Evelyn Ackerman, famed California artist dies

Evelyn Ackerman and her husband Jeromes art encapsulated a time and feeling in California that I am lucky to remember. My mother use to create these mosaic art pieces on the top of tables. I think we had one in our patio, and I hadn't thought about it until reading of Evelyns death last Friday. Mom must have gotten the idea from one of her many art classes she took when we lived in Southern California, perhaps even from The Ackermans. You can read more about Evelyn here at California Home and Design.  According to the post , "Evelyn and Jerome specialized in making affordable home accessories, and worked with a number of mediums from woodcarving and textiles to mosaics and ceramics. The couple’s work was inspired by the German Bauhaus art movement, which placed equal importance on fine arts and craftsmanship. They are known to have inspired California midcentury modern style, which remains popular and stylish today."

Most of all I love their outlook towards art. At Ackermanmodern.com she is quoted, “We strove to make things we could be proud of in terms of our design and art backgrounds, but that were viable commercially, that people could afford and get pleasure from putting on their walls or their tables.”

To see more of The Ackermans work, go here.  I might suggest listening to Dave Brubeck while viewing their work. Dave just passed away the other day, and also hails from that "certain time and place" that was mid-20th century California. The smell of jasmine wafting through the patio doors would complete the scene.

The "Piña Colada Pineapple"

According to The Telegraph scientist from Queensland, Australia have developed a new pineapple that has a "lovely coconut flavor". The Telegraph continues, "The new pineapple, called 'AusFestival', has been dubbed the 'piña colada pineapple' and will potentially – as local media noted – preclude people from having to mix fruits in the famous cocktail."

Apparently the coconut flavor was not the desired result. Rather it was a added benefit of the breeding program looking for a "nice flavoured pineapple...that is sweet, low acid and aromatic."

Horticulture Magazine now a part of "Living Ready"

If there was any doubt in your mind about peoples interests in self-sufficiency or survival subjects this is for you. “Horticulture, The Art and Science of Smart Gardening” magazine is becoming a part of “Living Ready”.  Here is what Living Ready say’s they are all about.

"You will love being a member of LIVING READY if you are honing, or want to begin honing, life skills such as: • growing your own food, and canning & preserving that food • hunting for food, and then preparing and storing the catch • using herbal remedies to save a trip to the doctor's office • creating non-toxic cleaners for your home • raising small animals such as chickens, rabbits, pygmy goats • beekeeping • bartering and networking to meet the needs of yourself and your family • training to be suitably armed to survive threats against you and your"

According to Living Ready Community Leader Patty Craft Dunning, " Horticulture: The Art & Science of Smart Gardening will continue to be published in print just as it always has. Nothing has changed there, and Living Ready 's magazine and website will be able to share similar info as what you read in Horticulture (for example, edible gardening topics like what Peter Garnham writes for Hort, understanding pest management, how to plan and plant edibles for canning, etc.)" Patty adds, "our parent company, @F+W Media, also publishes Gun Digest. And, yes, there will plenty of info in Living Ready about how to be suitably armed to hunt-and-gather food as well as how to protect yourself and your family in threatening situations."

Smart move on this companies part. The interest in these subjects will only grow as we continue to see the poor response of our government when it comes to situations like Hurricane Sandy, and other natural and man made disasters. It’s seems only wise to be prepared where ever you live.

In addition, people are just interested in learning some of the skills that we have forgotten over the last couple of generations. Growing your own food, protecting your family, and being able to deal with the various natural and man made disasters that pop up. This interest is especially strong with the younger demographic like Generation Y, who we in the horticulture trades want to attract. For some there is a "doomsday" type feel to this, but for most people it's just exciting to be able to take charge, and see if you can do it. It's about living better, and closer to the land.

Interesting times in the horticulture field these days. If you have followed this blog you know I encourage garden centers to become the local source of information and tools to help people reach those goals. It’s one way for smaller independent locally owned garden centers to stay relevant. Become indispensable to your community by providing them the tools and services they are most interested in. It would appear being prepared, and self-sufficiency are two of them.

The power of blue

Blueberries are one of my favorite fruiting plants. They grow great in containers, where they will produce hand fulls of fruit each day during the  summer. The shrub itself is a perennial, which means the same plant produces year after year. Plant them once, and your done!

The secret to growing great blueberries is creating just the right soil, then growing them in the sunshine. During the spring we feed them with cottonseed meal in April, and again in May. This keeps them healthy, and producing loads of plump, juicy berries.

We have the plants for sale in small containers, which can then be transplanted into larger size pot's before spring. Blueberry plants could make the perfect Christmas gift as the recipient will get to harvest the plump little gems their very first summer.

Here is a link to creating the perfect soil for blueberries. The picture above shows Misty, one of four different varieties we carry. One plant will produce berries on it's own. For the most fun plant a couple of  different varieties  near each other, or even in the same container. That way the can pollenize each other, and produce even more berries. Imagine the possibilities.

