Well, we’ve all made it to 2012 and I can already feel the new wave of energy pulling us forward, leaving the old paradigms behind us including how we connect with the earth.
So for this New Year, I heartily encourage everyone to just take over—their yards, their driveways, alleys, the roof, patios, even parks, medians and any under-utilized space of Earth for growing food. With non-Genetically Modified Seeds of course! But that’s not all. It’s so important to connect how we grow food with other aspects of our environment, our community and envision a more inclusive, nurturing and supportive way of life.
Here’s my list of 12 ways to Occupy Earth in 2012!
1. Order seed catalogues on-line from: Bountiful Gardens (www.bountifulgardens.org), Territorial Seeds (www.territorialseed.com/), So True Seeds (sowtrueseed.com/), or Landreth Seed Company (www.landrethseeds.com/) Not just for ordering seeds but these catalogues are learning tools of the highest order.
2. Collect leaves. Especially in bags. Lots of them. Bagged leaves can become part of your compost pile, shredded up for mulch between rows of the garden, kept in bags and piled on top of a raised bed or placed around the sides of a raised bed to keep the soil from freezing. And worms love them so throw lots of them over the top of your worm bed.
3. Talk to any landscape companies or lawn maintenance services that come to your neighborhood about leaving their work behind for you–especially if they don’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Why drive to Home Depot for top soil and compost when you can get the raw materials you need delivered for free?
4. Improved idea: Organize a neighborhood action to reclaim all the bagged leaves and grass left on curbs, set up a centrally located compost pile and teach new gardeners how to transform the leaves and grass into their own “black gold.”
5. Call local arborists who work in your area about delivering wood chips next time they take down trees nearby. Wood chips can be used for paths or as mulch for large areas.
6. Contact the closest food bank and offer to become a Plant A Row for the Hungry designated grower. www.gardenwriters.org/gwa.php?p=par/par_campaign.html
7. Organize a “gleaning operation” with your church, school, community garden, scouts. Map out fruit trees, shrubs or vines that produce fruit that is left to rot. For more information from other communities and an operational guide to gleaning check out: Baltimore Orchard at http://www.baltimoreorchard.org or Forage Oakland blog http://forageoakland.blogspot.com.
8. Convince a local church, school or synagogue to allow use of their commercial kitchen on off-days or during the summer. Provide classes to new gardeners and others who want to learn how to preserve their harvest through canning, freezing and drying. It’s also an ideal place for breadmaking!
9. Buy a full share of produce for the season from a local Community Supported Agriculture farm then split it with another family or another single person. Most single people find it is more than they can use each week. Check with social service agencies to find out who could benefit from this split ticket of food.
10. Buy extra packets of heirloom seeds and give them as birthday and anniversary gifts in your cards.
11. Trade tools! Make an inventory of tools from among all your closest (geographically speaking) friends and family. Share the list and set up a tool trading coop to save time and money on duplicating tools you may only use a few times each year or each season.
12. Start gardening small. Using some of the ideas from this website on above-ground gardens and looking at your location differently, you may find new and interesting space for growing food this year. And don’t forget to share your excess.
This year, 2012, is also my year for publishing my delightful book of gardening templates from around the world: Simply Garden Small! Watch for excerpts on this blog during the coming weeks.
Gardening by the Moon Calendar from the Farmers’ Almanac
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/
The Farmers Almanac Gardening by the Moon Calendar is determined by our age-old formula and applies generally to regions where the climate is favorable.
January 2012
3rd-4th Fine For Planting Beans, Peppers, Cucumbers, Melons And Other Aboveground Crops, Where Climate Is Suitable.
5th-7th Poor Days For Planting. Seeds Tend To Rot In The Ground.
8th-9th Favorable Planting Days: First Day For Aboveground Crops, Especially Peas, Beans, Cucumbers And Squash, Where Climate Is Suitable. Last Day For Root Crops. Both Days Good For Starting Seed Beds And Flowers And For Transplanting.
10th-13th A Barren Time. Best For Killing Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Other Plant Pests. Clear Woodlots And Fencerows.
14th-16th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops. Fine For Sowing Grains, Hay, And Forage Crops. Plant Flowers.
17th-18th Plant Carrots, Turnips, Onions, Beets, Irish Potatoes And Other Root Crops, In The South. Lettuce, Cabbage, Collards, And Other Leafy Vegetables Will Do Well. Start Seedbeds. Good Days For Transplanting.
19th-20th Seeds Planted Now Will Grow Poorly And Yield Little.
21st-22nd Good Planting Days For Root Crops, Where Climate Permits.
23rd-24th Good Time To Kill Plant Pests Or Do Plowing. Poor For Planting.
25th-27th Fine For Planting Any Aboveground Crop, Where The Climate Permits. Extra Good For Peppers, Tomatoes, Peas, And Other Vine Crops.
28th-29th Barren Days. Do No Planting.
30th-31st Fine For Planting Beans, Peppers, Cucumbers, Melons And Other Aboveground Crops, Where Climate Is Suitable.
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(Sorry about the links; WordPress was cranky this month! But you won’t be once you get some seed catalogues to read.)
