There is nothing like a home grown tomato...the taste is exceptional. Tomatoes take a while to grow, and if you are fortunate to live in a warm climate, apparently I don't because there is a foot of snow around my house still! and it snowed again today!) they are easy to grow from seeds. Most of the time it is advisable to start your tomato seeds sometime in February or March...but, I have had success getting my starts going in April. However, if you can't get your seedlings started, you can always resort to buying plants at the local nursery. You won't regret the investment. Heirloom tomatoes have sometimes gotten a rotten rap...as per this article which appeared in The Examiner, Chicago entitled Hurray for Heirloom Tomatoes. But never fear, as this article points out, heirloom tomatoes are wonderful tasting and wonderful plants.
If you want a variety of tomatoes in your garden, how about stopping in at
You can get an amazing amount of heirloom tomato seeds, plus pick up some great gardening tools and supplies!
Are you still planning to put in a garden this year and also raise backyard chickens? Here's an idea you may want to consider...plant your garden and put your chicken coop in the same area...let me explain.
1. Choose a suitable place for your garden and fence twice as much growing space as you will need to grow your various vegetables. 2. Put a gate at each end of your rectangular plot. 3. Build your chicken coop directly in the center of your "compound", and divide that area right down the middle with more fencing. Make sure there is a door on each side of your new chicken coop. 4. The "first" year of your garden, plant vegetables on one half of your plot, while on the other half of your plot, let the chickens run free in their yard. 5. At the end of the gardening season, let your chickens have the run of the whole place. 6. The next gardening season, rotate the whole operation: plant your garden on the alternate side, and let the chickens have the run of the area that was your garden last year! 7. Keep this rotation system up each year. Not only will your chickens naturally fertilize the area for your future garden each year, they will do a dandy job of ridding unwanted bugs and insects!
As a reminder, order your heirloom seeds and garden supplies from:
There are many reasons why you should grow your own VEGETABLE garden. I emphasize vegetable because in my "younger days" I had a running argument with my sister that I didn't grow any thing that I couldn't eat. She on the other hand, had a lovely lawn and a bunch of flowers. Of course, some flowers are edible...hmmm. Any way, the obvious reasons include healthy food, food (which is becoming a concern), great tasting food, etc. And with the economic woes and people staying home more often, having a garden is a positive diversion...it gives you something to do!
You really do not need a lot of space to get a garden going. If you have a five gallon bucket, you can grow something! It is much cheaper to grow your own plants from seeds. I have written an article on the pros/cons of using hybrid/non-hybrid seeds. You can find this article at http:www.goarticles.com/ and then plug in the keywords hybrid/non-hybrid seeds in the search box.
A quick gardening tip for today is: SAVE THOSE EGG SHELLS! Egg shells make great little "starter" containers for your seeds. When cracking your eggs, try to only knock off the top 1/3 of the shell (best when you really don't care if your egg breaks). Fill your egg shell with a good starting soil, plant seed, let grow. When you are ready to transplant, simply place the whole thing in the ground. I knock off the bottom so the roots can poke through the bottom of the shell. Not only do you not disturb the fragile roots, but the calcium in the egg shell will provide some extra nutrition for the plant.
In future posts I will address other gardening concerns, tips and strategies.
This bill is sitting in committee and I am not sure when it is going to hit the floor. One thing I do know is that very few of the Representatives have read it. As usual they will vote on this based on what someone else is saying. Urge your members to read the legislation and ask for opposition to this devastating legislation. Devastating for everyday folks but great for factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.
I have no doubt that this legislation was heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.
DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, READ THIS LEGISLATION FOR YOURSELF. The more people who read this legislation the more insight we are going to get and be able to share. Post your observations and insights below. Urge your members to read this legislation and to oppose the passage of this legislation.
Pay special attention to
Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety. section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety. Red flags I found and I am sure there are more...........
Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept. Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic. Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it. Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game. Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is. Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with? Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more. Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment. There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog) Didn't Stalin nationalize farming methods that enabled his administration to gain control over the food supply? Didn't Stalin use the food to control the people?
Last word...... Legislate religion and enforce gag orders on ministers on what can and can't be said in the pulpit, instituting regulations forcing people to rely soley on the government, control the money and the food. What is that called? It is on the tip of my tongue..........
I haven't read any of the Senate's version of the bill as I have been poring thru the House's version. Here is the link and I hope some of you can take a look and post your observations and insights below. One thing I am pretty sure of is that very few if any Senator's have actually read the legislation and when it comes up for a vote they will more than likely take someone else's word on how they should vote. The other thing I am pretty sure about is that the legislation was probably written by lobbyists and industry experts.
S 425 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s425:
Things you can do
Contact your members at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425. While you are at it ask them if they personally have read the legislation and what their position is? If they have not read the legislation ask them to read it and politely let them know that just because other representitives are not reading the legislation and voting on it does not mean they can do the same. Get in touch with local farmers and food producers by attending a local farmers market and asking them how business is. Attend a local WAPF meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming and local & state initiatives . The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html Check out the Farmers Legal Defense Fund at http://www.ftcldf.org/index.html Find out who sits on your states agriculture and farming committee and contact them with your concerns. Continue to contact your elected officials and let them know your position on legislation and why. Get active at the local and state levels, this is the quickest way to initiate change.
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