trashcan with bungee cords to secure the lid works best. Attach bungee cords to the trash can lid so that when the lid is closed, the bungee cords can be hooked around the trash can handles to secure the lid shut. Drill holes on the sides of the can and on the lid for aeration. Drill holes in the bottom of the can for drainage, and set up on cinder blocks. Place a bucket or pan to catch liquid compost which can be added to water to serve as an organic fertilizer.

Here are two types you can build yourself:

Wire Mesh Bin
The above bin was created from 4 pieces of rebar and green coated galvanized wire mesh, materials readily available at most hardware stores and home improvement centers. The green coating is PVC, and although I am not a fan of PVC, it protects the wire from corrosion. The rebar acts as posts to hold the mesh in place, and secure it to the ground. The mesh allows air to easily enter the compost "pile" on all sides. The bottom sits directly on the exposed dirt, allowing access to soil organisms and for drainage.

3-Bin System
The system above was created with recycled wood pallets. Since this is a teaching model at City Farm, each bin is painted a different color and marked Stages #1, #2 & #3. You begin by filling the first bin (marked Stage #1) with dry browns and wet greens, once it's full you move on to the second bin (marked Stage #2), and once it's full, you move onto the third bin (marked Stage #3). By the time you have finished filling the third bin, the first bin should be done decomposing. You remove the compost, toss uncomposted matter into the last bin you started and begin the process again, emptying the next bin as you need it. In order for this system to work effectively, you need to monitor the decomposition process, making sure that there is a good ratio of carbon materials to nitrogen materials, that the pile is moist and aerated, and sustaining temperatures between 80˚ to 160˚F.

COMPOST TOOLS
PITCHFORK
A common pitchfork is helpful for adding ingredients, such as straw and grass clippings to the compost pile. It also can be used for tidying up the pile or aerating it (see below).

AERATORS
A compost aerator allows you to go deep and twist the compost ingredients, creating air passages. You do not to purchase a special tool to do aerate your pile. You can use a pitchfork to lift and shift compost materials. However, if you do use a pitchfork, resist the urge to flip the pile contents. Doing so exposes soil microorganisms to too much air, and they die. If you have a bad back, you can stick poles or PVC pipe into the pule at various places and every few days, remove the poles and place them in a new spot. This will create channels of air, and improve circulation.

COMPOST THERMOMETER
A compost thermometer generally measures temperatures up to 200˚F. For decomposition to take place, the temperature of the "pile" should fall somewhere between 80˚F and 160˚F.
— 80˚ to 110˚F is a steady pace for decomposition; if your pile is new, add more ingredients & water if necessary and aerate frequently to get the temperature up.
— 110˚to 140˚ is an active pace for decomposition, monitor moisture levels, otherwise, aerate weekly.
— 140˚to 160˚F is the prime pace for rapid decomposition, although temperatures exceeding 140˚F can be cause the smallest soil organisms to die off. Do not allow your pile to exceed 160˚F as it might catch fire; if it exceeds 160˚F, divide the pile, add more ingredients and water it thoroughly.

COMPOST SCREEN
Regardless of what composting device or system you employ, you will need to separate fully decomposed matter from partially decomposed or non-decomposed matter. An easy way to do this is by using a compost screen, placed over a wheelbarrow, plastic bin or 5-gallon bucket. Basically all you need is a wood frame with heavy gauge galvanized wire 0.25" mesh screen; the frame should be wider than the width of your wheelbarrow or compost catching container. Allow the compost to sift through the screen; whatever remains in the screen, toss back into the compost device for further decomposition. The finished compost can be used to make potting soil or compost tea, or as a soil amendment, or to mulch or side dress beds.

COMPOST TEA RECIPE
Using a 1:3 ratio, mix 1 part compost to 3 parts water.
Stir mixture until compost dissolves completely.
Dilute tea to a light amber color.
Feed garden or houseplants every 2 weeks.

Waste not.

It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.
~ E.C. McKenzie

Hello. My name is Kate. And I am addicted to recycling.

I admit, I can be a bit obsessive about it. My co-workers used to call me Kerry Kate after this Terry Tate commercial.

