I found this great website PlanGarden.com a few weeks ago and it has really helped me! Today while messing around on it's website I found a very handy tool which can help you calculate the space you need for a certain vegetable, the weight generated from that space, the average price and savings if you purchased that amount from a store, farmers market, or if it was organic. im in heaven!
http://plangarden.com/app/vegetable_value/
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Help Grow Your Soup
This is a program sponsored by Campbell's Corp. By clicking on a link near the bottom of the page, seeds will be donated to FFA chapters across America. You can also get a package of free tomato seeds (not heirloom, sorry!) Here's more info on the project(s).
According to a resource link on houseparty.com, you'll need the following info to get the seeds:
According to a resource link on houseparty.com, you'll need the following info to get the seeds:
- Can Code 1: P8039
- Can Code 2: U6
- variety: I clicked "Chicken Noodle" and it was correct.
Click the GET YOURS NOW arrow <-------- to the right with the seed packet picture.
The codes worked when typed versus copy and paste with omitting caps.
It may take several tries for the link to come up, you may have your own codes in your pantry to try, as well.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Seed the Day
Dagoba Organic Chocolate encourages people to have urban gardens. Resources are available.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Great Sunflower Project
from the website:
By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help us understand the challenges that bees are facing. The first batches of seeds are mailing the week of 23 March 2009. We'll be sending our next round of annual Lemon Queen sunflower seeds at the end of April 2009. Just in time to plant!
It takes less than 30 minutes.
It's easy.
Free Sunflower seeds for planting.
No knowledge of bees required!
Enter your bee counts online or send us your paper form.We would love to have you join us; let’s help our most important pollinators together!
By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help us understand the challenges that bees are facing. The first batches of seeds are mailing the week of 23 March 2009. We'll be sending our next round of annual Lemon Queen sunflower seeds at the end of April 2009. Just in time to plant!
It takes less than 30 minutes.
It's easy.
Free Sunflower seeds for planting.
No knowledge of bees required!
Enter your bee counts online or send us your paper form.We would love to have you join us; let’s help our most important pollinators together!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Call for topics!
The first CV Garden Club meeting of the season will be in April and the topic will be about Square Foot Gardening. I believe Steve Languis is on board to be our guest speaker. Date coming soon!
What other topics would you guys be interested in discussing at a meeting?
What other topics would you guys be interested in discussing at a meeting?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Setting an Example
White House adds a garden; first "since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a so-called "victory garden" at the height of World War II."
Friday, March 20, 2009
bulk compost/mulch
anyone interested enough to coordinate a bulk purchase of mulch and/or compost? i assume we could save money doing it this way- but honestly don't have the time to organize it... anyone have thoughts on it?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Fresh Local Fruit !
Ok, I admit, this isn't really a "gardening" announcement, but many of you are interested in local fresh fruits and veggies. This info is not listed on their website; we are on the mailing list and received an email announcement.
is having an end of winter sale
10 pound bag is $10
20 pound bags is $16
Apples were harvested at the peak of perfection last fall
and have stored them all winter
and have stored them all winter
in their coolers to ensure outstanding quality.
Saturday, March 21 and 28, 2009
9am to 3pm
located 1/4 mile east of the Morse Rd/SR 310 intersection
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
End of the farmers market for us all?
Below is an email I just sent off to Laura Zimmerman, who heads up the Clintonville Farmers Market. Because this concerns so much of us, especially those with a heart for redistributing our food to those in need, I thought I'd post a copy of it here.
I recently read about House Resolution 875, that while in its infancy I must admit scared the bejesus out of me! I feel it could threaten the very fabric of our community's ties to locally grown food not to mention what I deeply believe is out right to grow, distribute, and purchase food of our choosing. I thought you might be interested, if you don't already know about it, in reading a little about it and watch it's developments.
Here is a link about the resolution (here is another) and here is one to track it's progress through legislation.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Volunteers needed for gardening ministry
Vineyard Church of Columbus has put together a wonderful eco-ministry and they are in need of volunteers. The ministry has some plots ready for gardening near the Fruit of the Vine food pantry on 5th ave. Because this is our mother church and their ministry is working within our parish, and heck because it's just fun to garden here are some volunteer opportunities happening soon that we really encourage you to participate in.
org
April 18: 10 am to 2 pm, Earth Day
Volunteering in the garden at 3 city community gardens. (LOTs of help needed!) Please let me know if your available. Sign up available at http://www.picturethis09.April 26: 10 am to 2 pm, Weinland Garden Kick Off!
(connect with the community, cooking demos, seed giveaways, tour the garden) all are welcome.Contact e mail for us is eco.vineyard@gmail.com
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Just a little heads up...
My Uncle and his family own a small Nursery in New Albany and they are offering some great classes this Spring. Their gardens are beautiful and it is a great place to go if you are looking for some ideas. The kids love it over there.
