Easy gardening for any space

It's that time of year when I recall planting seeds and putting them out in our greenhouse windows as kids.  I remembering riding with my Dad to pick up these three, big, second-hand greenhouse windows.  He installed them in a row across the front of our house in the room that was primarily our family dining room.  It was practical genius at work!  The three big windows had three or four adjustable metal shelves and our entire garden could be started in late February while there was still a thick blanket of snow on the ground.  The southerly exposure provided tons of warm sunlight and on cold nights we would simply slide the trays of seedlings out and line the dining room floor.


I don't have space for the big gardens we had as kids, nor do I have space or appropriate light to start seeds inside.  I buy seedlings and starters from local greenhouses...and thanks to a friend, I have a method for developing thriving garden spaces wherever I can tuck them in around our property.  The best part, I never have to turn over a single inch of soil, pick rocks, or borrow a rototiller.  It's called "lasagna gardening" a phrase and method coined by Patricia Lanza.  You could skip this post (I hope you won't) and go straight to her site.  Better yet, keep reading and then go check out her site after!  Okay, I'll admit I've never read her book "Lasagna Gardening," cover to cover, but with great local mentors, and the internet I've done just fine working on my own lasagna techniques!

Lasagna garden cross section 

The basic premise is (as the the name suggests) layering, layering, layering.  I'll use my first lasagna garden as an example to walk you through the steps.  My first garden using the technique is an herb and shade perennial bed at the foot of our stairs.  The space is in the shadow of the building for much of the day.  I collected up some large rocks from our the property as well discarded hemlock boards and created a raised bed.  It's worth noting this area sits on 4' of coarse gravel.  Inside the bed I placed a layer of newspaper and cardboard including cereal boxes, and shipping boxes all cut apart and laid flat.  I saturated this layer with water from the hose.  The following layers included grass clippings, the previous year's leaves, shredded paper, hay remnants raked up from around our horse barn, composted horse manure, and dirt from our compost pile.  (See the cross section illustration from finegardening.com )  Then I literally started planting!  I transplanted mint, chives, sedum, and ferns and nestled them into the damp, warm layers of organic material.

The first year when things were first starting to establish I also put my patio cherry tomato pot and planted some annuals in and about to fill things in.  This is what it looked like that first summer.  Two years later that garden is so full and lush.  The mint spills over onto the steps, the sedum has crawled up and over the hemlock, the ferns nestle up against the railing, the hens and chickens that I tucked into the rock crevices have spread and multiplied.  The layers have composted and the soil is amazing!  I'll have to post more pictures this summer!

The beauty of the lasagna garden is that you can keep adding your organic layers, there is no tilling, working of the native ground, or even weeding!  This year we're building raised beds for vegetables...right on top of the rocky slope at the top of our driveway. 

I bet you're now thinking about a little space that you have where you could experiment with lasagna gardening!  Whether you are planting long rows of raised beds, or tucking in a little herb bed by your doorstep...you can do it!  You'll be recycling, reusing, repurposing, composting, and growing some of your own food!

Share you ideas, pictures, thoughts, and stories about gardening...it's the perfect time of year to get inspired!

I'll start:  I'm going to try hale bale gardening this year, too!  Check this out:

A follow up...

The last thing I want to be is someone who is perceived to be fear mongering. Building awareness, creating a platform for dialog, and encouraging a good hard look at our consumer behavior is my goal! On that note I wanted to do a quick follow up to my last post.

I love fruits and vegetables...and it's important that we all fill our diet with a variety of them. I'm not suggesting we forgo this critical part of a healthy diet over the potential exposure to pesticide residue.  Even minor nutrient deficiencies can lead to serious health conditions...just look to history...scurvy is a perfect example! There are just so many unknowns.

For now, public health experts continue urge people to eat the recommended two to six and a half cups of fruits and vegetables a day. And since many people can't afford organics, just make sure to wash your produce well, said Kim Harley, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Berkeley.  "We really stress that we don't want people to stop eating fruits and vegetables," Harley said. "We're just saying there are unanswered questions and some concerns about pesticide exposure. There is starting to be evidence that pesticides may impact children’s development, and we need proper risk assessment to answer this question."  (From http://news.discovery.com/human/pesticides-fruit-vegetables-health-110831.html )


There are two sides to every story, as they say, and the flip side of this one is that commercial farming and pesticide use has increased "our" ability to produce more food for a growing world.  Yes, we have governing bodies like the EPA and FDA who set standards for food that goes into our marketplace.  The flip side of that?  Big business and big money lobby constantly for laws, regulations, and standards that benefit them.  Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the FDA, Michael Taylor, is also a former Monsanto executive, lawyer, and super lobbyist (hhhhmmmmmm).  Here's an interesting read on this topic. 