I first became aware of the problem of garbage on a trip to New York City with my friend Christina and her parents in the late 1980's. We were on a ferry boat to look at the Statue of Liberty, and then there was the rankest smell you can imagine. The captain announced that the half dozen nearly overflowing garbage barges had no place go, so they were just afloat waiting for a garbage dispute between New York and New Jersey to be settled. Neither State wanted to be financially or environmentally responsible for the discarding of the garbage. The image of the garbage barges in front of the State of Liberty, and thankfully not the smell, has never left me.

My passion for recycling began in 1990. I was listening to cassette tapes of R.E.M. and Midnight Oil, and my social consciousness was on the rise. The Valdez Oil Spill had happened a year earlier, and everybody was concerned about dolphins being killed for tuna and the ozone depletion caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The Berlin Wall had just come down, and there was sense that it was indeed possible to change the world. I was a freshman in high school making sure my classmates were aware of the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day (celebrated every April 22), and working with some seniors on a boycott of styrofoam in the high school cafeteria. That Earth Day, the slogan was, "Think Globally, Act Locally", and there was all sorts of information out about recycling, such as "recycling one aluminum soda pop can save enough electricity to run a TV for three hours". Stats like these made such an impression on me, and I probably drove my family nuts talking about recycling and saving the earth.

But it wasn't until my junior year that I learned about composting. My father had been saving the grass clippings and leaves to mound up around our pine trees for years, we just had never called it composting, it was more "the strange thing Dad does because he doesn't want to buy garbage bags". But in 1991, a German exchange student, Eva, lived with my family. At that point, my family was putting out four garbage cans a week, and her family in Germany of a similar size was discarding about the amount that would fit into one of those plastic grocery bags that we all hate so much. In Germany, they were recycling everything — paper, paperboard, cardboard, plastics #1-7, aluminum foil and cans, steel, glass of all colors. Plus they brought their containers back to the grocery for refills on things like shampoo and laundry detergent, so packaging in general was a lot less. And then on top of all of that wonderful recycling and lack of disposable packaging, they were composting all of their kitchen waste (egg shells, orange peels, tomato stems, potato skins, coffee grinds, etc.) and all of their yard waste (grass clippings, hedge prunings, autumn leaves, etc.) Eva was certain that my family could waste less if we only recycled everything and kept a compost pile.

There's this show on Planet Green called Wa$ted! with Annabelle Gurwitch and Holter Graham. They pick a family or a business and then calculate their ecological footprint based on their day-to-day living habits, and then ask them to initiate more sustainable practices, and for every dollar they save on lower heating and water bills etc., Wa$ted! matches as their reward. To illustrate the wastefulness of their current lifestyle (before sustainable changes are put in place), Annabelle and Graham collect the contestants' trash, and then bring a year's worth of it and dump it on their lawn, going through it, and showing the folks what could have been recycled or composted or donated. When you see a year's worth of garbage of just one household or business, it will make you feel sick to the stomach. And then to think that is just one family or business, you really begin to wonder where on earth (literally and figuratively) is all the garbage being put, and can we really continue to live in this fashion?

Changing one's lifelong relationship with garbage, and the attitudes, habits and behaviors that support it, is possible through awareness, knowledge and practice.

1) Look at what you toss for a week, literally pause each time you toss to consciously note what you are throwing "away".

2) Tour your local landfill. Learn and see for yourself where your waste goes.

3) Read Rubbish!: The Archeology of Garbage by William Rathje and Cullen Murphy. Here are two of my favorite passages from the book:

“…The dynamics of a modern landfill are very nearly the opposite of what most people think. Biologically and chemically, a landfill is a much more static structure than is commonly supposed. For some kind of organics, biodegradation goes on for a little while, and then slows to a virtual standstill. For other kinds, biodegradation never really gets under way at all. Well-designed and managed landfills seem to be far more apt to preserve their contents for posterity than to transform them into hummus or mulch. They are not vast composters; rather, they are vast mummifiers.” page 112

