Farmer D

You look at me now and you see a 36-year-old green business owner with a wife and new baby in metro Atlanta who’s known as Farmer D. What you don’t see is the clueless-about-food college student I used to be, who sat there one day in the cafeteria holding a sandwich and wondered why he knew so little about how that sandwich came to be. That pivotal moment changed the course of my life and set me on a path to learn how to grow my own food. Now, I show others how to do this, whether they want to grow a few veggies at home, teach children about healthy food at school or camp or even a hospital, or plan a city green space where citizens can grow not just food but community.

What I’ve learned over the years, besides how to grow that sandwich, is that getting started on a new garden is sometimes the hardest step of all for many people, especially since most of us have simply never done it before. So I’m going to help you get started through this blog. Check back every Monday, and I’ll give you new tips for growing your own food and maybe one day, you, too, will grow a sandwich. (This actually eventually requires growing grains and raising a turkey, so I’m not sure we’ll get that far, but who knows?)

Follow today’s tips and take your first steps toward your new garden:

Step 1. Choose your location. A vegetable garden requires at least six hours of sun a day. As you consider locations around your home, don’t discount the sides and front of your property. If you live in a condominium or apartment, ask your management company if there is a place you might be able to start a garden if there isn’t already one. If not, you may be able to plant a garden on your patio or balcony, if you have one, or you could even simply put some herb planters in your kitchen window. You may also consider one of the new indoor hydroponic gardening systems available now.

Step 2. Test your soil. If you are going to use your native soil, be sure to get a soil test (skip to step 3 if you are going to bring in soil). Not only will that tell you exactly what nutrients may be missing so that you can amend accordingly, but it will let you know if the soil contains lead or any industrial toxins that you simply don’t want in your food. Contact your county’s agricultural extension service for help with this. Ask to have your results converted to organic recommendations if your extension service doesn’t already do this.

Step 3. Build your beds. Determine the size and shape of your garden and then build your planting beds (or you can purchase them pre-made). These can either be mounds of soil right on the ground or raised beds made out of untreated wood, cinder blocks, stone, coconuts, or whatever non-toxic material you have available or can afford to purchase. Having some sort of border will help prevent erosion during storms, help your soil warm up in the spring and fall, and enable adequate water drainage. If you are using pots, be sure they have drainage holes. You may need to drill them in ones you purchase.

4. Add and amend your soil. The ideal growing medium for plants and vegetables is what’s called loam, and it is a combination of soil; organic matter, such as compost; nutrients, including potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace minerals; and air. (If you have good, healthy, non-toxic soil, the earthworms this attracts will dig holes that give your soil air.) Follow your soil test results to create this perfect mixture, or consider buying a pre-mixed version. An easy-to-do pH test, which you can buy at a garden center, will let you know the pH level of your soil. Most veggies like the pH to be a little below 7. You can “sweeten” it with lime or “sour” it with gypsum or coffee grounds if you need to adjust it a bit.

Tune in next week and I’ll share tips about planting seeds in your new garden. Let me know how it goes with getting started this week, or share other get-growing tips that have worked for you.

Daron Joffe is a 30-something eco-entrepreneur who lives to make a difference in the world one homegrown organic fruit and vegetable at a time. Known as “Farmer D,” Joffe has grown food for celebrities, private communities, and elementary schools in his “town-by-town mission to re-energize the food culture.” His products are sold at select Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma stores. Born in South Africa and based in Atlanta, Farmer D is online at www.farmerD.com.

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Cindy and Frank Brandeis take a welcome rest after attending to their garden plots at the Community Garden in GreerToday. The Brandeises are producing a watermelon patch with one plot and vegetables with another. They are from Illinois. 

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Cindy and Frank Brandeis maintain this garden plot. The manicured area shows effective weeding and watering. 

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The sign says it all. Be kind to your plants and they will be kind to you. This plot shows good maintenance, watering and fertilization. 

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A white-wired fence with hearts above is the gateway to this garden. The Community Garden will produce food for families and the excess will be distributed to Greer Relief and the Soup Kitchen.

Warm weather can drain even the most water-smart landscape. Here are a few tips to help make the most of the water applied to the lawn and garden, while protecting landscapes from the harsh heat.