Personally, I'm just not willing to assume that because I can buy it in the store it's the best choice. Science is a dynamic and developing arena. We discover new things every day...good and bad. When it comes to pesticides, preservatives, processed food, genetically modified food, and the like I believe a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing. Asking questions about established ways of doing things helps to promote better ways. Given the choice I believe local sourcing of organically grown food is better for my family and my community.

As always...share your thoughts!

Do you know what's hiding in the produce aisle?

What do apples, celery, and strawberries have in common?  Yes...they ARE good for you!  "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," right?  Actually the original phrase dating back to 1866 was "eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread."  Apples are full of fiber, vitamins and nutrients that aid in lowering cholesterol, building strong bones and brains, fighting free radicals, and more!  Did you know apples are also the #1 produce item on the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen?"  In fact apples, celery, and strawberries have the highest occurrences of pesticide residue in the produce aisle.

Why do farmers use pesticides?  It's a fairly elementary question.  The EPA says "Farmers use pesticides to increase crop production and produce fruits, vegetables and grains that are free of insects and blemishes.  The use of pesticides becomes more prevalent as farmers try to increase yield per acre and new hybrids are cultivated that have not developed a natural resistance to native insects and micro-organisms." Bottom line...it's profitability, of course!

Common sense tells us that if pesticides kill insects they probably are harmful to other organisms, too...like farmers, and animals, and humans!  I'm sure pesticide use on produce isn't news to you...you probably even rinse your fruits and veggies.  Have you considered that pesticides are made to be water resistant?  Hey, they have to withstand rain, right?  I mean, there's a bottom line to protect!  Okay, so if pesticides are water resistant, does a quick rinse under the faucet really eliminate potential lingering toxins?  I'll leave that up to you.  What I do know is that you can make a quick and easy produce wash with equal parts water and vinegar.  I keep a spray bottle next to my sink and also use the mixture as a natural disinfectant for my counter tops and general kitchen cleaning.  A little extra care to actually wash your produce instead of simply rinsing it makes a difference.  Let's also consider that fruits and vegetables have skin, not unlike ours...a skin that is permeable...so pesticides on the outside could mean pesticides on the inside too.  Want an example?   Check out this Youtube video.

What else can you do immediately?  Educate yourself!   Check out the Environmental Working Group's incredible resources on this topic.  Prioritize your shopping list.  Unfortunately safer, healthier options are often more expensive (don't even get me going on that!)  If you are like me your wallet doesn't allow you to buy everything on your list organic.  So, choose organic for the worst offenders on the list, like apples, celery, and spinach.  And fill your cart with items from the "Clean 15" like onions, pineapple, and avocado.  Now, what about bigger picture?

Growing up we always had a garden.  The family garden was a place that we learned the value of hard work, watched the miracle of nature unfold, and harvested food that my Mom would freeze, or can and put up in our root cellar for a year's worth of healthy eating.  We kept barrels of potatoes and carrots nestled in sawdust, and crates of winter squash.  There were rows of canned tomatoes, beets, pickles, and beans and a freezer filled with frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and corn tucked in next to our farm raised chicken.  As I see it there are two great options when it comes to gardening:  growing your own or supporting a local grower.

A garden doesn't have to be huge to have a positive impact on your family.  Container or patio gardening or a simple raised bed in your back yard can yield more than you might think!  Another option is to connect with a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  I'd be surprised if there isn't more than one in your area!  Local Harvest is a great resource for locating growers/farmers in your area.  I bet you have a Farmer's Market in your area, too.  Putting your own garden produce away (freezing, canning, dehydrating) or stocking up at the Farmer's Market or CSA during the growing season can cut down on your grocery bill, help to reduce the toxic burden in our bodies and the environment, and helps to support the local economy.



I'd love to hear your ideas, too!

Since it's the time of year to start thinking about planting seeds...we'll talk more about gardening in the next post including a method to create a fabulous garden bed without turning over an inch of soil...so stay tuned!

Sugar for Breakfast?

When I was a little girl we lived for a short time on my grandparents farm.  There are a few things I remember distinctly about that time...the horses, Daisy & Queenie, the smell and sound of the milk house, the striped sheets on the metal framed bed, and the kitchen.  It was the early 80's and Grammy had a brown refrigerator (memories are funny, aren't they...for what we remember!)  The bottom cupboard next to the refrigerator was the cereal cupboard, and I'll always remember what you could find there:  Product 19, Fruit Loops, and Honey Smacks!