“The problem is that laboratory conditions and even the conditions in a compost pile—or in a field or city street—are usually not comparable to the conditions in a landfill. Biodegradation works most efficiently under composting conditions, when debris is chopped up, regularly turned, kept wet, and exposed to the oxygen that aerobic microorganisms, which biodegrade organic material in the most straightforward way, require. These conditions are not met in modern landfills. The garbage stays where it has been dumped, tightly compacted but largely intact. Although some 200 landfills do recycle leachate through their garbage deposits… adding fluid waste or other kinds of fluid to landfills is widely discouraged, for fear of increasing the possibility that toxic liquids will migrate [for instance, into groundwater supplies]. And below all but the very top layers of a landfill (about eight feet) microorganisms that require oxygen seem to survive in insignificant numbers.” page 117

4) Find out how and what and where to recycle in your community at Earth911.com You can recycle paper products, metal, glass, plastics, hazardous, electronic, automotive, household, garden and construction waste and materials. Set up a recycling station.

5) Compost your yard and kitchen waste. Composting is one of the simplest things a person can do to reduce their household waste and improve their gardening conditions. Not only does it reduce what you send off to the landfill and lessen your ecological footprint, it also: enriches garden soil with nutrients; improves with soil aeration and water retention; and helps to prevent soil erosion. Healthier soil results in healthier plants, and thus healthier people. Plus, because manures and other composts are in higher demand (read: Manure More Precious Than Gold), you can save a lot of money by creating your own. [Composting 101 is up next.]

Awareness of one's waste leads to an awareness of one's consumption. Soon you will not only be thinking, "can this be reused, re-purposed, recycled, donated, composted,...?", you will begin to think, "did I really need this in the first place?" When you realize there is no "away" in "throwing things away", you don't see things as disposable anymore. You realize most things marketed as "disposable", could just as easily be labeled, "poorly made". Even though you can easily recycle plastic and paper grocery bags, you'll see the futility of them, and decide to carry your own reusable cloth bags. You will be able to do more with less, and when you do shop, you will want to buy things of lasting quality and craftsmanship or that have been strategically made so that they can be reused or upcycled.

Departure.

“Nothing really dies,” I told him. “It just turns into something else. Everything is always changing form. Do you remember the pumpkin that rotted into the earth in your garden? Tomatoes sprouted where it used to be. This bird will go back to the earth and turn into lavender flowers and butterflies.”
~ Anne Cushing in 'Best Buddhist Writing 2006'


We had some serious winds, and actually some blizzards this past week. And this weather took the Old Leaf with it. I miss it hanging precariously from its tiny branch. New buds have begun to form in its place. There are leaves scattered throughout the yard, so there's no telling which one could be this Old Leaf. Part of me wishes I had it, so I could save it as a memento of this beginning of 2009, marked with the deaths of my grandmother, my friend and this past week, my husband's Great Uncle Bud. But then that is really part of it. You can't keep the the thing you lost, only your memory of it and the imprint of how it touched you. You are not able to hold on, you have to let go.

That's what I love about gardening. Everyday there is evidence of impermanence. Something blooms, something fades away. The cycle of life and death happening over and over again, teaching us acceptance of this inevitability. The thing that is will not be forever. The thing that dies is never really gone, it merely changes forms. Life goes on.

Bathrobes and Bottle Trees.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.
~Saint Augustine

My sister Kristin sent me this article from the NY Times, Slow Gardening Ramps Up: Slow, Easy, Cheap & Green by Steven Kurutz, about horticulturist Felder Rushing. It couldn't have come at a better time, as I am realizing that most of the perennials I seeded won't bloom until next season. Patience...

I laughed out loud when Felder Rushing said, "...I am outside in my bathrobe a lot, and in the mornings I look like Jesus' drunk brother." Classic! I often wonder what my neighbors think of my mismatched tees and plaid and striped pajama bottoms when I am letting Kayla (my sister Kelly's Boxer) out to pee and observing my garden while I wait for her to finish up her business. I don't think I can claim to look like Jesus' drunk sister, but maybe a distant cousin in need of a good cup of tea.

I loved his beautiful cobalt blue glass bottle tree. The cobalt blue would probably be good at attracting pollinators to the garden. Megan McFarland posted directions on How to Make a Bottle Tree on howtodothings.com This may become one of my summer projects.

Consider the Tomato.

Know your farmer, know your food.
~ Michael Ableman

Today I received my tomato seeds from TomatoFest, and it made me feel very happy knowing that my seeds came from good folks, like Gary Ibsen and Dagma Lacey who share common values. It makes me feel good knowing I will plant, care for, and harvest tomatoes to feed myself, my family, neighbors, friends and PAR. It's empowering and gratifying.

