Garden Variety: Garden resolutions for 2010 – A blog for the Mid-Atlantic gardener by The Baltimore Sun’s Susan Reimer – baltimoresun.com.

This is so true. I like this writer. I hope she doesn’t mind my sharing her articles with you.

“Wooo hooo! Garden porn!” by Dishing Dirt: The perils and pleasures of gardening — GazetteXtra. I brought you this because I liked it. Hope you do too.

Year in Food: Gardeners growing their own
By Ari LeVaux – Athens Banner-Herald
As 2009 closes, most of the highlights in the food realm could be framed in the context of two competing paradigms that have clashed for much of the decade that’s also ending. In one corner we have big food: factory farms, fast-food restaurants, mystery meat, biotechnology and other examples of the economics of scale applied to food. In the other corner, small food: farmers markets, ecology-based agriculture, seasonal diets of minimally processed food, locavores, etc.
http://images.morris.com/images/athens/mdControlled/cms/2009/12/29/540793185.jpg Associated Press First lady Michelle Obama eats in June with fifth-graders from Bancroft Elementary School after they harvested some of the vegetables they planted in a garden on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

Associated Press
First lady Michelle Obama eats in June with fifth-graders from Bancroft Elementary School after they harvested some of the vegetables they planted in a garden on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

One of small food’s biggest victories is that 2009 perhaps will be remembered as the year gardening returned to mainstream consciousness. Much credit goes to Michelle Obama and the veggie patch she planted in her new lawn. The symbolic gesture created an instant buzz, and there now are gardens on the grounds of city halls, governors’ mansions and other houses of leadership around the world.
According to the National Gardening Association, the number of households with gardens rose from 36 million in 2008 to 43 million in 2009. The White House garden certainly deserves some credit, but so does the recession, which inspired many people to break ground – not only to save on grocery bills, but as a form of affordable, wholesome diversion.
Ironically, the proliferation of home gardeners bears some of the responsibility for the rapid spread of a fungus called late blight, which nearly wiped out the commercial tomato crop on the East Coast. Many gardeners bought tomato starts from stores like The Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s and Walmart, nearly all of which were raised by the Alabama nursery Bonnie Plants. Plant pathologists believe the nursery sent out infected plants, which slipped under the radar of agricultural inspectors and brought the spores to all corners of the country. Unusually heavy rainfall in the East encouraged the blight to take hold, prosper and spread. It was a case of big food masquerading in small food clothing with disastrous consequences. The take-home message: Buy your plant starts from local nurseries, or grow them yourself from seeds.
In addition to kitchen gardens, another beneficiary of the recession is Clara Cannucciari, a 93-year-old great-grandmother whose YouTube videos combine salty commentary about life in the Great Depression with hands-on demonstrations on how to crank out simple delicacies that average 50 cents a serving. The videos helped win Cannucciari a contract with St. Martin’s Press, which published “Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories and Recipes from the Great Depression” this past October.
It’s difficult to discuss the year in food without an update on the activities of biotech giant Monsanto, whose year can be summed up in a single word: “chutzpah.” In April, the company sued Germany when its agriculture minister banned the planting of a type of Monsanto corn engineered to thwart the advances of the corn-borer moth. The company was unsuccessful in forcing the sovereign nation to allow its farmers to plant the corn, and recent research supports Germany’s concerns (which several other European countries shared): French scientists published a paper suggesting adverse effects of this corn – and two other types of genetically modified corn – on the kidneys and liver of rats.
