Because of all the sun, I spent most of the weekend in the garden, setting up my herb garden and strawberry planters etc. Even though you get the odd bad back from crouching over, it has to be one of the most calming, stress-relieving activities ever. There's something about handling soil, standing bare-foot in grass and handling seedlings that feels so peaceful and rewarding.

When I was a kid, I remember teachers getting us to grow alfalfa and sunflowers- it's a shame they don't continue this through later years- we all loved growing things and were fascinated by the process from seed to plant!

I wish schools were more encouraging about getting kids to interact with nature more.

I totally agree! I have started a garden,but I feel like I don't know how to do it. Its a weedy mess! But I am hoping I will get a little something out of it. Its not really my area, but I am allowed to use it. At least one person has volunteered to help...eat the fruits of my labor if I get some!

I agree too! I spent part of an afternoon this weekend weeding at my community garden, and it's a wonderful meditation--- weeding is my favorite gardening task. (My glute muscles are really sore though.)

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

i get alot of satisfaction from gardening

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I sure wish you gardeners could tell me if you know how I can avoid being startled by SNAKES in my garden. Yah, yah, they are the good kind; they don't bite people (maybe a little nip if you handle them) & aren't poisonous and they eat mice but I find them creepy and seem unable to get over it. I have handled snakes in the past, including a giant python, but I was in control of the situation. When you are weeding the garden and then there's this thing esssss-ing its way nearby, well, I don't know but my heart leaps and I am unrelaxed for some time.

Any opinions? I can't quit gardening!

There are no snakes in New Zealand.


My favorite raw vegan

I'll trade you some snakes for my abundance of toads! You can't have any of the bunnies though, even if they are the gardener's bane I'm keeping them.

I want to grow some watermelons! There's enough sun and room out there but the soil, ugh, lousy. Mounds maybe? Wonder if the bunbuns will eat them all up before they even get started though. Hmm...

Snakes and toads! You guys must feel like Indiana Jones every time you go into your garden

The only terror in my garden right now is my little ginger cat, who is trying to chew up every thing that moves- from birds to tiny flies! He knocked some seedlings off of my table onto the floor too. Waaah!

I bought a load of heirloom seeds and look forward to doing some more planting this weekend- kale, peppers, cucumber, carrot etc!

If my garden was bigger I would love to try growing melon again. I can't imagine anything more satisfying that growing your own watermelon! What an accomplishment that would be!

I'd rather have snakes than the dead baby squirrel I found the other day; probably let go of by mama when a brid of prey carried her off. I buried the poor thing gently near my pear tree and that was the end of my "Inner Peace" for the day

With snakes, I find that they are so skittish, you make a bit of rustling noise and they shuss a good distance away and don't come back. And they do keep away squirrels and bunnies, so they are actually useful.

Wah, baby squirrel! I love those little tree monkeys so much, we feed them nuts in the shell all winter and spring. I missed them tons when we lived in BC, they're my fave of faves.
I scared a few toads with the lawn mower today, hope I didn't hurt any! They're so small, it's hard to know. Wish I could let the lawn go but that would require the employ of a horse or a goat at least. It was nearly 3 feet tall when I finally got someone to come and cut it this year! I've got a mower now, it's no fun cutting it but the neighbours insist and I'm afraid of losing one of the kids in that jungle if I don't 8/

*dreams of watermelon and fresh peas*

coco,

I am seriously looking into xeriscaping my lawn. I am so sick of the horrible waste of resources that is lawn upkeep.

I would love to have a yard that was nothing but garden. I look at it this way...I have a 3 almost 4 year old and another baby due in July. The yard provides my son and in time my daughter with a place to run and play and be active. So looking at it that way it is not a waste of resource. Now on the other hand if there are no kids to utilize the yard space then plant that sucker until you don't have a blade of grass left...lol

I hate mowing too but I just keep thinking that mowing the grass is feeding my compost pile.

