Don't panic, stay calm, and garden!

Working at the nursery the other day I had a chance encounter with a group of young people who work for a state run organization. They are learning about the garden and how to grow food. They have started seeds, and came by to learn about the compost tea we make. Afterward I was told that just the other day the powers to be told them they cannot have a garden this year, due to the drought. I guess they will just have to buy their food from the local grocery store. What kinds of lessons are these young people learning when they are told they can’t grow healthy, organic food to eat? I guess the thinking is, “conserve water buy relinquishing your ability to monitor it and use it wisely.” Instead we are supposed to go to the grocery store during a drought, and buy food that was grown by “professional” farmers who know how to use the very same water better?

 A friend and fellow nursery person Annie Hayes, of Annie’s Annuals in Richmond, penned a wonderful post titled, “Home Gardeners are NOT the problem.. Read it to learn why the garden is getting an unfair reputation for water waste during the drought. The garden, be it ornamental or edible, adds immensely to our lives. Our gardens can still produce and thrive during a drought. We just need to be more mindful this year about how the water is used. Gardens and gardeners are easy marks for scorn during our annual low water cycles. It’s so easy to point one's finger and say, “that garden should be allowed to die, or not even be planted this year”.

 Annie summed it up well with this, “If you don’t have a large lawn in a hot Summer area, YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. If you’re growing a sensible mix of low and average water use plants YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. Home gardeners who are growing healthful fruits and vegetables or flowers for joy, beauty, and to support and enjoy our birds, butterflies and bees ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. You don’t have to stop watering your beautiful plantings – just be smart about it.”

I offered to help the young people and the organization they work for learn how to still have that garden, while learning how to be good stewards of the water we are allotted.  Don’t let all those wonderful seedling plants die just because the bureaucracy in charge can’t see beyond “NO GARDEN”. Don’t send the message to these young people and others that we can’t be responsible enough to know how to handle our own health, and the ability to grow what we need to live.  Let's "teach our children well" during this drought. Panic and giving up are not an option.  At this time in our history, and at this place, we need to "get ourselves back to the garden"  more than ever. 

“I have come here to lose the smog

And I feel to be a cog in something turning

Well maybe it is just the time of year

Or maybe it's the time of man

I don't know who l am

But you know life is for learning

We are stardust

We are golden

And we've got to get ourselves

Back to the garden."

Woodstock

by Joni Mitchell, Woodstock

Use the garden as a refuge from the digital world

At  MindBodyGreen, 9 reasons Gardening is the Ultimate Mind Body Workout. "According to the Centers for Disease Control, gardening is compared to “moderate cardiovascular exercise.” Gardening 30 to 45 minutes a day can burn 150 to 300 calories. This isn't just standing there watering the flowers, but weeding, digging, hoeing, raking and planting. And there's nothing like being at one with nature to help create a calming, relaxed state of mind while you let go of the pressures and anxiety of everyday life."

The calories burned is a nice benefit, but for myself the real pleasure of gardening is in the mind and soul. We are all so connected and digitized these days that is becoming harder and harder to become "mindful". By "mindful" I mean living in the moment, and taking notice or the world your in. Not worrying about the future or past, but just being. The garden should be a refuge from all the buzz, a place where you can reconnect with nature.

Leave the phone in the house and use the garden entrance as a doorway to another world. A world where you can focus on the moment, and let your mind take a break. Plus, you will reap the rewards of fresh, delicious, healthy food. 

San Marzano, the best paste tomato

Considered by chefs as the best paste tomato in the world.  Compared to the Roma Tomato, San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and more pointed. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is stronger, sweeter and less acidic. Also, unlike the Roma Tomato  San Marzano vines are indeterminate and have a somewhat longer season than other paste tomato varieties. As is typical of heirloom plants, San Marzano is an open-pollinated variety that breeds true from generation to generation, making seed saving practical for the home gardener or farmer.

