It has been awhile!

Okay, Okay, you guys are reading my post and I have not been posting much.  I will do better.  I have inserted an image of this year's garden so you can see that I really have been busy.  Enjoy.  will try to post more pics tomorrow and maybe some planting information.

BTW> The swing in the middle of the garden was something I built this year out of cedar posts I have been collecting over the years.  The swing itself was Sherri's (my wife) grandparent's swing. 

A peach tree in the vegetable garden

I was tilling the garden the other day.  As I stand behind the tiller I usually survey the garden planning the location of all of the vegetables I am going to plant.  I have a dwarf peach tree in my garden and as I tilled past it I decided that area would be the location where I would plant my corn this year.  As I thought through the layout, I had a vision of a peach tree full of peaches in the middle of a patch of corn. I thought to myself how out of place a peach tree is in a vegetable garden.  It is a bit like people.  Most people spend their life trying to “fit in”; literally, trying to be like everyone else.  They wear similar clothes, shop at the same shops, even talk like others talk.  They are literally like the corn in the vegetable garden.  It all looks alike and in the end you cannot really distinguish one plant from the other.  But, then there are those people who are very different.  They come at life from whole different perspective.   People refer to them as “weird”, “nutty”, etc.  They are ostracized and left on the outside.    

Now, think about the peach tree in the corn patch.  All of the corn looks alike and tastes alike.  Imagine the person picking corn when all of a sudden they come upon the peach tree.  It looks different and tastes VERY different.  But, how sweet is a peach?  In the end, it is sweeter than even the sweetest corn. 

Those people who are very different from everyone else are the peach trees in the vegetable garden of life.  Give them a chance.  Listen to what they have to say or watch what they do.  Don’t condemn them for being different. Learn from them!  We miss so many opportunities to learn, to laugh, and to live differently and better by condemning those that may have much to teach us.  Try to look at things from their perspective and you might see life very differently from how you see it now.  Grass may look greener or a flower smell sweeter.    

Let me go one step further.  Next time it rains, rather than putting on boots like everyone else, walk bare footed or work in your garden bare footed and feel the soft cool dirt on your feet.  When you are burning hot, rather than running in the house and turning down the A/C, sit outside quietly under the shade tree and watch the birds.  Sleep outside, drive with your car windows down. Don’t worry about what others may think.  Do them because they are relaxing and fun.  You may find you will begin to see things very differently and you will be much happier. You will be shocked how the world will look.  AND who knows, you may wake up one day and you will be the peach tree in the vegetable garden.

  

We all can use free fertilizer

I read the other day it is estimated that one third of all trash that goes to the landfill is food scraps.  That floored me.  I have been pleased with the recycling initiatives put in place over the last 20 years.  Many Americans routinely send cans, glass and paper to be recycled, but did you know you can recycle food scraps as well?  It is called composting.  The advantage of composting is that you can reduce the amount of garbage being taken to landfills and “hidden” under the ground by one third.  At the same time you get free fertilizer for your yard, garden or flowerbeds.  It is truly a win-win. 

So, how do you compost?  The basic concept of composting is to place plant matter such as twigs, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps etc., into a bin, cover it with some dirt, and keep it moist. This provides an ideal environment for bacteria to work their magic.  In about 2-3 months you have rich dirt. This dirt makes an excellent medium in which to grow vegetables or flowers. 

There are many composting methods, but typically it is one of two methods. You can compost in the ground or in a container.  Container composting is using a barrel, a homemade container from chicken wire (or similar), or buying a pre-made compost bin.  The pre-made bins can get rather pricey, but are built to optimize the conversion of scraps into dirt.  In ground composting is setting aside an area of your garden or flower bed in which to place your scraps.  I often do this my setting aside a small area of my garden each year in which I deposit the composting material.  Every now and then I will use a shovel to throw a little dirt on top.  I stop using this spot in the late fall and let it rest for the winter.  The next spring when I am tilling my garden I till right through the spot like the rest of the garden.  It is ready for planting.  I use another spot for the next year.  During the winter while my compost bed is “working” I throw scraps directly into my garden.