I don't water it. It gets whatever rain falls on it and it grows like madness already, and I couldn't care less if it's half creeping charlie and plaintain. I just don't care about Teh Lawn. I would love to not have to mow though, I've never owned a gas powered vehicle in my life, can I tell you how stupid I'm gonna feel going to the gas station when I have to refill my MOWER?! 8/

Is there anything I can plant, some kind of ground cover that will just take over and choke out the grass? The kids need to be able to run around on it but again, I don't really care what it looks like so long as it stays short! Wouldn't it be fine just to have all clover out there, ooh I would love that tons! Lots of bees though I guess.

A friend is coming over who offered to help me pick up gardening supplies a while ago, I wonder if he's still game. I really want some food action out there before it's too late to plant.

coco,

This is a website I spend time on when I really get fed up with the lawn:

[stepables.com]

Also, if you wish to lo-fi it in the meantime:

[www.cleanairgardening.com]

I recall my grandpa putting us to work with his old one, after he'd sharpen the baldes with a whetstone. His yard was smallish, though.

I love those links!!!

this stuff is supposed to work pretty good, as it doesnt even grow over 6 inches supposedly, I havnt used it, as ive never liked lawns, but it seems like it would be easier to deal with than grass that grows into a forest,lol.

[nomowgrass.com]

Ive also heard of people using some types of really hardy mosses in their lawns!!!
Ive also heard of this grass, seen it in magazines, and cant seem to find it online as I dont remember what it was called, but it basically said that it needs almost no water, will choke out anything else, and only grows like 2 inches a year... and was fairly cheap if I remember right...If i remember what it was, i'll let ya know

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

That's what I had, a push mower! A nice one too. It won't work on my lawn, it's full of pot holes, lumps, bumps and craters. The push mower would get stuck with the wheels spinning in air or nearly sideways in a hole, it sucked. I had to hire a guy with a tractor mower to cut it, even a regular rider wouldn't do that 3 foot tall grass. He told me he couldn't even roll it, it's so bad. I would have to put down top soil and have it leveled and seeded to get it anywhere near flat.

I wonder if those stepables take over the grass or if you have to take the grass out? Even 6 inch tall grass would be great, I love the feeling of walking in a carpet of it a few days after it's been mowed and is starting to come back up, it's lush and lovely. That's usually right when you have to cut it again though, before it's too long for the mower to handle.

coco,

I think you can overseed them on existing grass; they seem hardy enough to dominate something like grass, and would likely compost it for food. I would LOVE, as Curator mentions, to over lay my entire lawn with moss--it is luscious under bare feet! However, I have a house on a north-->south axis(the front faces east and the back faces west), so I am having a dickens of a time finding a single lawn-replacement ground cover that would work on all four sides of me house. Also, moss can get thirsty, which brings me back to water wastage. Hence the siren pull of xeriscaping--each side could be landscaped according to its sun level.

Curator,

That grass looks like something hybridized at a university extension. Thanks for the link; I'm gonna investigate further.

tamukha, definietly go for the no lawn thing! My buddy decided one year that lawns are stupid and pointless, especially because we are here in northern california, so water is precious in the summer months. So he just planted it with food and other things, and the people who walk by and neighbors LOVE IT!!!! just let nature loose in the yard and you will love the wild cool look. There is a movement out here called food not lawns. its a group promoting using your lawn to produce food, as it is stupid to have dirt unused and then drive to the grocer to buy some kale.
I am blessed this year, because out of the blue, a friend offered me and a friend the use of a 1/4 acre piece of land to farm !! So the next day we tilled that thing and now we have like 100 tomatoes, a couple 60 foot rows of peppers, rows of cucumbers for raw pickles, we have a serious little mini farm !!! So i am going to cancel my farm CSA soon as I am a farmer myself now!!!

The Raw Lion 440 pounds to 225 pounds!

Its raining here and very cold but I did get a chance to plant yesterday and hope to get something started this weekend.

You...you...you'd rather have snakes than toads? Oh, my!

No, "lawns" aren't useless. Grass is only a "lawn" if you pamper it; if you let the weeds & wild grasses & whatnot grow, & all you do is occasionally cut it, it's not lawn anymore. I could not mulch my vegetable garden if I didn't cut my grass once in a while. That mulch breaks down into humus and helps to keep garden weeds down to a certain degree.