According to Wikipedia, "the first seed of the San Marzano tomato came to Campania in 1770, as a gift from the Viceroyalty of Peru to the Kingdom of Naples, and that it was planted in the area that corresponds to the present commune of San Marzano sul Sarno. They come from a small town of the same name near Naples, Italy, and were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

In the United States, San Marzano tomatoes are the genetic base for another popular paste tomato, the Roma Tomato.  The Roma is a cross between a San Marzano and two other varieties (one of which was also a San Marzano hybrid), was introduced by the USDA in 1955.

A California Original

Lloyd Kahn is a writer from my neck of the woods who built this home in 1961. It has a sod roof, and was built without power tools for the most part. Lloyd says, "We sold the property in 1967 and many years later I went back and discovered that a young couple and their child were happily living in the building. I took a photo of them, which appeared in our book Home Work. Some time around 2000, the property was sold again, and the new owners bulldozed all the buildings and built two large homes :-(

Unfortunately tearing down cool homes and putting up mansions is a trend in northern California. For myself, the following is what makes this place appeal to me even more. Lloyd say's, "After building this, I never looked back. From that point on, I’ve lived in owner-built homes (over 50 years now), and have never paid rent or had a bank mortgage." 

Did you know the word “mortgage” comes from the French “mort-gage”, literally death-pledge. Why do we do this to ourselves? My wife and I are headed towards a debt and mortgage free life. While we are not there yet, the journey is invigorating and the goal worthy. Does this sound like something you would dream of? Don't know where to start? Lloyd has some great advice.  "...when you don’t know how to start, simply begin. As you go along, you’ll figure things out.…"

Out with the old, and in with the new

When I started blogging in 2005, blogging was social media. There was no Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other social platforms that now exist. Do I pine for the days of old? Not really. Change is good, and I am enjoying bringing change into my life now, more than ever. 

My wife and I have over the last year dived deep into a minimalistic plan for ourselves. It covers everything from what we own, where we travel, and how we think. We have shed weight, excess physical stuff, debt, and a mindset that says, "more is better". That saying, "he who dies with the most toys wins", is the opposite of where we are at now. It has not been easy, but we follow a couple of rules. If we use the item at least once a year, or it has sentimental value, we keep it. Otherwise it is given away, or trashed. 

This allows a greater connection with the things we keep, as well as keeping us more centered with what is truly important in our lives, like family, peace of mind, and friends. One of the criteria was to eliminate as much anxiety from our lives as possible. It's really quite easy to find yourself with too many obligations,  and not enough time for relaxation, and enjoyment.

It seems there is just too much endless pratter on some of the social platforms. Social media can be like a drug. You get bored so you head over to see what's happening on this or that platform, and the next thing you know, hours are gone. When I started blogging years ago social media was exciting and new, now not so much. 

My thinking is to focus on one or two outlets, and let the others fall to the wayside. This blog is on effort on my part to return to writing, which was why I fell in love with blogging in the first place. I still have Facebook, Twitter, and Google + accounts, but my interactions there will slowing down for the new year.  

My hope for 2015 is less anxiety, and and a return to the lightness of being that we are all capable off. Take time to breathe, and don't be afraid of boredom. We need to be bored now and then. Its a chance to find oneself amidst all the noise. 

Cheers to The New Year!

Just a coincidence?

I am sure it's happened to you, too. You're scrolling through your feed and two pictures from completely different sources seems to interact in a way that makes sense to you. 

This is a screenshot of my Google+ feed this morning. The one on the left is of a spiral galaxy far far away, and the one on the right is of dancers spiraling around a bit closer. 