Meanwhile, Monsanto’s marketing practices have placed it on a collision course with the U.S. Department of Justice, which this month has indicated it’s considering anti-trust litigation. Monsanto owns the rights to genetic sequences found in more than 85 percent of corn planted in the United States, and 92 percent of soy. A string of corporate acquisitions have squelched almost any possibility of competition, while Monsanto’s seed prices have risen by an average of 42 percent. When the DOJ dispatched some of its lawyers to meet with Monsanto to discuss these developments, the company hired the services of Jerry Crawford, an Iowa lawyer who is a friend and financial supporter of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
While touting its products as safe for humans and the environment, Monsanto’s main sales pitch is based on the claim that genetically engineered seeds will increase crop yields and facilitate pest control. But last summer, a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that genetically engineered seeds actually don’t increase productivity. Another study, by the Organic Center, found that since the introduction of “Round-Up tolerant” corn, soy and cotton, farmers have sprayed 382.6 million more pounds of herbicides than they otherwise would have. This is partly due to the proliferation of Round-Up resistant weeds: Between 2007 and 2008, farmers increased the use of different herbicides by 31 percent in an effort to combat these superweeds. Meanwhile, Monsanto’s website promotes the seeds as a key component in “sustainable agriculture.”
While Monsanto has co-opted the term “sustainable agriculture,” retail giant Walmart, already the world’s largest vendor of organic food, now is poised to capitalize on the popularity of locally grown food. It’s looking at ways individual stores can carry foods grown by area farmers. Another large grocer, Safeway, also began pushing a “locally grown” marketing campaign this year, while blatantly taking advantage of the ambiguity in the term “local.” The Portland, Ore., blog Portland Food and Drink busted Safeway with photographs of produce bearing out-of-state stickers next to signs announcing “I’m Local!” and “Locally Grown.”
That small food terms like “sustainable,” “local” and “organic” are becoming attractive to large corporations, arguably, is a good sign. It shows these words, and what they represent, have infiltrated the mainstream consciousness. And one of the most powerful vehicles to deliver this message has been the movie “Food Inc.,” whose depressing-yet-important message about the American diet was the year’s highest-grossing documentary.
The year closed with the anti-climactic climate summit in Copenhagen, where U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack acknowledged the huge role livestock plays in global warming – more than transportation activities by most estimates. Vilsack announced plans to build methane capture facilities at large dairy farms in order to turn that potent greenhouse gas into an energy source.
Vilsack deserves credit for keeping agriculture at the forefront of climate change discussions. But enabling the big cattle industry, while politically expedient, is short-sighted. From the atrocities of feedlots and slaughterhouses to the environmental destruction wrought by cattle, to the questionable health consequences of mystery meat, given the skyrocketing worldwide demand for meat, the human addiction to cow products is reaching a breaking point.
Thus, my prediction for next year’s hot topic: serious soul-searching on the pros and cons of all things bovine.
• Ari LeVaux writes a syndicated food column. Read more at www.flashinthepan.net. Send your food and garden queries to flash@flashinthepan.net.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, December 30, 2008