Sometimes people ask, What difference does it make where my food comes from? Let's take a tomato. A common produce item. A staple of the American diet. Should be simple enough.


If a person goes to a store and purchases a tomato, the sign says, "Tomatoes $3.59 per pound". He knows the name of the produce and the price per pound. He may have a choice of grape, cherry, plum, or beefsteak so he can decide if it's for a salad or to slice. He may even look at the tomato and judge it's color and size, and pick one that is a nice red color and has some heft and firmness.

But there are some questions left unanswered.

What variety of tomato is it? What flavor and texture does the tomato have? Is it the most suited variety for the usage or recipe?

Where did the seeds come from that grew the tomato? Have they been handed down generation after generation, from grower to grower? Were they cultivated by the Amish or Native Americans? Were they imported from Italy, Russian, or China? Were they genetically modified in a lab?

Where was the tomato grown? Was it grown by a local farmer? Was is grown in the US? Was it grown in Florida by slaves? Was it grown in Chile and imported?

How far did the tomato travel? How much fossil fuel was used in getting the tomato to the dinner plate? Did the transportation devices (cargo ships, airplanes, trains, trucks) meet pollution-reduction standards?

What type of environment was the tomato grow in? A field? A greenhouse? A hydroponics facility?

What type of soil did the tomato plant grow in? Was it grown it a sustainable fashion? Were manures properly aged to kill harmful bacteria before being added to the soil? What fertilizers and soil amendments were used? Were pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides used? If imported, were the chemicals used to grow the tomatoes legal for farming in the US? How did the fertilizers and other chemical agents used affect the the surrounding ecosystem (birds, bats, bees, butterflies, frogs, mammals including human workers and neighbors, streams, rivers,...)?

What were the working conditions of the farmers who grew the tomato? Did they receive adequate pay and benefits? Did they have a lunch break? Did they have reasonable working hours? Did they have good and safe working conditions? Were they treated humanely, with dignity and respect? If they became injured on the job, did they receive the necessary health care and paid-leave? If they worked with pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, what is the health risk for them or that of their children? Were proper bathrooms available, or were workers forced to relieve themselves in the fields?

At what stage was the tomato picked? Was it allowed to ripen on the vine to have full nutritional value? Or was it picked before it ripened so that it could "travel" better, and then forced to ripen in ethylene gas chambers?

What packaging and waste was generated in shipping and displaying the tomato? Can any of it be recycled or re-purposed?

It's because I don't feel comfortable not knowing the answers to these questions, that I decided to try to:
- grow as much of my own food as possible;
- support local farmers and producers as much as I can by visiting their farms and farmers' markets; and
- buy local, seasonal, organic or biodynamic whenever possible.

Sometimes it does take more effort, but if you think about the benefits, the rewards are far greater than the effort expended. And sometimes it does cost more in the short-term, but in the long term, I know that the food is healthier for me and the environment, and more respectful to those who labor in the fields, and I consider that a good deal.

If it seems overwhelming, start with tomatoes.

Bringin' Your Own Sunshine.

Wherever you go, no matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

If you place your seedlings in the window, while they may get a lot of light, sometimes they will still seem to stretch for it. You may find that their stems are becoming leggy for the effort.

Even in a south-facing window, in late Winter and early Spring, sometimes daylight just doesn't last long enough to give the plants the amount of sunshine they need. Plus, overcast winter skies and spring rain clouds can block the full effect of the sun's rays. And then there's always the perfect window in a great sunny spot, except for the giant tree or neighbor's house blocking it.

Grow Lights are a simple way to get the appropriate amount of light to your young seedlings and plants.

Many gardening supply stores offer a variety of ready-made Grow Lights for sale. They're equipped with state-of-the-art bulbs, reflectors, ventilation, timing devices, etc. And they are an excellent option if you can afford them.

But if you are on a budget like me, and know how to use a drill and a screwdriver, a Grow Light can easily be made at a fraction of the cost.

This video gives a pretty good demonstration of the basics of How to Make a Grow Light. The amount of materials needed will depend on how big the Grow Light is.