Let it soak
The greatest waste of water comes from applying too much, too often. Much of the water is never absorbed. Instead of watering for one long session, water a few times for shorter periods and take 15-minute breaks in between each session. This will allow water to soak in while minimizing runoff. Also check to see if water is penetrating 6 – 8 inches beneath the surface of the soil. If not, then another cycle may be needed to encourage root growth.

Watch the clock
Water in the morning when the sun is low, winds are calm and temperatures are cool and less conducive to evaporation.

Consider dripping
When it comes to watering individual trees, flower beds, potted containers or other non-grassy areas, consider applying water directly to the roots, using low-volume drip irrigation. This will reduce water waste through evaporation or runoff and will prevent unwanted weeds from growing.

Mulch it well
To conserve water and help plants stay healthy, spread mulch in shrub beds, tree rings and flower gardens. Mulch is a protective covering that is placed around the base of plants, preventing evaporation and weed growth. Mulching helps drainage, encourages root development and cools the soil – reducing water use during hot summer months.

Get automated
Using an automated irrigation system is one of the best ways to keep lawns and landscapes beautiful and healthy, while minimizing water waste. Automatic underground sprinkler systems distribute water evenly, preventing over-watering and ensuring that the watering is done at the right time.

Those who still utilize hoses to water should consider using an automated garden hose timer to transform that hose into an automatic water-saving tool.

More watering tips are available at www.rainbird.com.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Despite the heat, some gardens around town are still thriving.

This weekend is the 19th Annual Old Louisville Hidden Treasures Garden Tour.

The walking tour features ten gardens and a carriage house within the Old Louisville Historic Preservation District.

Ann Triplett’s garden is among the ones featured.

She says she has taken her grandmother’s advice on what plants can withstand the heat, and only waters them at a certain time of the day.

“Never water it after 8:00 in the morning and preferably not before 9:00 or 10:00 at night when the sun goes down because you’re gonna end up frying them,” says Triplett.

The Garden Tour is hosted by the Second Street Neighborhood Association.

It continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.

The summer isn’t letting up anytime soon.

And when it comes to your garden, neither can you, say two local gardeners: OSU-Tulsa County Master Gardener Karen Watkins and Stringer Nursery’s Jeff McCants, both of whom offer tips on areas to pay attention to this season.

Watering

It’s big. Even some of the top performers, such as crape myrtle and rose of sharon, both of which are plants accustomed to this climate, need water, McCants said. They will survive, but not flourish or flower without water. The amount of water will vary based on plant variety.

When you do water, do so in the early morning if you can, Watkins said. Your plants will use the water throughout the day, and any moisture on foilage would have dried off before the day has ended.

You want your foilage dry because, when the weather cools down later in the day, fungus is given the chance to grow.

Watkins recommends watering deeply and less frequently during the hot weather months.

That means watering your garden a little longer but watering every other day.
And as your using your water, use it wisely.

“Watering wisely is so important, or we go into water rationing,” Watkins said.

For containers, the smaller the container, the more often you should water the plant in it, as container plants dry out quicker than those in the garden.

Weeding, mulching

Summer is prime time for weeds to accumulate and, worse, suck the life from your ornamentals that are already stressed out by the heat, McCants said. Get rid of them. Picking them out by hand might be the best way to go about this.

Consider protecting your garden beds and tree zones with mulch, which will keep in moisture for the plants to use. A two- to three-inch layer should be adequate.
Fertilizers, pesticides

“I’m not going to suggest that you fertilize, though light fertilizing of a stressed-out plant may be good,” McCants said.

Pick off your pests as much as you can. Or give affected leaves a strong burst of water to throw off the harmful insects. A weekly blast of high-powered water will keep spider mites at bay, McCants said.

Lay off the chemicals, Watkins said. She likens applying pesticides to plants in the summer to taking medicine without food.

“It’s something else for the leaves to deal with,” she said. Also, it drives away pollinators.

Observe – look at things regularly enough so that if something is too wet or too dry, you are able to rectify the problem, McCants said. If you don’t, it turns into neglect.

View full sizeA little — OK, even a lot of –€” rain is never going to dampen the enthusiasm of the hardy Oregon garden tourist, who makes sure to bring along an umbrella or two, a waterproof jacket or three and the determination to see every garden on a given tour no matter how severe the weather gets. The payoff — like Carolyn Guinther’€™s Aloha-area garden €– is always worth it. Greater love hath no man than to give up a perfectly good Saturday to tour gardens with his spouse.

Or words to that effect.

