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Enter your keywords:Posts Tagged ‘The Earth:’
THE EARTH : My Russian Adventures
The life of an organic farmer may be hard at times, but it certainly is not dull. Since 1991, my husband and I have traveled in Russia on four occasions, meeting farmers and gardeners. In the process, we’ve had great adventures, met lots of really wonderful people and made dear friends. We volunteer our time for The Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI), an exceptionally effective non-governmental organization in San Francisco.
THE EARTH : One Person Can Make a Difference
Last November I had a rare opportunity to be in Rome for the United Nation’s World Food Summit as a delegate for the World Sustainable Agriculture Association. An unusual thing happened at the Summit. People from all parts of the world were really talking about food security, what it meant, how to eliminate hunger, and what they can do about it back home. For the first time I felt there was an agreement among diverse people, organizations, and governments to look at the problems in-depth relating to the security of food.
THE EARTH :Back To Basics: Growing Food
Every year at this time I turn to the upcoming season with much anticipation.With the seed catalogs arriving, I spend time finding new varieties and old favorites that I want to grow.My thoughts also turn to the needs of the garden and preparations for the new season.This gives me the opportunity to review some of the basic elements that are needed in gardening.For those of you who are old hands at gardening as well as those who are new gardeners, I would like to briefly share with you a few important items that are essential for a successful garden.
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THE EARTH : Humus: The Gardener’s Black Gold
What is this mysterious substance in the soil that makes it dark in color, very fertile, and which gardeners talk about so reverently? Growers affectionately call this substance Black Gold, but in the scientific world it is known as humus. Humus gives healthy earth its characteristic color, smell, and fertility. The object of the grower is to have rich healthy soil so crops will be vigorous and productive.
Chemically, humus is incredibly complex and defies precise analysis by soil scientists. It best can be described as consisting of decomposed organic matter, along with the remains of soil microorganisms, and is extremely rich in nutrients. When humus is increased in the soil it creates and maintains a soil that has the capacity to produce crops year after year without using chemical fertilizers.
THE EARTH : Raised Bed Gardening
Gardening in raised beds instead of conventional rows is becoming more and more popular, and it is easy to see why - earlier crops in the spring and later crops in the fall, more produce in less space, less fertilizer needed, no costly machinery, better drainage, fewer weeds, elimination of soil problems, and better root crops. Gardeners who have tried raised beds discover that the soil is loose allowing air, moisture, warmth, nutriments and roots to penetrate more easily, and that this method of gardening helps correct the problems of poor, rocky or compacted soil and extends the shorter growing seasons.
The Earth: Plant Your Own Orchard
Through the years I have found great satisfaction in growing my own vegetables and much enjoyment from growing my own fruit trees. Orchard fruits and nuts not only supply essential nutrition and fiber to a diet but also opportunities for joy and beauty. Growing vegetables can be very productive, but no food-production system is complete without a small orchard.
In one way, an orchard is easier to grow than a vegetable garden. Once planted, fruit and nut trees will produce for years. Some apple trees can still be productive after 50 years.
The Earth: Managing Your Energy Orchard
Here on our farm, my husband and I have chosen wood as our sole source of heat. Our house is kept warm and cozy by the wood stove in the living room. In an average heating season the stove consumes three cords of mixed hardwoods, all from our land.
Fortunately, we have about 30 acres of forest, so there’s never a shortage of firewood. Now, you don’t need to own 30 acres of woods to be self-sufficient in firewood. In most regions of the United States a woodlot of three acres is adequate. If available land is limited, firewood can be grown along roads, streams, edges of fields, stone fences, property lines or surrounding the house, as a windbreak or privacy screen.
The Earth: The Herb Garden as a Pharmacy
The Earth: The Herb Garden as a Pharmacy
There’s an extra bonus available for the gardener who grows herbs. In addition to their essential use in cooking, some of them have medicinal value. Being easy to grow, herbs can provide low-cost remedies for illnesses.
Primitive peoples and ancient civilizations possessed an extensive herbal lore that evolved over centuries of pragmatic testing. Although hardly “scientific” by today’s standards, the research was, to a great extent, completely valid, based as it was on trial, response and observation.