Coincidence? I like to think there is more to it than that. We receive insights everyday. Some are so obvious we just fail to notice them. I noticed this one. 
#universe  
#coincidence  
#ft 

The natives are restless

In this case the natives are insects native to Africa, who have decided that California is the place they ought to be. The Bagrada Bug arrived in Southern California just 6 years ago and already had decides to move north. The experts were hoping the colder winters might kill them off, but they decided to hide in the top layers of soil during winter. Come spring they emerge to eat stuff like "cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, but they don't appear to be picky eaters. They have been known to feed on a wide variety of garden vegetables in California, including green beans, cantaloupe, corn, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and sunflower. Even landscape plants are not immune. Bagrada bugs have been found feeding on ornamental plants in the mustard family, like sweet alyssum, stock and candytuft."

From the comment section at The Yolo county extension service, "I am a Master Gardener in LA County, managing a vegetable garden in The City of Bell. Bagrada bug has massively taken over arugula and to a lesser degree, Kale. I tried soapy water spray and pinching but could not keep up with them. Now I vacuum these crops on an almost daily basis with a hand held dust buster. WOW! I get hundreds every day and it is pretty quick to do. I have ordered some stink bug traps and will bait them with alyssum. I think that between the two controls, I MAY be able to grow greens this fall without a huge infestation."  

Becoming indispensable

One of the nicest comments to hear from customers is, "we want you to be here for us". They sometimes preface it with, "we shop here because...we want you to be here for us". While it may not keep you in business, or cause you to become profitable, it is an important first step.

The goal is to find out why you are indispensible to them. Let everything else fall to the wayside. Becoming indispensable to your customers means you provide them with products, or a feeling, that causes them to go out of their way to maintain. There are cheaper places to shop. There might be more convenient places to shop. These thing's don't matter as much when your are becoming indispensable.

They need you, as much as you need them. How are you becoming indispensable (absolutely necessary) to your customers?

So you want to be a farmer?

"Roy Skeen is a 32-year-old farmer with a degree in history from Yale University. When he graduated in 2004, he moved to New York to work in investment banking, but he found the work unfulfilling.
 
After a trip to the Caribbean, he discovered his true calling: farming.
 'It exposed me to culture that grows food and lives in one place,' he told CNN. 'It was pretty simple, but it was nice and I liked it.'
 
Skeen moved to his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, and now runs his own urban farm and sells produce at the local farmer's market. He says the work is hard but satisfying."

I have been in the botanical trades for over 30 years. The horticulture trade is quite worried about where the new, young gardeners are going to come from. They didn't garden like their parents, and seemed to show no sign of interest in the garden. Many, many nurseries have closed due to the lack of a younger generation of gardeners taking over from the aging baby boomers. 

That all changed a couple of years ago, and has really hit it's stride this year. The number of younger people, especially young families, that come into the nursery has increased from years past. It's all about growing food, which leaves the ornamental side of the trade still hurting, but we take our pleasures where we can. 

I am not sure where all this interest will take us. For now it's a pleasure to be dealing with a whole new group of interested people. They really want to make it work, and are just discovering how hard, but rewarding it can be to grow food. That's an important part of the movement,  putting people back in touch with how much work is involved from farm to table. As far as making a small farm profitable, that's a whole different set of challenges. Still, it's nice to see so many young people heading back to the garden. 

via:
Mother Earth News
http://bit.ly/1mpMBgJ

#smallfarm  
#horticulture  

What diamonds, gold, and The Carob tree have in common.

The carob tree is a landscape tree here in California, but in the Mediterranean region it grown as a food crop. Carob is mildly sweet and is used in powdered, chip, or syrup form as an ingredient in cakes and cookies, and in chocolate substitute. Since chocolate contains theobromine, which is poisonous to some mammals, and carob does not, it is used to make chocolate-flavored treats for dogs. The island of Malta has a liqueur made from carob, Zeppi’s Harruba. I would love to try this someday. 

The carob tree was known in Antiquity and was introduced very early in Greece and is possible indigenous to Crete. During St.John the Baptist's sojourn in the desert he fed himself on the nourishing pods of the carob, along with locusts, and honey.