It's not in my judgment Lawn VS Food. If you have a huge yard, you can have both a vegetable & fruit garden plus a nice green area for the kiddies to play including a little baseball diamond. Even if your property is not that huge, it's a good idea to have a little lawn-type area for picnics & sunbathing, etc. Watcha think? Thanks.

I want that grass gone. I so don't love burning gas to cut it but can't let it get very long without pissing off the neighbours and turning it into a mosquito factory. We all swell up like puffer fish when we get bitten too, it's sucky. The yard isn't huge just house sized but it's a great space for the kids to play. That's why is has to be pretty hardy. I'll be checking that stepables stuff out some more.
My friend is possibly bringing me over some extra pots she's got, I'm going to at least get some tomatoes going out there. I really want to get out in the yard but until I get this studio sorted out so I can work in here I'm chained to the inside of the house. Soon though, I've been working all day while the sun's been shiny bright and oh so tempting. Great motivation to get this finished!

he he I use to have a horse that ate the grass. Now the horse is gone and I have tons of grass to deal with but... I am finding lots of good weeds growing. I guess the horse use to eat the weeds to.

good news for me on the garden front, I have a friend who's uncle maybe buying 40 acres of reaaaaaallly nice land up here soon, and she relayed the idea to him from me, of me using a few acres, and in exchange giving him a percentage of the harvest!!! details to be hashed out after he buys the property... this seems really promising, and its really uplifted my spirits a bit ^_^... if he comes through, who wants to help me plan my mini farm?lol

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

That's great news, Curator! Oh, I so wanna move into Tha D and be a 21st Century homesteader![cue banjo music . . . ]

where abouts is the 40 acres curator?

check out this site , these folks are growing a HUGE amount of food on 1/10th of an acre .. so inspiring

of course some of abilities stem from the climate they live in , up here in vancouver the growing season is much shorter but i still find their website inspiring [urbanhomestead.org]

Location: Northwest Pasadena, one mile from downtown Pasadena

Property Size: 66’ x 132’ = 8,712 sq.ft. (1/5 acre)

House: Simple, wood frame craftsman bungalow. Circa 1917.

House Size: 1,500 sq. ft.

Garden Size: ~ 1/10 acre (3,900 sq.ft. / ~ 66' x 66')

Garden Diversity: Over 350 different vegetables, herbs, fruits & berries

Productivity: Up to 6,000 lbs harvest annually on 1/10 acre

Food / Garden
?Growing 99 % of produce
?6,000lbs on 1/10 acre Garden
?Saving seeds
?Companion planting
HEALTHY SOIL / PLANTING METHODS

?Remineralization
?Self watering containers
?Integral pest management
?Square inch plantings
?Polyculture
?Successive sowing
COMPOSTING METHODS

?Making / Using EM Bokashi
?Vermicomposting
?Composting food, garden and green waste
?Brewing compost teas
FOOD PRESERVATION / STORAGE

?Canning
?Drying
?Freezing
?Fermenting
FOOD CHOICES

?Buying in bulk
?Organic
?Local
?Eating seasonally
?Reducing "food miles"
?Fair trade
?Vegetarian (since 1992)

Energy
ENERGY CONSERVATION

?"Powering down" - cut daily energy use in 1/2 12 kwh to 6 kwh a day
?12 solar panels provide 2/3rds of our energy
?Rechargeable batteries
?Line drying clothes
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

?Front loading washing machine
?Refrigerator
?Water heater (gas)
ENERGY EFFICIENT ELECTRONICS

?Computer/printer/copier
?TV(no cable)/VCR/ DVD
ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING

?Compact fluorescent bulbs
?Olive oil lamps
?Oil lamps filed with biodiesel
?Homemade soy & beeswax candles
?Daylighting
?Solar tube
NON-ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES / HAND POWERED

?Blender
?Toaster
?Grinders(s)
?Popcorn popper
?Solar ovens(s)
?Hand washer/wringer
?Pedal powered grain mill
?Straight-razor for shaving
?Hand-cranked radio
?Mortar & pestle
PASSIVE COOLING / HEATING

?No Air Conditioning
?Wood floors
?Blinds
?Windows
?Screen doors
?Edible forest
?"Living" screens
?Solar attic fan
?No central heating
?Wood stove that used scrap wood
?Dressing in layers