Except that, having been on both sides of garden tours — opening our garden countless times and walking through countless other gardens — I actually enjoy going on the tours (but please don’t tell my wife). (Marcia: I heard that.)

I — make that we — have found they are wonderful opportunities to see sights we otherwise would never see, like the huge basalt walls in a Milwaukie backyard leading down to the Willamette, or the view of Oswego Lake  from the yard of a house where the patio furniture cost more than our home.

And then there’s the amazing plant life, and the water features, and the hardscape.

We could go back to the Old Germantown Gardens in Northwest Portland  or the Jane Kerr Platt Garden in Portland’s West Hills  100 times and see something different every time.

And there’s nothing quite like the passion of those who love their yards so much they’re willing to open them up for perfect strangers to trample through them. Frequently the owners are every bit as interesting as their gardens.

Often the gardens are opened for a good cause as well, like the Garden Conservancy tour or the Association of Northwest Landscape Designers tour (the latter took this year off), which uses the money it raises to fund scholarships for future garden designers, among other things. For years, Metro had a huge tour — which cost visitors nothing — and featured dozens of yards emphasizing natural and organic gardening.

View full sizeCarolyn Guinther talks enthusiastically about her garden with designer Alyse Lansing (left), who understands everything she’€™s talking about, and someone (Dennis, right), who doesn’€™t. There’s nary a summer weekend (yes, I said “nary”) you can’t find some garden somewhere that you can stroll through.

Of course, Marcia and I see the gardens through somewhat different lenses. The first thing I tend to notice is whether the yard is thoroughly weeded, taking some kind of weird satisfaction in any weeds I find while simultaneously resisting the urge to pull them and make a total ass of myself.

Marcia, on the other hand, well, let her tell it (far be it for me to put words in her mouth).

Marcia: Even if a garden has one wonderful plant in it and a proud owner I can chat with about a mutual love of gardening, I’ll walk away happy. There isn’t a garden I’ve seen that I don’t like. Some people like to shop. I like to tour gardens.

I’m always running into friends as well as fellow designers on these tours, all members in a sort of association of garden nerds. On the Garden Conservancy tour in late June we ran into several people I know, including fellow designer Alyse Lansing.

I love that I can see some of the unusual plants that I’ve read about or seen in nurseries in a mature setting, which shows me they can thrive in the real world.

As for hosting a tour, having 200 or more people coming through our garden in one day can be a bit stressful, but we’ve always found it, in the end, enjoyable. We’ve met hundreds and hundreds of people we’ll see later and wonder, “Where have I seen them before?” We’ve had garden experts like Kym Pokorny and the wonderful Dulcy Mahar (who died last July) speak to people in our yard. We’ve had Cracked Pots artwork and cutting edge sprinkler heads that were installed by Metro as part of a tour become permanent fixtures in our garden.

But, to give you an idea of just how much work goes into getting a garden ready, there’s Carolyn Guinther of Aloha, whose garden was on the June Garden Conservancy tour. Her garden was amazing — something of a miracle considering that several months ago a 40-foot oak collapsed in her backyard, damaging several plants and trees in the process (cutting one pretty much in half). One of the first things that crossed her mind was, “How am I going to get ready for the garden tour in time?”

View full sizeTours are a great chance to see sites you’€™d otherwise never know existed, like the beauty and scope of Oakwood Gardens in Hillsboro.Seriously, they’re that much work. And while we don’t know how she got ready, she did, because her backyard was spectacular.

Tips

1. First, you need to know where to find an open garden, right? The publication you’re holding in your hands, or this site if you’re online) is a great place to start. Weekly you can find garden tours on the calendar page of this section or online under the events listings.

2. Even though we’re headed into the (relatively) dry part of the year, if there’s even a chance of rain, take an umbrella, take a change of shoes (some gardens are a bit muddy), and take a towel or a plastic trash bag so you don’t get the inside of your car filthy (or, in Dennis’ case, filthier). We took two umbrellas and three types of jackets for the Garden Conservancy tour, and Marcia still got soaked. And if the forecast is for sunny and in the 80s, don’t forget a hat and sunscreen.

3. Take your camera, or smartphone with a built-in camera, or bring your own professional photographer (OK, maybe not the last one). Or, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll run into a friend who will take photos for you.

