Random stuff

If you have a Dandelion problem you need lime stone in your soil.
Sow Clover liberally to keep your soil fertile!
Compost pits make the best fertilizer; Never, ever throw away weeds-it's like throwing out bags of compost and minerals!
Marigolds keep away many pesky insects.
Don't tell psychotic neighbors or relatives about your garden or organic gardening-it will become a bizarre competition fraught with drama.

Well that last one is a little weird but suffice it to say, there is a 4 inch hole where my blackberry bush was a few weeks ago and I may not be posting much anymore. I'm just sick of the situation with a this individual...and gardening for now

The bird thats been stalking our garden!

This little guy has been heckling me out by the garden, eyeing my first lonely strawberry! He even swooped at me to call dibbs. Well I scared him off and hes sticking to the dog food bowl...for now. Apparently he's called the common grackle.

One Straw Revolution

from Wikipedia:

"The essence of Fukuoka's method is to reproduce natural conditions as closely as possible. There is no plowing, as the seed germinates quite happily on the surface if the right conditions are provided. There is also considerable emphasis on maintaining diversity. A ground cover of white clover grows under the grain plants to provide nitrogen. Weeds (and Daikons) are also considered part of the ecosystem, periodically cut and allowed to lie on the surface so the nutrients they contain are returned to the soil. Ducks are let into the grain plot, and specific insectivorous carp into the rice paddy at certain times of the year to eat slugs and other pests.

The ground is always covered. As well as the clover and weeds, there is the straw from the previous crop, which is used as mulch, and each grain crop is sown before the previous one is harvested. This is done by broadcasting the seed among the standing crop. Also he re-introduced the ancient technique of seed balls (粘土団子,土団子,土だんご,Tsuchi Dango (Earth Dumpling). The seed for next season's crop is mixed with clay, compost, and sometimes manure, and formed into small balls. The result is a denser crop of smaller but highly productive and stronger plants.

Fukuoka's method and philosophy is about small scale farming, yet he claims "With this kind of farming, which uses no machines, no prepared fertilizer and no chemicals, it is possible to attain a harvest equal to or greater than that of the average Japanese farm." (The one-straw revolution page 3)."

What it doesn't say is that this is the easiest, laziest form of farming and Fukuoka did achieve greater yeilds than conventional japanese farms (using chemicals, machines, etc.). And of all things with orange trees-supposedly so hard to grow!

I always thought to myself, if all this stuff is so hard to grow how do they/did they survive in the wild?? Fukuoka once said "ninety-nine percent of human activity is unnessisary, ego driven". And he's right, but I don't need to feel so important that even plants can't grow without my supreme omnipotense, I know they can and do without me, though I do want more food plants than non-food thats as far as my need to feel special goes, especially when being 'unnessisary' saves me so much work. Who wants to labor endlessly in their garden??

May you be reborn in the dharma Fukuoka

RIP February 2, 1913 – August 16, 2008, a true zen buddhist prophet

Fukuoka Farming Website

Softcover for 6$

Hardcover for 31$

Zone 5 perennials!

perrenial vegetables
*asparagus
carrots
radishes
raddichio (red cabbage)
rhubarb

Potato/Potato Like
*jerusalem artichoke
*dark blue potatoes
*parsnips
*purple potatoes

Spice/onion
*egyptian onion (onions on a bush)
*bunching onions(mix between onion and green onion)
garlic
*leeks(large green onion)
rake (large green onion/garlic thing)
*mustard
horse raddish
*cinnamon vine

Salad Greens
sorrel
*arrugala
*black seeded simpson lettuce
collard greens
*russian kale
*miners lettuce
*mustard Greens
*magenta lambsquarters(lettuce)

Protiens
*hazel nut bushes
black walnut trees

Fruits
*chocolate vine (tapioca like creamy fruit)
*kiwi
*paw paw tree (mango bananna custard-like fruit)
*apple tree
*blackberries
rassberries
netarine trees
alpine strawberry
*grapes
*pear tree
*blueberry


Less work and less money to spend, I love it!

Love this stuff