TOOLS
- Saw
- Power Screwdriver
- Power Drill
- Wrench, long screwdriver or stick

MATERIALS
- plywood (only necessary if you are combining 2 or more fixtures into a single grow light)
- spray paint (optional)
- self-drilling zinc screws for metal (2 per fixture)
- fluorescent bulb light fixture(s)*
- Daylight 6500 Kelvin Cool Light Bulbs*
- Sunlight 5000 Kelvin Bulbs*
- screw hooks
- lengths of #3 double loop chain
- indoor extension cord with grounded plug (16 gauge, 13 amp)
- light timer (optional)

* Make sure the bulbs to correspond with the light fixture. T5 bulbs go with a T5 fixture, T8 bulbs with a T8 fixture, T12 bulbs with a T12 fixture... Always pay attention to the wattage requirements.

Because of the size of my seedling trays, I decided that my Grow Light needed to be 20" wide and 48" long. So I purchased three 4' 2-light Shop Lights. Since this type of fixture is prevalent in a lot of office, government and school buildings, sometimes you can find these types of fixtures for a couple of bucks at a building material reuse retailer or ResourceXchange type of service. I looked for light fixtures at Pittsburgh's Construction Junction, but unfortunately, they didn't have any. Search Earth911 to locate recycling centers in your area. You might even be able to find some for cheap on Craigslist or Ebay.


I bought two twin-packs of 48" Daylight Cool Light 32 T8 bulbs and two twin-packs of 48" Sunshine F32 T8 bulbs (I have one extra of each bulb in case one breaks or burns out). It is alright to use just the Daylight Cool Light fluorescent bulbs. I also purchased a 2'x4' piece of plywood to mount the fixtures on, a package of screw hooks, a pack of self-drilling screws, 3-outlet indoor extension cord with grounded plug, and 15' of #3 double loop chain.


I unpacked all three light fixtures and lined them up side-by-side light-side-up on top of the plywood so I could mark the cut line for the plywood. (Please note: For safety reasons, the lights were not plugged in and also did not have the bulbs installed.) After the plywood was cut, and the edges were sanded to eliminate splinters, spray paint was applied to the plywood to match the color of the fixtures, and left to dry.


With the fixtures unplugged, I then removed the protective panels from the interiors of all 3 lights, setting aside the screws and washers. There were existing holes, so it was unnecessary for me to drill through the metal, however I still used the self-drilling screws. I lined up for the first fixture with the edge of the plywood, and attached the fixture to the plywood with the screws, being careful not to hit or damage the wires or their casings. I repeated the process for the next two fixtures (making sure all of the plugs lined up on the same end), then reattached all the protective panels, also making sure not to damage the wires in any way.


Making sure not to touch the ends of the bulbs, I carefully inserted the fluorescent bulbs into each fixture, alternating Daylight and Sunshine bulbs, one of each per fixture (Daylight-Sunlight-Daylight-Sunlight-Daylight-Sunlight). I double-checked to make sure each bulb was secure.

With my husband Ben's help, I carefully flipped the entire fixture over. To attach the screw hooks for hanging, we measured halfway on the end, one inch in, and drilled a small hole, then screwed in the screw hook, and repeated on the other side.


We then measured the distance between the two screw hooks, and found a spot on a basement ceiling beam, and drilled two holes for screw hooks that same distance apart. We attached the length of chain to hang the Grow Light. We plugged the individual fixtures into the extension cord and ran it to a grounded socket. Then turned on the individual fixtures.


We positioned the Grow Light to hang just a few inches about the top of the seedling trays to ensure that the seedlings get the proper amount of light. As the seedlings grow, we will raise the Grow Light on the chain.



Shopping for materials took about a half an hour. It cost me $95 to make this particular Grow Light. I could have saved around $30 buying different fixtures, but I liked the sides of these fixtures and the quality better than the cheaper versions. Even at $95, I saved between $130 to $300 by making my own Grow Light.

Assembly (minus the spray paint drying time) took about 30 minutes. Very easy. It does help to have another person to help with the hanging of the fixture especially if there are multiple fixtures.


I can already see a difference in my plants. I think that they are healthier and happier. Now all they need is some Mozart playing in the background.