Is it social media, or just media?

If it’s on Facebook, Twitter, or Google +, is it social media? When companies, and individuals you don’t know inundate your time line or feed with stuff you really don’t want to hear is it social media? I had been wondering what has happened to social media now that we get “paid Tweets” or “paid Facebook” posts. Is this also social media? Here is a definition of social media I can get behind. “Media for which the consumer’s relationship with the creator is relevant for understanding or value.”  So what do we call those paid posts? “If you don’t know the people, or don’t care, it’s probably not social media. It’s just media. It doesn't matter if it’s created by an individual or a corporation.”

“What’s more, when companies use social media...well, they’re not. They may be using platforms that are primarily used for social media (like Facebook) or platforms that are used for social media, among other things (like Twitter), but that doesn't make the companies—or their media—social.”

The above eye opening quotes can be found here. They we’re written by Evan Williams, founder of  Twitter and Blogger. 

Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought

"In the TED-like talk titled Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought, speaker Cameron Hughes discusses how ideas are inefficient and today’s social media experts should never have to inject 'an ounce of effort' to be effective."

Yes, It's from the folks at The Onion, but as the first comment say's, "I work in social media and am now feeling slightly uncomfortable as this fantastic video is horribly close to the truth!"

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CK62I-4cuSY

I do #Block Friday

When your not a fan of “Black Friday” it can seem your the only one around who feels that way. Everyone is so into it you feel like your paddling upstream against a tide of commercialism. So it was nice to see in my e-mail box a link to “Block Friday”. At the #Blockfriday website they want to “take back Black Friday to be mindful of the way we spend our time and money. Block Friday started as a way to remind ourselves that even as we begin the holiday shopping season in earnest, we can still be mindful of the way we’re spending our time and money. What are you Blocking Friday for this holiday season?”

The people at Holstee, a design firm say, “ Around this time last year, we announced that our shop would go offline on the Friday after Thanksgiving to allow our team and community to enjoy that precious time with friends and family. This year we invite you to join us and create a movement together. Have your own community and want to support Block Friday? Go here.

I will be spending my Friday enjoying the day with my wife. Our businesses will be closed, so we might head down to the wildlife refuge and do a little bird watching.

See, it can be done.

Buy quality-all the time

With all the talk concerning, “buying local” it’s important to realize that local doesn't always equal quality. I prefer quality over local. Of course if it’s local and quality made that’s great, but I think in our efforts to promote “local” we might be missing the big picture. Rather than the “buy local” theme going around this year it would be nice to promote “quality and "craftsmanship”, where ever it’s from. Like it our not we all reside on this planet, and trade with other nations is what “makes the world  go round”.

Right now this sign is floating around on Facebook. It asks how buying discounted stuff from China is going to help the economy in the USA?  What if I buy cheap stuff from the tourist spots at Fisherman's Wharf? Is it OK because the store is here and locally owned, but the stuff is from another country? To be a “ conscientious buyer” do I have to buy only stuff made in The USA, and only at a locally owned store? Is China the only source for poorly made stuff? What if it's poorly made and from LA?

I understand the feeling behind the “shop local” theme. I think better would be to eschew poorly made crap for quality stuff, no matter where it’s made. After all the locally owned store that sells imported quality products needs support, too.

I would change the sign to:

"How is buying crap wherever it's made help the economy? Buy quality made products from quality stores, locally owned if possible. Buy quality-all the time".

Just my thoughts on this rainy day here in northern California while drinking my coffee sourced from Indonesia and Central America and roasted in Canada.

A success story we can learn from

I just love this story out of SF Gate. "Big Bet pays of for Mary's Chickens" tells the story of a turkey farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California that was on the verge of tanking, as their product was only sold during two months out of the year. In addition their turkeys really weren't much different than the other birds being sold.

They made some changes like branching into chickens and not just turkeys.  They changed the way the birds are grown and processed. They changed their marketing. Now they are doing great!  This story is not just about chickens and turkeys, but a story of any small business that want's to do things differently.

Three things that stood out for me we're, they broadened their selection, so they could sell during the whole year rather than just Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The second is that they grow and process their chickens differently than the larger concerns. Finally, "'even crazier, they paid cash - for everything. My grandfather grew up in the Depression,' David Pitman explained. 'He didn't believe in borrowing what you couldn't afford to pay for.'"

They grow heirloom birds not found elsewhere. They grow and process them organically, and with care. They market their birds differently than the big processors, and finally they pay cash and don't take on the bankers as partners. How could we use these ideas in our own businesses?

Climb a different ladder

SF Gate has an article today titled, “What scares employees most?”. The answer? Making a mistake. Whats the result of this? This comment from the article say’s it all. “At my job, the ones who don't make mistakes are the ones who sit there and do nothing all day.”