As more and more compost is produced and utilized and as the body of end-use related research grows, the benefits of using compost have become more evident and measurable. Because of its many attributes, compost is extremely versatile and beneficial in many applications. Compost has the unique ability to improve the properties of soils and growing media physically (structurally), chemically (nutritionally), and biologically. Although many equate the benefit of compost use to lush green growth, caused by the plant-available nitrogen, the real benefits of using compost are long-term and related to its content of living-organic matter. This has been observed and known for thousands of years.
Physical Benefits
Improved Soil Structure
Compost can greatly enhance the physical structure of soil. In fine-textured (clay, clay loam) soils, the addition of compost will reduce bulk density, improve friability (workability) and porosity, and increase its gas and water permeability, while reducing erosion.
When used in sufficient quantities, the addition of compost has both an immediate and long-term positive impact on soil structure. It resists compaction in fine-textured (clay) soils and increases water-holding capacity and improves soil aggregation in coarse-textured (sandy) soils. The soil-binding properties of compost are due to its humus content. Humus is a stable residue resulting from a high degree of organic matter decomposition. The constituents of the humus act as soil ‘glue,’ holding soil particles together, making them more resistant to erosion and improving the soil’s ability to hold moisture.
Moisture Management
The addition of compost may provide greater drought resistance and more efficient water utilization; therefore, the frequency and intensity of irrigation may be reduced. Recent research also suggests that the addition of compost in sandy soils can facilitate moisture dispersion by allowing water to more readily move laterally from its point of application.
Chemical Benefits
Modifies and Stabilizes pH
The addition of compost to soil may modify the pH of the final mix. Depending on the pH of the compost and of the native soil, compost addition may raise or lower the pH of the soil/compost blend. Therefore, the addition of a neutral to slightly alkaline compost to an acidic soil will increase soil pH if added in appropriate quantities. In specific conditions, compost has been found to affect soil pH even when applied at quantities as low as 10-20 tons per acre, (about a pound per square foot). The incorporation of compost also has the ability to buffer or stabilize soil pH, making it more resistant to pH change.
Increases Cation Exchange Capacity
Compost will also improve the cation exchange capacity of soils, enabling them to retain nutrients longer. It will also allow crops to more effectively utilize nutrients, while reducing nutrient loss by leaching. For this reason, the fertility of soils is often tied to their organic matter content. Improving the cation exchange capacity of sandy soils by adding compost can greatly improve the retention of plant nutrients in the root zone.
Provides Nutrients
Compost products contain a considerable variety of macro and micronutrients. Although often seen as a good source of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, compost also contains micro-nutrients essential for plant growth. Since compost contains relatively stable sources of organic matter, these nutrients are supplied in a slow-release form. On a pound-by-pound basis, large quantities of nutrients are not typically found in compost in comparison to most commercial fertilizers. However, compost is usually applied at much greater rates; therefore, it can have a significant cumulative effect on nutrient availability. The addition of compost can affect both fertilizer and pH adjustment (lime/sulfur addition). Compost not only provides some nutrition, but often makes fertilizer programs more effective.
Biological Benefits
Compost provides Soil Life beneficial to plants. The activity of this Soil Life is supported by the presence of organic matter. Soil microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, actinomycetes, and fungi. They are not only found within compost, but proliferate within soil media. Microorganisms play an important role in organic matter decomposition which, in turn, leads to humus formation and nutrient availability to plant life. Microorganisms can also promote root activity as specific fungi work symbiotically with plant roots, assisting them in the extraction of nutrients from soils. Sufficient levels of organic matter also encourage the growth of earthworms, which through tunneling, increase water infiltration and aeration.
Suppresses Plant Diseases
Plant disease may be influenced by the level and type of organic matter and microorganisms present in soils. Research shows that increased population of certain microorganisms may suppress specific plant diseases such as pythium and fusarium as well as nematodes. Efforts are being made to optimize the composting process in order to increase the population of these beneficial microbes.
Additional Benefits of Compost
Some additional benefits of compost have been identified, and have led to new uses for it. These benefits and uses are described below.
Binds Contaminants
Compost has the ability to bind heavy metals and other contaminants, reducing both their leach-ability and absorption by plants. Therefore, sites contaminated with various pollutants may often be improved by amending the native soil with compost. The same binding affect allows compost to be used as a filter media for storm water treatment and has been shown to minimize leaching of pesticides in soil systems.
Degrades Compounds
The microbes found in compost are also able to degrade some toxic organic compounds, including petroleum (hydrocarbons). This is one of the reasons why compost is being used in bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soils.
Wetland Restoration
Compost has also been used for the restoration of wetlands. Rich in organic matter and microbial population, compost and soil/compost blends can closely simulate the characteristics of wetland soils, thereby encouraging the re-establishment of native plant species.
Erosion Control
Coarser composts have been used with great success as mulch for erosion control and have been used successfully on sites where conventional erosion control methods have not performed well. In Europe, fine compost has been mixed with water and sprayed onto slopes to control erosion.
Weed Control
Immature composts or ones which possess substances detrimental to plant growth (phytotoxins) are also known to be an effective weed deterrent for vegetable and fruit production. While aiding in moisture conservation and moderating soil temperatures, immature composts also act as mild and natural herbicides.
Benefits of Using Compost
• Improves the soil structure, porosity, and density, thus creating a better plant root environment,
• Increases moisture infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, thus reducing erosion and runoff,
• Improves water-holding capacity, thus reducing water loss and leaching in sandy soils,
• Supplies a variety of macro and micronutrients,
• May control or suppress certain soil-borne plant pathogens,
• Supplies significant quantities of organic matter,
• Improves cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils and growing media, thus improving their ability to hold nutrients for plant use.
• Supplies beneficial micro-organisms to soils and growing media,
• Improves and stabilizes soil pH and
• Can bind and degrade specific pollutants.

