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Tom Mallard Feral cats --- Poopers

As a downtown Phoenix resident I have plenty of feral cats that use the landscaping rocks for kitty litter, but also like freshly dug soil so I can't grow food yet. Plan A is raised bed with chicken wire but that's a lot of expense so I was after other ways of discouraging the cats if anyone has dealt with this before. Continue

Added by Tom Mallard on December 5, 2009 at 9:39am — 1 Comment

Monte Smith The Personal Evaluation of Data and some additional thoughts

In today's world where we practically have instant access to almost any information we might desire, as well as being constantly bombarded with information that we have no interest in, it seems that we often overlook an important point. That point being that the bulk of the information we ask for or that we don't ask for, but is pushed onto us anyway, is in one manner or another packaged with pre-evaluations. That is to say, that the data we receive comes tagged as being good, bad, interesting,… Continue

Added by Monte Smith on August 29, 2009 at 9:17pm — No Comments

Monte Smith Introducing Winston Kao (pronounced Gow)

Hello everyone, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Winston Kao. I've known Winston now for almost fifteen years and I can tell you that he is a straight shooter. He's an agriculture inventor/scientist and he knows his stuff. And you can rest assured that if he is telling you something that he has researched it thoroughly and it's data you can take to the bank. However, please do not take this to mean that I think you should just accept, without personal inspection and eval… Continue

Added by Monte Smith on August 26, 2009 at 10:00pm — 1 Comment

chris lee Petition to require lables on GMO food

I came across this petition that is asking that all GMO foods be labeled. Thought it would interest everyone. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/require-foods-to-list-genetically-altered-ingredients.html Continue

Added by chris lee on August 12, 2009 at 9:31pm — No Comments

Sue B. Union of Concerned Scientists say genetically engineered crops have not lived up to their promise of greater yields

In their recent report, Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops, the UCS says traditional plant breeding and improved farming techniques are to credit for increased corn and soybean yields. Continue

Added by Sue B. on June 16, 2009 at 10:13am — No Comments

Sue B. Book Review: The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook by Mimi Luebbermann

Discover the delicious world of heirloom tomatoes in the The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook! Luebbermann showcases 20 heirloom varieties in these easy-to-make recipes. And because these tomatoes are open-pollinated, the author provides in-depth information on saving the seeds and growing your own heirloom tomatoes. Enjoy! Continue

Added by Sue B. on June 10, 2009 at 5:21am — No Comments

Mercer Homestead Growing contiues apace...

I uploaded three new pictures. Two of them are pictures of the day lillies, which all opened up over night. Thank heavens these are about the easiest flowers in the world to grow. We watered them here and there, but that was about it. Also featured is a picture of the first edible produce to come out of the garden -- a handful of peas! My daughter and I picked them, washed them, and ate them raw this morning. They tasted green and delicious! We wandered all around the garden this morning, to e… Continue

Added by Mercer Homestead on June 6, 2009 at 5:31am — No Comments

Sue B. American Academy of Environmental Medicine calls for an immediate moratorium on genetically modified foods.

Citing numerous health concerns and lack of adequate research into the environmental consequences of eating genetically modified foods, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has called for a moratorium on GMO foods. Read my article and link to the full report here. Continue

Added by Sue B. on June 3, 2009 at 5:20pm — No Comments

Sue B. The business of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

To protect the enormous investment agro-chemical companies have made in genetic engineering they seek complete control over the seed. Read my article on the business of GMOs. Continue

Added by Sue B. on June 2, 2009 at 11:05am — No Comments

Diana The Plants Are In

This past Sat. I packed all my precious seedlings into a box and lugged them over to our little 4x8 victory garden. I'm happy to say that after getting them all in the ground we still have a little room for a few more plants. We have some more seedlings on our windowsill waiting for the day that they will be big and strong enough to transplant. Actually there are more plants then we need so we'll be sharing with some friends. Since this is my first time really doing a garden on my own, I'm happ… Continue

Added by Diana on May 26, 2009 at 11:56am — 2 Comments

Mercer Homestead Watering to make it rain...