This spring, they are offering classes in dish gardening, tufa stone container making, Herbs gardening (which I am taking), organic gardening (only a $5 fee with a BREAKFAST included!!), floral arrangements, hayrack window boxes, container gardens, and a building healthy soil class. Classes are affordable and the instructor is great ~wink~. For more information, contact www.mccland.com or call 855-1288. Their site is still under construction, so you may have to check in or call. The nursery opens for the season this weekend. If you are looking for some unique plants or veggies, they'll have it or could get it for you. Hope to see you there!
This spring, they are offering classes in dish gardening, tufa stone container making, Herbs gardening (which I am taking), organic gardening (only a $5 fee with a BREAKFAST included!!), floral arrangements, hayrack window boxes, container gardens, and a building healthy soil class. Classes are affordable and the instructor is great ~wink~. For more information, contact www.mccland.com or call 855-1288. Their site is still under construction, so you may have to check in or call. The nursery opens for the season this weekend. If you are looking for some unique plants or veggies, they'll have it or could get it for you. Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
This book by Barbara Kingsolver explores gardening, and eating locally. Here's a few YouTube videos related to the book- (Barbara reads chapter 1 for an audience) 1, (a bio of Barbara, and interview) 2, (humorous musical book review) 3, (student project based on the book- interviewing an organic farmer) 4.
The family/book web site contains pictures, recipes, a visual tour of the farm, and other resources.
The family/book web site contains pictures, recipes, a visual tour of the farm, and other resources.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Square Foot Gardening
We went to the Home & Garden Show today, and attended a couple of the speakers. The most informative was Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening.
His ideas challenged my traditional farm gardening views. But, it turns out we've already been practicing some adaptations of his basic philosophy in our backyard. Before the seminar ended, I was already sketching ideas for more raised beds that would fit out "landscaping" and give us more flexibility in veggie/ herb/ edible flower gardening.
Mr. Bartholomew is not a trained horticulturalist. By profession, he is a civil engineer and efficiency expert. After a successful career, he retired at 42 years old and got involved at the start of his community's garden. He realized that growing things in rows was not an efficient use of space. Applying his professional knowledge to gardening, he developed this system for efficient use of space, water, soil, and crop rotation.
In the early 80's, he wrote his original book, but in recent years, he has come out of second retirement to revise and add to his book. In an effort to eliminate world hunger, the he has founded a non-profit that goes into Third World countries and teaches this type of small space gardening to schools, orphanages, shelters, correctional facilities, elderly, wheelchair bound, missionaries, and people groups in many parts of the world.
We've ordered a copy of his book, and we're trying to get ahold of a DVD. (If we get one, we might host a gathering, or interested people can borrow it from us).
Also, last night we found parts of some of his older PBS shows, and short introductory videos on YouTube. Here's a variation of the plain square foot garden for a focal point garden (the qualitu/ adio is poor- probably taken from an old video tape or tape of Tv). Other people have made their own video version based on his ideas- expert village has a whole series of short videos on YouTube. Here's a series of Mel's work done in association with Health Foundation- video 1,2,3
(it gives many of the basics). There's also a series of tips by Mel and Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl- Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.
Here are some pictures & info about how people have put Mel's ideas to work for them. In any case, it's something some of you too might want to look into!
"Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." - Anonymous
His ideas challenged my traditional farm gardening views. But, it turns out we've already been practicing some adaptations of his basic philosophy in our backyard. Before the seminar ended, I was already sketching ideas for more raised beds that would fit out "landscaping" and give us more flexibility in veggie/ herb/ edible flower gardening.
Mr. Bartholomew is not a trained horticulturalist. By profession, he is a civil engineer and efficiency expert. After a successful career, he retired at 42 years old and got involved at the start of his community's garden. He realized that growing things in rows was not an efficient use of space. Applying his professional knowledge to gardening, he developed this system for efficient use of space, water, soil, and crop rotation.
In the early 80's, he wrote his original book, but in recent years, he has come out of second retirement to revise and add to his book. In an effort to eliminate world hunger, the he has founded a non-profit that goes into Third World countries and teaches this type of small space gardening to schools, orphanages, shelters, correctional facilities, elderly, wheelchair bound, missionaries, and people groups in many parts of the world.
We've ordered a copy of his book, and we're trying to get ahold of a DVD. (If we get one, we might host a gathering, or interested people can borrow it from us).
Also, last night we found parts of some of his older PBS shows, and short introductory videos on YouTube. Here's a variation of the plain square foot garden for a focal point garden (the qualitu/ adio is poor- probably taken from an old video tape or tape of Tv). Other people have made their own video version based on his ideas- expert village has a whole series of short videos on YouTube. Here's a series of Mel's work done in association with Health Foundation- video 1,2,3
(it gives many of the basics). There's also a series of tips by Mel and Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl- Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.
Here are some pictures & info about how people have put Mel's ideas to work for them. In any case, it's something some of you too might want to look into!
"Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." - Anonymous
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