First, let me say that I grew up in a home where sugary cereals weren't even an option!  We ate lots of Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, etc.. (the store brand kind).  So...to get your hands on Fruit Loops and Honey Smacks...what a TREAT!

As an adult, I must admit that I still love Corn Flakes and Cheerios, and yes, when I do buy cereal, I buy the store brand, (even though as a kid I insisted the name brand was so much tastier).  But, I'd be lying if I told you that I don't still pause for a split second when I pass by the Honey Smacks and taste that sugary yumminess in my mind.  So to the whole point of this post...

Now that I have a child of my own I get so upset when I see little ones eating these sugary cereals, day in and day out.  The first ingredient in Honey Smacks, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops (and more) is SUGAR! Sugar is directly linked to obesity.  I'm also convinced it's addictive on some level, I mean doesn't the name "Honey Smacks" sound like some crazy street drug?  And that's not all....check out this article for a list of ways that "sugar is ruining your health" that might surprise you!

Here's the other "cereal deception."  If you are not a keen consumer you may be fooled into thinking these cereals are actually good for your child or your family.  Why right on the box it says "good source of fiber and whole grain," "8 essential vitamins," "good source of vitamin D."  Here's where we have to use our common sense, folks!  A serving of Honey Smacks (which by the way is 3/4 of a cup, and who ever eats just one serving?)  has more sugar than a TWINKIE!!!!  The benefits of any vitamins, fiber and whole grain are laughable when you look at the ingredients in context.  A good source of fiber, whole grain, and vitamins would be oatmeal with fresh fruit!  Let's go back to my reflections about growing up...the things I love now are the things that were staples in my home growing up...and they go far beyond cereal to fresh vegetables, whole grains, fruit, homemade meals, etc...  Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Want to read more about sugar in "children's cereal?"  Check out this article by the Environmental Working Group.

An empowered parent/grandparent/caretaker creates an empowered child!  Here's the challenge:  take at the cereal in your cupboard and read some labels!  If sugar is the number one or two ingredient say "adios" and discover the nearly endless alternatives that can be just as tasty and even more fun!  Need some inspiration?  Check out these Healthy Kids Breakfast Recipes.

Do you have a favorite healthy breakfast recipe?  Share it!

What is this all about anyway??

Here we go!  My first official "Be Empowered" blog post!  My dear friend, Martha, has inspired this first post by asking what "Be Empowered" is all about.  So, first things first...an explanation of my intent...

Several life events forced the decision to take a close look at my own consumer behavior.  Two stand out above the rest: my Dad's cancer diagnosis, and the birth of my son.  My Dad's (victorious) battle with cancer left many unresolved questions in my mind about how an otherwise healthy middle-aged man could develop cancer, not once, but three separate times.  Those questions only multiplied over time as I watched friends, family, and community members struggle with cancer, chronic illness, as well as syndromes and disorders like autism, ADHD, and fibromyalgia.  In the two years leading up the birth of my son I discovered some of the gaps in consumer awareness when a friend introduced me to the Environmental Working Group's Cosmetics Database: Skin Deep.  I started searching the database for my favorite products and quickly discovered that nearly all of the products I used daily including hair care, make-up, soap, lotions, etc...included ingredients that were known toxins including carcinogens, hormone distrupors, and neurotoxins.  I began eliminating these and other products from my home, replacing them with safe and healthy alternatives.  As I came across articles, research, and resources I would share them with friends through social media and include the heading "Be Empowered!"

My passion to create a healthy home and community has increased exponentially with the birth of my son (born in August 2011).  It has become increasingly obvious to me that we live in a society where we have been led to believe many myths about the safety of the products we consume every day.  For example:  If products are sold in a supermarket or drugstore, they must be safe.  I hold a degree in Advertising & Public Relations so I have a keen appreciation for the efforts made by corporations to market products in this extremely competitive marketplace.

This blog is intended to offer information that will help all of us be more educated and empowered consumers who can create healthy homes and communities.  This blog is not intended to be a political platform.  I do believe that we vote every day with our dollars and we can make a difference by being mindful of how we cast those "votes."  Regardless of your political persuasion, I also believe that our local representatives need to hear from us about issues that are important to us...and that's where I'll stop with politics.

I know I could write all night about life-changing information I have discovered for my own family as it relates to food, cleaning products, cosmetics, water, waste, and more, but we'll just have to take it one post at a time!   

Thank you for your interest...please subscribe and share with your friends...together we can create healthy homes and communities!  You can find Be Empowered on Facebook, too!

Welcome!

Be Empowered is live! Look for our first post tonight!