Over at Today's Garden Center  Karli Petrovic explains, “Why I am not gardening (and no one else my age is either) ”.  It’s a story of Generation Y and what Karli sees as the reasons many in her age group don’t garden. What caught my eye was the quote, “As many Gen-Yer's will tell you, most of the flack we get for being lazy and selfish is simply not true. The majority of us (primarily those without trust funds) are working exceptionally hard to move up the corporate ladder. After shelling out for car payments, student loans, groceries and rent (and cheap wine, when going out is no longer an option), there is little to spend on home improvement.”

The corporate ladder? The corporate ladder often leads to working at places where, “the ones who don't make mistakes are the ones who sit there and do nothing all day.”  I hope generation Y doesn't fall into the “corporate ladder” trap.  Seems to me that if you really want to make a difference and change your world you have to avoid the “corporate ladder” at all costs. It use to lead up, but these days the ladder can just as quickly lead nowhere, or down. Climb your own ladder and don't be afraid to move it. That way you can reach the ripe fruit.

Urban aquaponics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IryIOyPfTE A couple of posts ago we talked about "The kids are alright", in which a fellow nurseryperson came home to find "some kids that live in the same building decided to construct an aquaponics system in the basement." What can possible come from this?

In the industrial section of West Oakland "Eric Maundu is trying to farm is covered with freeways, roads, light rail and parking lots..." Imagine that one day this may supplement the food we get from "conventional" farms. When you see it in action it starts to make sense and you can imagine how we might just be able to pull this off. The video is about 18 minutes long.

Stop Stealing Dreams

So after I post the inspiring story yesterday concerning the Classroom Farm in the Bronx I was directed to an article in the NY Daily News. The article say's the program was terminated. According to the Daily News, "A celebrated classroom farm that yielded fresh produce and great jobs for students at a South Bronx public high school has been quietly shut down." It continues, "Green Bronx Machine withered last August when Ritz was moved to a basement classroom and told to stop growing food at Discovery". The Daily News says, "The city Department of Education referred questions to Discovery Principal Rolando Rivera, who failed to return repeated requests for an interview about why the program was shut down." Without the details it's hard to understand why the program was halted. Maybe a New York reader might have the answer? I do know our school system is broken. Here is a great video with Seth Godin that I watched right after watching the video on the school farm. What Seth say's dovetailed so well with what I saw in that Bronx video. It's called, "Stop stealing Dreams" It's 16 minutes well spent if your at all concerned with how the kids are being "educated" and what we can do about it. Seems the title, "Stop Stealing Dreams" fits well with the closing of the school program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc

A teacher and students using horticulture to change their world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcSL2yN39JM&playnext=1&list=PL587786522B73DCBA&feature=results_video This is a great TEDx Talk featuring teacher Stephen Ritz and his Bronx classroom. According to the YouTube page, "With the help of extended student and community family they have grown over 25,000 pounds of vegetables in the Bronx while generating extraordinary academic performance. His Bronx classroom features the first indoor edible wall in NYC DOE which routinely generates enough produce to feed 450 students healthy meals and trains the youngest nationally certified workforce in America."

The future is now, and horticulture will play a huge role. Very cool.

What's trending in gardening

Every now and then it’s fun to look at what kind of gardening books are selling at Amazon. Gives a bit of insight into what people are looking for when it comes to their gardens. The last time we did this was September 2011. Let’s look at the top ten sellers and see if there is a theme (there is).

#1 Home Preserving

#2 Mini-farms, Self sufficiency on a ¼ acre

#3  The Foragers Harvest

#4  Marijuana Horticulutre

#5 Back to Basics

#6 The Farmers Almanac

#7 The Encyclopedia of Country Living

#8 All New Square Foot Gardening

#9  Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

# 10 Sunset Western Garden Book

Looks to me like it’s all about using the garden to feed, and sustain. The appearance of the two foraging books is an interesting addition. The marijuana book shows up perennially on the top 10 list. Number 11 is Aquaponics, a method for raising fish and plants together. We talked about in my last post.

Take away what you will from this. If you’re a garden center, it’s this kind of knowledge that can help you better understand your customer’s needs.  Maybe landscaping books and other ornamental books will one day return to the list, but for now it’s all about “growing you own”.

The kids are all right

A fellow nurseryperson in Missouri posted this photo on her Facebook page. She came home to find some kids that live in the same building decided to construct an aquaponics system in the basement. According to many in our trade, the young just don’t garden like their parents and grandparents did. This has affected the bottom line of many garden centers and nurseries around the world with many going out of business.

If you owned a garden center and some people came in wanting to build an aquaponics system, could you help them? What if they asked about growing lettuce hydroponically? What if they wanted to grow lettuce in soil inside under T5 lights? Where do you send them if you don’t carry this stuff? Why?