Ceratonia siliqua's common name, Carob,  alludes to the Greek word "kerátion" literally meaning, a small horn. This is the shape of the carob pod which holds inside the carob seed, used as food. It's this seed that shares it's history with the weight used to measure gems, carat.

The seeds are remarkably uniform in both size and weight, varying within very definite limits. Ceratonia siliqua, the scientific name of the carob tree, derives from the Greek kerátion, "fruit of the carob" (from keras "horn"), and Latin siliqua "pod, carob." The term "carat", the unit by which precious metal and stone weight is measured, is also derived from the Greek word keráti?n, alluding to an ancient practice of weighing gold and gemstones against the seeds of the carob tree by people in the Middle East. The system was eventually standardized, and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. 

In late Roman times, the pure gold coin known as the solidus weighed 24 carat seeds (about 4.5 grams). As a result, the carat also became a measure of purity for gold. Thus 24-carat gold means 100% pure, 12-carat gold means the alloy contains 50% gold. 

A plant that is able to mimic multiple species

According to Science Magazine, "the woody vine Boquila trifoliolata... transforms its leaves to copy a variety of host trees. Native to Chile and Argentina, B. trifoliolata is the first plant shown to imitate several hosts. It is a rare quality—known as a mimetic polymorphism—that was previously observed only in butterflies."

There are plants that mimic host species. Some mistletoe species in Australia,  are able to mimic the host, but that's just one species they can mimic. The Boquila can mimic several species. "When the vine climbs onto a tree’s branches, its versatile leaves (inset) can change their size, shape, color, orientation, and even the vein patterns to match the surrounding foliage (middle panel; the red arrow points to the vine, while the blue arrow indicates the host plant). If the vine crosses over to a second tree, it changes, even if the new host leaves are 10 times bigger with a contrasting shape (right panel). The deceit serves as a defense against plant-eating herbivores like weevils and leaf beetles, according the researchers. "

Spring at last

On this first day of spring let’s enjoy the changing season. Here in northern California the sun is shining and hope springs eternal. At the nursery we are selling the cool season vegetable starts, flowers, seed starting trays, and lot’s of seed. The number one question this year from our customers is, are your seed free of GMO? Yes they are. I imagine most folks truly don’t understand GMO’s, but the term and “idea” certainly has caught their interest.

We are in drought here in California, and likely won’t see too much relief rain wise in the near future. Our rainy season is fast coming to a close, and after a few years of drier than expected weather, we will likely see more water restrictions. We are currently in a “Stage 2” water alert. The local water authorities are asking us to cut back 30% on our water usage. It’s doable, and an opportunity for us to teach and guide our customers.

I look forward to being a place where people can come to learn more about how to feed their families, and bring beauty into their lives. While the ornamental side of the business has shrunk over the last few years, the edible side had grown exponentially. We seem to be doing better than in years past, and the customer is engaged in their garden like never before.

So it’s it a positive note that stands above the rest this first day of spring. While there will be challenges going forward, we are entering a new age in horticulture. While not all is shinny and bright in the trades, I have never been happier, or more proud to be a nurseryman. Our goal here is to stay small as possible, while making the largest impact in our world. We can change our world more easily, one customer at a time.

Cheers to spring!

Amanita muscari, snails, and Alice in Wonderland.

“One pill makes you larger, And one pill makes you small, And the ones that mother gives you, Don't do anything at all, Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall. And if you go chasing rabbits, And you know you're going to fall, Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar, Has given you the call, Call Alice, when she was just small.” – Grace Slick, The Great Society.

Seems Alice’s adventures with proportion we’re the results of ingesting Amanita muscaria, yesterdays featured fungus for Google + "Shoorm Staurday”. It is likely one of the most well known yet unrecognized fungus in the world. Mainly noted for being hallucinogenic, a primary result of ingesting this fungus is in distorting the size of perceived objects. This observation is thought to have formed the basis of the effects of eating the mushroom in the 1865 popular story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

The mushroom is commonly known as “fly agaric” or “fly amanita” and can be found in conifer and pine forests in North America, The Mediterranean and Central and South America. Amanita muscaria cannot be commercially cultivated, due to its mycorrhizal relationship with the roots of pine trees. While it is considered poisonous there are few cases of death associated with ingesting it, and in many regions it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after being parboiled (this process removes the mushroom's psychoactive substances).