4. Ask lots of questions of the garden owners and any volunteers. They love (trust us, we know) to answer questions, even if it’s the same one 50 times. The owners wouldn’t open their gardens if they weren’t passionate about them and the volunteers wouldn’t be there if they weren’t really, really into gardening as well.

5. Thank the garden owners for opening their gardens. It’s an enormous amount of work getting it ready, a process that begins months before the actual tour.

6. Get names, lots of names. The names of your favorite plants, the name of the person who did that incredible metal sculpture in the yard, the guy who put in the rock work, the woman who designed the yard, the contractor who installed it. There’s a wealth of information to be had, and it’s all free for the asking.

If there’s one quote that sums up the wonder and joy of going on one of these tours, or of going through anyone’s backyard on a warm summer day, it’s this, courtesy of a volunteer at Carolyn Guinther’s yard named Mike, who was absolutely wonderful (and, someone said, bore a slight resemblance to Brad Pitt):

“If you don’t like what you’re looking at,” he said, “try looking at something else.”

It’s a philosophy that fits perfectly on a garden tour and, as I pointed out, has kept Marcia married to me for 31-plus years, too.

Marcia Westcott Peck is a landscape designer (pecklandscape.com) and Dennis Peck is not. He is the editor of The Oregonian’s Living section, which is a good thing for him, because if he actually had to use his hands for anything other than typing, it
would not be pretty.

PHOTOS BY MARCIA WESTCOTT PECK, DENNIS PECK

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KUSA – Governor Hickenlooper has proclaimed July as Smart Irrigation Month for Colorado. This is well timed since July is often our hottest month and when we use – and waste – the most water in our yards.

The goal of smart irrigation is to use less water and still keep our yards healthy. When we maintain plants in a healthy state, they fight off weeds, insects and diseases. A stressed lawn -even the one brown spot you might have – will be much more prone to weeds and diseases than a healthy lawn that gets adequate water.

Here are four things you can do to make your sprinkler system smart, beginning with the least expensive:

First, make sure that your sprinkler system is properly adjusted. If a sprinkler is watering the driveway instead of the lawn, you are wasting water and killing the grass. Since most of us don’t see our sprinkler systems because they run while we’re asleep, we do need to check them out occasionally during daylight hours. Turn on the system and make sure the sprinklers are spraying water where it needs to go.

Second, don’t let a $2.99 spare part stand between you and healthy plants. The little nozzle in the sprinkler sometimes needs to be replaced. Or the sprinkler head itself gets damaged by the lawnmower. These parts need to be repaired or replaced to have an efficient sprinkler system. Remember that sprinkler systems are made up of mechanical parts – just like your car – and they need regular maintenance to perform properly.

Third, consider using drip irrigation to water all the areas other than the lawn. Like the name implies, “drip” technology allows water to drip slowly around the base of plants. There’s minimal evaporation loss and the water goes directly to the soil where the roots are. That makes it very water efficient. Drip technology is especially smart for veggie gardens because it’s best to avoid spraying water directly onto the leaves of most plants. Doing so often results in disease problems. Because drip lines are above ground, they are easy to see, move around and reconfigure as needed. That makes them user friendly as well as water efficient.

Finally, select a sprinkler timer that allows you to water three or more times on the same day. Having this feature assures that plants get all the water you need on your watering day, but because the water starts and stops at various times, it has time to soak in. This is called cycle-and-soak scheduling. For example, if you need to water 30 minutes total, this type of timer lets you water in three 10-minute intervals rather than all at once. Too much water all at once is often more than the soil can absorb at one time which creates run-off. Using the cycle-and-soak method to water at different intervals makes your sprinkler system more water efficient – and that’s smart.

Information courtesy Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado – sponsors of the 9News Kitchen Garden and the 9News Water Wise Garden. For help with your landscape needs, go to www.alcc.com and click on Find a Pro.

(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following list of tips to create  beautiful and healthy lawns and gardens that are also good for the environment:

 

Choose the right grass for your climate. If your area gets very little rain, don’t plant a type of grass that needs a lot of water. Select grass seed that is well suited to your climate and other growing conditions such as the amount of sunlight and rain your lawn receives. Over-seed your lawn each Fall by spreading seeds on top of the lawn. A thicker lawn helps to crowd out weeds. Your local County Extension Service can advise you on which grasses grow best in your area.