Gardening with compost is just one of many ways you can improve the nutritional value of the food you grow while at the same time improving the health and appearance of the environment.

It’s just a good thing to do for yourself, your community and your planet.

My green beans are coming on strong! So in addition to canning and freezing them, we’re eating them fresh every way we can imagine.

I’ll be adding my favorite recipes as time permits.

Here’s the first one:

Green Bean Salad 4 to 6 servings

Cook about 3 cups of green beans cut to your liking.

Steam, boil, stir fry or dip in tempura batter and deep fat fry.

Drain well and toss while warm in freshly made French Vinaigrette Dressing or Lorenzo Dressing.

Basic French Vinaigrette Dressing

4 parts Virgin Olive Oil to 1 part vinegar, lemon, dry red wine or lime juice (if using wine, reduce oil to lower calories)

Salt and pepper to taste and add ¼ to ½ tsp prepared mustard

Herbs and garlic minced or whole—as much as you like.

Other possibilities: Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, chutney, Roquefort cheese, etc. to your liking.

Place ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake well until blended.

If made in advance of use, refrigerate and shake well before and during use.

Lorenzo Dressing

To the French Vinaigrette (above) add 3 tablespoons each of Chili Sauce and chopped watercress.Chill thoroughly then add
Chopped or grated onions, chives or pearl onions
Garnish with sliced ripe tomatoes topped with finely chopped fresh basil, capers and soft cheese (optional)
Serve over a bed of lettuce leaves.

Now even big city dwellers are doing it in the back yard!

By Jay North
www.GoingOrganic.com

In the mid 1940’s the United States government asked the people to plant edible gardens to help support the downwardly spiraling economy and the war effort. During that time millions of people all over the country planted gardens called “Victory Gardens”, and harvested nearly one third of all the vegetables consumed in the country. Gardening became a popular family or community effort planting vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees. Now with the ever expanding state of economic uncertainty many people are again looking for ways to not only, stretch their food dollars but also to avoid the high cost of health care by making better lifestyle choices, and so, the idea of the “Organic Victory Gardens” speared on by yours truly are tacking many of our current problems.

Now, even Michelle Obama is setting an example by planting a food garden at the White House, as did Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943 during another time of national crisis. It was reported in national news, In Eleanor’s time; some 20 million people grew their own food to help relieve the food shortages of WWII. While Michelle Obama’s 1,000-square-foot Organic Vegetables garden will help to provide food for the first family’s meals and possibly even formal dinners, she also talked about the garden as a means to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables. With the growing national concern about obesity and diabetes especially among our children, more physical activities and better natural food choices should be encouraged. Creating and maintaining an organic garden perfectly fits that prescription.

When you think about it, growing your own food becomes part of the solution to many growing problems associated with modern living. Such as global warming and reducing your carbon footprint, like me, many people today are concerned about the foods we buy in the supermarkets, what kind of chemicals were used on them, how far have they traveled to reach the shelves in your local store and how long have they been there.

Growing your own organic food can be both fun and healthy. Not only is it great physical exercise and a way to slow down and reconnect yourself with your environment, it also provides an opportunity to take full control of what you put into your body.

Organic gardening/farming is nothing new, it was once the only way to farm. We then began to depend on chemicals and other unnatural methods to grow more, bigger and better. Now that the earth has suffered largely from damage due to these practices, and many of us suffer needlessly from health disorders associated with chemicals, steroids and other unnatural additives to soil, water and food, we are again returning to the way nature intended us to grow. Organic farming doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or quantity of product. You will find that since organic farming replenishes the soil rather than robbing it of nutrients, eliminates build-up of chemical products and allows for growing massive amounts of lush, healthy, pest-free produce, your yield will be the same, if not better, than with other methods of farming.

Getting Started in Organic Gardening all about how you can start your first garden or farm or begin to convert your existing garden or farm into a healthy, productive and profitable, natural source of organically grown produce, plants and flowers. There is always something new to learn which makes for a great new hobby.

There are few greater satisfactions than slicing a fresh, juicy tomato and putting it on your sandwich, preparing a salad and knowing all the ingredients came from your own backyard or picking fresh organic beans for a hearty dinner meal. Starting a successful organic vegetable garden may take some know how and some help in getting started, and practice that may span over several seasons but don’t become discouraged if you make some mistakes because we all learn from our mistakes. You will find that organic gardening may become the most rewarding hobby, or lifestyle, you have ever started and shared with your family and neighbors.

For many organic growers, farming or gardening is a passion. We feel a connection to the Earth and believe it has become a moral duty to protect her and provide for her. Aside from the apparently spiritual affiliation, it’s just plain fun to be out in the sun playing in the dirt and watching things grow.

Happy Growing and Eat Organic It’s the Best for You and Your Family.