The history of the mushroom being used as an hallucinogenic be traced back to 1700–1100 BC and and The Rig Veda texts of India where is may have been the active ingredient in Soma. Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Allegro has proposed that early Christianity sprang form cultic use of the fungus in Second Temple Judaism.

Franco Fabbro, author of "Mushrooms and Snails in Religious Rituals of Early Christians at Aquileia" documents the depiction of Amanita muscaria, in the art of the Christian Basilica of Aquileia in northern Italy. The section of the mosaic floor which displays these mushrooms is found in the oratory of the northern hall, which is the oldest part of the basilica, dating to before 330 AD. An epigraph in the floor itself claims that the oratory was used for religious ceremonies.

Another bowl containing snails, probably of the variety Helix cincta. a favored edible species, is found adjacent to the mushrooms. Fabbro hypothesizes that the snails and mushrooms were eaten together. It is possible, however, that snails were allowed to feed on the mushrooms, and then the snails were consumed. This preparation may have effectively reduced or eliminated the undesirable physiological effects of consuming the mushrooms directly. This is more likely than it might sound initially; not only were the Romans well known for snail breeding, but they recognized that what the snails fed upon had a determining effect upon their flavor.

From the mist of time to the present day Amanita muscari has played an important role in man's development. Surprisingly, or not  the Nintendo video game “Super Mario” features the mushroom.  “Power-up”, and Super Mario might say.

Sources: entheomedia.org wikipedia.com

The solution is simple.

Saw this tweet the other day. “Dear Toronto bookstores: Please stop closing.”  My reply, “Dear readers in Toronto, and everywhere, buy more books from bookstores BEFORE they go out of business.”

It’s that simple. If you want to preserve your favorite indie bookstore, garden shop, or coffee shop, you've got to quit speaking up after the fact. There we’re numerous tweets following the original plea, most all wishing these bookstores would stop closing. One person even said, “In Germany, it is illegal to sell books at a discount. Our govt has chosen not to intervene”. There you have it, it’s the governments fault.

Quit blaming the government, Wal-mart, or Amazon. The solution is simple. Go to your local bookstore, and buy some books. Repeat. Tweet, Facebook, and Google + about that awesome store BEFORE it closes. Then buy some more books. Stop on the way to the bookstore and buy an espresso at the coffee shop. Pick up some flower or vegetable seeds at the garden shop afterwards. Make it a habit.

Repeat often.

Quit trying so hard

This photo of community gardening in Switzerland was taken by Yann Athus-Bertrand. It is of Allotments in the Avanchets estate, Geneva, Suisse (46°12’N, 6°09’E). What a marvelous display of community gardening. This ability to share across borders and languages will continue to shape and change horticulture. 

At times we can find ourselves stuck in an echo chamber based around our shared trade. We talk to, and hear from others in the trade. We use the various social media platforms to "sell" stuff, rather than to learn and enjoy. I believe conversation, and the sharing of ideas is the new advertising. It's not advertising in the traditional sense, which is good, since the traditional way of promoting products and services is dying.

Rather than advertising the new way is to be "out there" enjoying and sharing stuff we love. Have a interest in history? Join some history groups on Google +, or Facebook. Want to broaden your interests from horticulture to the larger world of science? There are people doing stuff there that will blow your mind. Interestingly, it's outside our traditional area of expertise that many great ideas can be found that ultimately will benefit us.  Do it without the intent to build your business, or brand. People are developing an aversion to the "sales pitch" anyway. Conversations and sharing are the way forward for business.