Has the idea of growing your own flowers always appealed to you? Well, there is no time like the present to turn your dream into reality. Are you under the false impression that there is just too much you don’t know, and it will take up a lot of your time? Concerns like these are pretty common, but unwarranted. Gardening is really pretty easy and not the least bit complicated or time consuming. Plus, once you get comfortable with what you are doing, you will have the time to tend to it. Sometimes it’s easy – and normal – to make false assumptions about what you are facing when you start a project and you don’t exactly know what you are getting yourself into. Also, when you begin your gardening journey, you will find it to be a very pleasant and relaxing experience.

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There are many ways to have an quot;environmentally friendlyquot; garden and, if you plan your garden this way, it would be beneficial for you and Mother Earth. Organic gardening has been heading in that direction for many years. Therefore, if you’re a beginner, you should learn how to garden organically, whether you are growing flowers or vegetables. It’s definitely a better way to go. Just about anything you want to learn about organic gardening can be found online. One of the best sources of information is your local nurseryman or woman. When you visit a garden center, you can learn a lot from these knowledgeable folks. What concerns organic gardeners the most is the traditional use, for many years, of chemicals and fertilizers that are harmful to the environment. So just find a suitable organic alternative, plus there are other safe methods available as well.

If you are thinking about starting your very first garden, then here is a very simple tip that can prevent headaches. It is pretty simple to plan out how you want your garden in a manageable way. You need to know your soil and the weather patterns in your area. You will need to choose your flowers and vegetables and then locate the place in your garden that will best suit them.

It is important that you supply enough light for the plants to flourish. It is crucial that you allow enough drainage, so your soil will not become waterlogged. If you need a little assistance in these areas, you can go online and find solutions to your questions.

Speaking of this – check out satelite direct. It might blow your head!

You know some plants prefer less sun than others and will thrive in shaded areas. But that is not the case for roses because they need a good amount of daily sun. A good benchmark for sun exposure is about six hours and roughly four hours at a minimum. Also take a look at what is around your future rose garden just to be safe. You don’t want to plant your sun-loving roses in an area where they will be shaded by tall trees when the trees are in full bloom. Root systems tend to spread so make sure that anything growing in the same area as your rose garden won’t choke out the root system of your roses. The three gardening tips we have shared with you are proven winners from people from all over. If you plan your garden carefully, and don’t just hurry to get something in the ground, you will have success. A little planning, patience, and preparation will go a long way to ensure you have a successful garden. The success of your garden will be reflected by the care and attention you take and by giving your plants what they need to survive.

On a side note – for anybody who is serious about this, make sure you take a look at this considering this is a great resource.

The Fourth of July is drawing near and barbecue preparations are underway.

Fireworks are a traditional part of Independence Day celebrations, but they can also be dangerous. Sadly, children and teens are too often hurt by fireworks. So, before the celebration begins, get your EyeSmart fireworks safety tips from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Of the 9,000 fireworks-related injuries each year, 21 percent are eye injuries and more than half of the victims are young children or teenagers. For example:

• A 6-year-old child’s eye was severely injured after he lit an M-80 firework that he found in his home. He called 911 (mp3 audio) and underwent an immediate cornea transplant and lens replacement, and required several additional eye surgeries.
• A 12-year-old boy forgot to unwrap the fuse of a fountain firework, making the fuse too short. It exploded almost immediately and blew up in his face, seriously injuring his eye.
• After a man lit smoke bombs that created colored smoke, his 4-year-old son leaned in to get a closer look. Tar from the smoke bomb wick shot into the boy’s eye, causing a corneal abrasion.

Even sparklers are dangerous. Sparklers typically burn at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and cause 27 percent of all fireworks injuries, including third-degree burns.

Bottle rockets cause some of the most serious eye injuries. Errant bottle rockets can injure bystanders and cause eye lid lacerations, corneal abrasions, retinal detachment, optic nerve damage, rupture of the eyeball and complete blindness. One in every six fireworks-related eye injuries results in permanent vision loss or blindness.

To prevent eye injuries, follow these EyeSmart tips:

• Never let children play with fireworks of any type.
• View fireworks from at least 500 feet away.
• Leave the lighting of fireworks to trained professionals.
• Respect safety barriers set up to allow pyrotechnicians to do their jobs safely.
• If you find unexploded fireworks, do not touch them. Immediately contact your local fire or police departments.

If you experience an eye injury during a fireworks accident, seek immediate medical help. For more fireworks safety tips or to find an eye M.D. in your area, visit www.geteyesmart.org.