Jay North is a pioneer in the organic farming industry. He authored Getting Started In Organic Gardening for Fun And Profit, as a means of sharing his philosophy of renewal and self-sustained living. He is an internationally recognized authority in organic gardening contact Jay at www.GoingOrganic.com

Asparagus is a perennial. Once established it will faithfully produce year after year for 20 years or more with only minimal maintenance.

Location: Plant it on the North side of your main garden in full sun. It gets tall and can shade your other plants. It will be a permanent feature of your garden so plan carefully.

Soil: Asparagus likes a pH around 7; high N; moderate p and k. Take soil samples in the fall before planting the following spring and make appropriate amendments. Cultivate the soil deep, 16 inches or so and work in generous amounts of compost—composted manure is ideal.

Planting: In spring about the time daffodils bloom is good for most regions of the U.S. Fall and winter is best for the very warm regions—south and southwest.

Crowns—preferred: For Jersey Hybrid; dig a hole or trench about 6 inches deep, add an inch or two of compost and place the crowns 18 inches apart spreading the roots out evenly and cover with 2 inches of soil. As the ferns grow during the summer, add a couple of inches of soil. As the plants grow add a couple more inches of soil at a time until you have a raised berm. Do the same for open pollinated varieties such as Martha Washington except dig the holes or trenches 12 inches deep instead of 6.

Seeds: Same as crowns except plant the seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep and very slowly, as the plants grow, add soil until you have a bermed (raised) bed.

Good companions: Basil, parsley, tomato.

Bad companions: Onion, chive, garlic, leek.

Harvesting: Harvest crown plantings after 2 years—not before or you will kill or damage the establishment of your asparagus beds. For beds started from seed, wait at least 3 years before harvesting. First harvests should be light. Don’t over tax your plants just yet.
Care and Maintenance: Keep your beds free of grass and weeds. Generous mulching will help with weed and moisture management.
Mulch makes weeds and grasses easier to hand pull while holding moisture in the bed. Be careful of weeding with a hoe as going too deep will injure or destroy the underground stems.
Asparagus likes lots of water but don’t drown it. That’s where the raised berms come in.

Every fall after frost or when the ferns have turned brown or yellow, cut the ferns to about 2 inches above ground. Top dress the beds with a light application of fertilizer and 2 or more inches of compost or rotted manure; add fresh mulch and your beds are “bedded” for the winter.

In the spring, add another light application of fertilizer along with 2 or more inches of good compost and/or rotted manure and a light topping of mulch. You will add more mulch after harvesting has ceased. Stop harvesting when you notice the spear stems getting thinner. They should not be allowed to get thinner than a pencil. I don’t let mine even get that thin.

Diseases: Rust is the most common in older varieties and can be prevented by choosing rust-resistant varieties. Treat affected plants with mancozeb.

Pests: Asparagus Beetles are the most common pest and can be controlled with carbaryl, malathion, or rotenone while keeping the beds free of weeds and grass.

Growing Vining Plants on a Trellis saves space

Here’s the photo I promised showing how I’m growing melons on a trellis. I have two trellis’ on this raised bed and I’m growing four varieties of melons, five varieties of peppers, chard, strawberries and green beans in a space of 4′ X 24′

The bed is 24″ high with side-walls made of poured steel reinforced concrete. I built two beds like this and like them so well that I’m going to build more. I hope to have that done in time to have a larger fall garden. The pictures on the right show some of the building process along with my “Country Home”.

Today I tied my melon vines to the trellis where I’m experimenting with keeping them out of the grass and weeds as well as away from Mama Opossum and Ricky Raccoon. This worked pretty well last year for the muskmelons but the water melons fell off due to their own weight. So, this year I’ve made a few modifications.

I made the trellises using cattle panels arched between two of my raised beds. (I’ll have a story to tell about the raised beds later.)

I’m training the water melons, crenshaws and cantaloupe to grow their vines up and over the arched trellises by tying their vines to the trellis. I placed bird netting over the cattle panels before training the vines to grow over so the fruit wouldn’t drop through the openings like it did last year. The netting, in concert with the trellis, provides a “grip” for the tendrils which also help to keep the vines growing where I want them to.

I’m very excited as all species are blooming profusly and my Sugar Baby Water Melons are setting on little melons galore.

I’ll try to get a photo of this to share with you.