I've discovered that the surest way to make it rain is to water the garden. It never fails that shortly after we've finished lugging the water from the rain barrels to water the whole 1/4 acre, the skies open up. I think it's mother nature laughing at us. Mind you, all this rain is better than the drought we've been facing the past three years. Plus, all of our rain barrels are once again full (we have enough storage for slightly over 500 gallons). My husband and I spent a good portion of the… Continue

Added by Mercer Homestead on May 25, 2009 at 4:50pm — No Comments

Sue B. House Resolution 875 (H.R. 875) Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

Introduced in February, this bill under the guise of "safety," threatens to to regulate and control the exchange of food between any two parties. Note the use of the word "exchange" not just sale. This bill could effectively put small farmers and backyard gardeners out of business. As crazy as this sounds, it becomes easier to understand when you know that the husband of the primary sponsor of this bill is a political strategist for Monsanto. Read my article on H.R. 875 at:… Continue

Added by Sue B. on May 25, 2009 at 12:30pm — 3 Comments

Mercer Homestead Hooray, Raspberries

We weren't really expecting to get any raspberries this year. We put nine Heritage Raspberry plants that we bought at a local 4H sale in a raised bed back in late March. Eight of them grew nicely, but one never took. Even so, we didn't expect anything until next year. However, yesterday I picked five ripe raspberries off one of the plants and shared them with my daughter. It's not many, but these are the first fruits of our little homstead, and I was incredibly happy. A couple of the other vine… Continue

Added by Mercer Homestead on May 25, 2009 at 7:57am — No Comments

Heather Burt fun garden ideas for kids

Here's a great idea for kids - a bean teepee! Can't wait to share the pictures of the beans as they start their climb. I used a product called gardensoxx to layout the base (over cardboard to block the weeds) - it's great because it can go on any surface and it's filled with compos… Continue

Added by Heather Burt on May 25, 2009 at 6:25am — No Comments

Diana Plot #10

We got the call this morning that we were assigned plot #10 at our local "Victory Garden". Since this particular urban garden is new just this year, those organizing it have a few things yet to do. It wasn't till I hung up with Andrea that I realized we had no idea which plot was plot #10 as they are not marked. Despite that little fact we packed up a picnic lunch and went out to check out the plots over a little lunch. It was a beautiful day, perfect for planting, but we're going to have to put… Continue

Added by Diana on May 12, 2009 at 7:03pm — 1 Comment

Fred and Cindy Bayer The garden is in!! We have planted raspberries, hops, various herbs, heirloom tomatoes and lettuces,…

The garden is in!! We have planted raspberries, hops, various herbs, heirloom tomatoes and lettuces, leeks, onions, squash, melons, swiss chard, beets, spinach, kale,mesclun, arugula, mizuna, brussells sprouts, red and green cabbage, heirloom pole beans, strawberries, peas. I will post photos of our progress soon! The perennial beds in the front of our farmhouse look glorious this year. I will be adding composted manure from our animals this week. Also setting up a rain barrel to make compost t… Continue

Added by Fred and Cindy Bayer on May 11, 2009 at 4:00am — No Comments

Barbara Loeding Just stumbled onto this site Yea!

We put up one of the Million Solar Roofs so this is project is a natural for us! It is wonderful to be making our own power! I really feel strongly that people need to retain the ability to grow their own food, with non GMO seeds. There is an attempt in the US to take away our right to use and collect our own seed (a bill in our national House and Senate) so I am definitely on board with any action to counter that. Proud of Michelle Obama for planting her garden!! Continue

Added by Barbara Loeding on April 24, 2009 at 6:54pm — No Comments

Master Gardener Compost is your best friend

Did you know that there are some 2 billion living micro-organisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil. People sometimes call it dirt, but it is in-fact something very different. Healthy soil is alive and intelligent and plays an essential function in the planetary ecosystem. Paul Stamets, a pioneer in using mushrooms in the area of ecological restoration, told me once that there are species of mushroom mycelia, the oldest living sentient organism, that can extend feeler arms 300 feet to a water source… Continue

Added by Master Gardener on April 9, 2009 at 11:31pm — 1 Comment

Master Gardener USDA Hardiness Map - Revisions due to changing climate

The USDA recently revised its plant hardiness map, bringing climate change down to earth for millions of households across the country. http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/usda/climate-change-comes-to-your-backyard Continue

Added by Master Gardener on April 9, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Master Gardener H.R. 875: The Food Safety Bill Is Cause for Concern, Not Panic

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4629&src=QSA062 Continue

Added by Master Gardener on April 9, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

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