Water Conservation
?Low flush toilets
?Toilet lid sink
?Reusing laundry water
?Limit toilet flushings
?Polyculture
?Limit baths/showers
?Mulching
?Handwatering
?Claypot Irrigation
?Solar outdoor shower
?Front loading washer-machine
?Growing food not grass
?Bottom water bed irrigation (experimental stages)

Animals
RAISING SMALLSTOCK

?Chickens (eggs/manure)
?Ducks (eggs/manure)
?Dwarf rabbits (manure)
?Dwarf/pygmy goats (milk/manure)
BEEKEEPING

?Captured wild swarm
?Without the use of antibiotics
?Unfiltered/unheated hone extraction


of course you could eliminate the small livestock part if you wished and get your manure from donated farms that are generally happy to part with it

imagine how much of us you can feed on just a fraction of 40 acres ! woo hoo lets all move to Curators !!

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2010 03:49PM by Jgunn.

Oh absolutely.
Nothing more grounding than the sun,soil,water,and air.

Vinny

Tamukha,Tha D? im not familiar with that term, But yes, that would be pretty awesome...although Im not a big fan of the banjo, its a great instrument though, I play the Shakuhachi and piano, tried the guitar but the learning is going rather slow with that... But anyway, yes, it is my dream to basically be able to not only live entirely off the land, but to be able to produce enough to share with others and sell or trade enough to make sue I have anything else I need as well...

OH WOW!!! jodi, you find the awesomest stuff!!! Im up in Crescent City, CA and I believe the property they plan on buying is within 20 miles from here, Ive not seen the property, and dont know where it is yet, but im sure, whatever the terrain, or micro climate, I can figure out something to grow there, and hey, if they actually let me Live on the property I could plant some higher maintenance stuff, but otherwise if its more than 5 miles out then I wouldnt be able to go out more than twice a week... Thanks for the link, im gonna save that one

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Curator,

Ahem, "Tha D" refers to Detroit, West Coast! There is much talk now of the city giving over the vacant land(slightly less than half of Detroit's 130+ miles is technically unoccupied) to a new "Homesteader" movement, like what settled the Great Plains. I believe the banjo was the instrument of choice of those farmers; but maybe it were fiddles instead. I need to relearn to play the piano, myself, but the piano doesn't exactly evoke life on the farm, does it?

About you potential farm near Crescent City--above all, concern yourself with the soil and climate. If the soil and climate's no good, you'll waste lots of effort and resources just in establishing, and that defeats the purpose of "grow your own," one tenet of which is conserving resources. It's soggy and cool up there in that corner of Cali; I wonder what that means for your growing? Hope that deal comes through for ya, in any case : )

how exciting Curator , i looked up your hardiness zone and you look like its in zone 9 [www.arborday.org]

which can be a very good area , even tho you will get lots of rain most likely you can work it to your advantage

my suggestion if you can get out there more then once a week then think long term crops that come back year after year

berry bushes, nut trees, fruit trees etc., veggies that come back every year like asparagus and artichokes etc. even a couple of each will give you years of produce

otherwise you can set up your gardens to kinda self water over time by putting out rain barrels with attatched drip irrigation and solar powered timers to keep things going when you are not around. all investments for sure but they pay off by doing some of the work for you

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

hardy fruit trees zone 9:
Apples
Pears
Persimmons
Plums
apricots
cherries
figs
some specially cultivated: bananas, avocados, and even some citrus !

almost any bush fruit, ground fruit, ground nut, and vegetable that you can imagine will grow in zone 9

most nut trees as well

wow skys the limit for you if it pans out for you ... you lucky ducky !

some stuff like citrus might need trunk covers to protect against cold winters for the first few years but there is alot of cold hardy varieties out there

any chance they would let you errect a teepee or yurt [www.woodlandyurts.co.uk] to stay in while yer out there once in awhile? and for us *cough* guests

i love that its fairly close to the ocean too , you could make a few trips a year to the beach and harvest some washed up kelp to nurish your gardens awesome !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2010 05:25PM by Jgunn.