Tag Archives: organic gardening

Mystery Squash

Posted by Lesley on May 25, 2011 1 comments

Remember that rock in my neighbor’s garden?

I should have one.  We have a monstrous plant growing in one of our squares that I thought was a zucchini growing up from the compost.  Now I think it’s a squash that I may have planted.  Hmmm.  It could be self-sowed.  We had a squash plant there two summers ago that flowered but never fruited.  Still, I’m leaning toward seeds now because I found this ripped open seed packet.

The seed packet leaves the candidates at Butternut, Spaghetti, Acorn, or Lakota squash.  Only time will tell now…         

Buy Your Butterfly Plants from CHAC

Posted by Lesley on February 9, 2011 None comments

My story on Community Haven’s plant nursery ran in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune.  It’s actually Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities (CHAC), and the story ran today because I said and tweeted it would run Saturday.  So it goes…every time.  If no one asks the dreaded question, When will it run?, then the story will run the following day.  But if the question is asked, and even worse, if the question is answered, then I can count on a week’s worth of Groundhog Day mornings, which consist of me running to the driveway in my pink bathrobe before brushing my teeth or hair not to find my article in print.  Even with Lucille Ball across the street, it’s not nearly as funny as Bill Murray being binged by the annoying insurance agent Ned Ryerson every morning.  But back to real life as I know it, the old lady across the street looks exactly like an off-her-rocker Lucille Ball.  She’s Lucy meets Kramer, and even though and possibly because she won’t so much as wave to me, she is my all-time favorite neighbor ever.

Anyway, it really doesn’t matter to me when an article is printed as long as it’s printed.  But when I’ve said when it’s going to run, I check because the other person is checking.  Three or four days in and I start thinking, do they think I’m some crazy woman who has no connection to the paper and there is no article?  Who’s the crazy neighbor now?  Lucille Ball or me? 

Besides when, I also have no control over what prints.  This time around, my favorite butterfly tidbit got cut from the final article.  As the workers were about to move a load of parsley, about 75 swallowtail caterpillars were spotted under the leaves.  Around 80% metamorphosized into butterflies.  The experience was turned into an impromptu and ongoing lesson for the Selby preschoolers on the life cycle of butterflies. 

The nursery specializes in butterfly plants and Florida native plants.  This is a table full of newly propagated milkweed…just think of all the Monarchs and lessons!

The article turned out great regardless of timing or edits because CHAC really has something with their plant nursery – the potential for a profitable business that drives a social cause.  It’s smart and it comes from a good place - to provide work and resources to people with disabilities.  And here’s a general observation that I can’t make in a newspaper article: it felt like a happy place to be and work, disabled or not.  Shop there, take a tour, hire the crew for landscaping, donate something, anything, just support their cause.  They are providing programs, food, housing, support, and jobs to our community.  And the more support we give, the quicker they’ll become another reliable, healthy, local food source.  They’re already talking about starting a buyers club.   

The nursery is located at 4405 DeSoto Road; the number is 941-302-1828.

Organic Ant Control

Posted by Lesley on September 16, 2010 None comments

Ants, ants, ants! I just can’t get rid of them. Even when we paid for regular pest control, we still had ants. We discontinued pest control when Lukey came on the scene because a few bugs are better than a sick dog. He only weighs 16-pounds; it wouldn’t take much to poison him. So out of love for my loved one, I took on the bugs myself - organically.  And the only real buggers have been the ants.  I tried to nicely sprinkle instant grits around the piles; and when that didn’t work, I savagely sloshed them with boiling water.  I waged massive attacks with the combustible duo of baking soda and every last bottle of vinegar in the fridge – apple cider, white, balsamic, rice, red wine.  Balsamic and red wine were the result of madness; don’t try this at home.  It took months for the vinegar spots to wash off our brick pavers!  

Accidents aside, I’m ready to break out the big boy of vinegar – apple cider this time.  Apparently, ants don’t like it.  But they do like honey, and the combination of the two can make cohabitation more bearable.  The vinegar deters them and the honey baits them, so you can train the ants to go where you want.  I’ve given up on trying to get rid of them, and there’s really no need in the long-term other than that they bug me. 

In the short-term, they’ve made us put off planting the fall garden.  Ants don’t eat leaves or flowers, but they can disturb the roots of fresh seedlings with their piles and activity.  Using the watering can, I’ve been sprinkling the four squares we’ll be planting and composting in this season.  I also placed honey baits where I can live with them – under the Surinam cherry and in a few grassy spots.

 

This honey bait is the sawed-off bottom of a can of pear nectar dug into the ground and filled with honey.  John would not be happy if he saw the way I treat our kitchen knives.  But it all balances out – I cut anything that needs to be cut, including cans, and he autopilots to the sharpener every time he uses one. 

   

And what exactly was I doing with pear nectar anyway?  It’s a key ingredient in my favorite homemade dressing ever…it must be the fresh basil.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Shake all ingredients in a screw-top jar.

  • 3/4 cup pear nectar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

It works as a marinade too.  I have chicken marinating now, which will be grilled and then served over a salad of spinach, strawberries, apples, and whatever nuts are in the cabinet…perfect for a late dinner. Bon appetit and good night!

80′s Revival

Posted by Lesley on September 17, 2009 None comments

Check out the weather widget, people - 85 degrees at noon!  My plants are no longer drooped into the dirt and I took a walk yesterday without sweating!  These are good signs for my motivation and future fall garden.  I just signed up for an organic gardening overview through the Sarasota County Extension.   That should get me geared up and ready to go.  The class is at Laurel Park on Saturday at either 9:30 or 10:30am.  Sheila will let me know, and I’ll let you know.   

Notes on Biodynamic Farming

Posted by Lesley on August 26, 2009 None comments
So Übermommy’s off to her biodynamic farm, but what does that mean?  I’m a gardener, not a scientist.  Biodynamic is a pretty big word.  Luckily, knowledge of science and vocabulary is not required to Google.  There are so many smart people out there that someone has already anticipated my question.  The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association has a whole page dedicated to the question, “What is Biodynamic Agriculture?”  But here’s the gist:  Soil is King, so present it with gifts – organic manure and compost.  Crop rotation and companion planting are, of course, crucial.  Sustainability is another component – your farm or garden should be self-contained and self-sufficient.  Then there’s the philosophy of knowing and understanding your surroundings.  “Becoming one with the earth” comes to mind, but without the head-bobbing hippies.  It’s ϋber-organic farming.  And it’s not just for the Irish, Blue Planet Green Living has a great blog post featuring an Illinois family living biodynamically.