So what can you compost?  Well, most anything except meat and cooked food.  Meat will have tendency to attract rodents.  The last thing you want to do is establish a buffet for rats in your yard. Cooked food has a tendency to smell.  At our house we keep a container with a sealed list next to the sink.  Anytime we are we are preparing food we have it open and we deposit all vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds etc.  At various kitchen stores you can buy containers designed for this purpose.  They are attractive and have lids with charcoal filters to reduce any odors. I periodically take it out to the garden to dump it.  I then rinse it out and it is ready to go again.  You will be shocked how much food scraps you produce when you cook. 

Even if you don’t garden, you can still compost.  Anyone can compost except maybe someone that lives in an apartment.  Find a small spot in your yard and designate it as your compost area.  As the food scraps begin to accumulate, you can periodically top it with a little dirt or potting soil.  It doesn’t hurt to put leaves, grass clippings and twigs in the compost pile along with your food scraps.  In fact if you aren’t composting your leaves you are missing a gold mine of dirt! One word of caution about grass clippings; if you put a lot of green clipping in your pile at once they will smell.  Let them dry in the yard or driveway for a bit before you add them to your pile.  If you produce a lot of leaves each year, you may have to have two compost piles and alternate between them, filling one as you let the other rest while the contents “breakdown”.  Use the rich dirt you produce in your flower beds, as potting soil, or just sprinkle it around yard. Your plants will thank you and your city will thank you because it is less garbage they have to haul off. 

Thinkin bout chickens

How does your community feel about chickens.  The Board of Directors in the town where I live is currently discussing a ordinance banning chickens in the city limits.  I have taken the charge to challenge them on this.  Here is an open letter I just sent to the City Manager.

I am definitely FOR allowing chickens in the city limits.  Not so much because I plan on raising them, though I have thought about it, but more because I fear this issue is the "canary in the mine".  Across the country citizen groups and whole communities are adopting "green" movements.  Community gardens are popping up everywhere, people are being encouraged to raise as much of their own food as possible.  Community markets are being organized where local citizens can buy locally grown meat and produce or even sell their excess to others. (I know there is a group working on that here, it is an uphill battle but I wholehearted hope they succeed.)   Because we are a rural community I think our town is in a unique position to capitalize on these movements that can really improve the quality of life for those who already live here, but also with this movement sweeping the nation, it will make us a place where others will want to live.  If our Board passes an ordinance banning chickens in the city limits then one; they will remove a  fundamental right citizens should have to grow and produce their own food, and second they will send a very negative signal about their own foresight in adopting a growing trend across the country.  I heard that a comment was made that we wouldn't look progressive.  I argue just the opposite.  Allowing and even encouraging citizens to grow more of their food (including chickens) is progressive!

I read recently that as much as one third of the garbage produced is food scraps.  My sister has chickens and she feeds all of her food scraps to her chickens.  She gets free eggs and fertilizer to use in her garden and what the city gets in return is less garbage to put in their landfill.  Just think what this could mean if a fair number of people raised chickens and/or were encouraged to compost.  Less garbage for the city to deal with.        

As you know I serve on the Planning Commission. We are often faced with building projects that don't conform to city code.  My test on whether to allow it or not is always; one, will it adversely affect the neighbors and second, will it set a precedent  the city will regret.  If not, I will grant the variance every time.  I think the board should use the same judgment in this case.  Raising chickens in the city limits if they are taken care of will not adversely affect the neighbors.  Chickens make no appreciable noise. In fact they are much quieter than most dogs.  If they are taken care of there is not a noticeable smell.  If they are not taken care of, my guess is the person isn't caring for their other animals either and that is a whole different issue.  The other test; will it set a precedent the city will regret; given the direction communities are going, I will argue BANNING chickens will set a precedent we will regret.

BTW> New York City, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Seattle, Los Angeles, Little Rock, North Little Rock, and even San Francisco allow chickens within the city limits.  No rosters.  I think it is a sad paradox that urban areas allow them and our rural community is talking about banning them. 

What are your local ordinaces concerning chickens?