We drink Cruz whole milk 99.9% of the time.  I only buy some other brand of organic milk when Cruz milk is sold out.  Blue always knows the difference, and milk by any other dairy operation will sit in the fridge for longer than I care to admit.  I’m not one to waste money or resources, so when I can’t get Cruz milk, we often go without milk till Colleen can stock the shelves again.

I usually buy Cruz milk at either The Market in Maryville or Three Rivers Market in Knoxville simply because those are two places that I frequently buy food, but a quick stop  at The Market on Sunday, as well as, Three Rivers on Tuesday, left me empty handed.  I’m a very loyal customer and rarely shop other places, but desperate times call for desperate measures…We need Cruz milk!

I went to Colleen’s website today to find other locations in Knoxville to buy Cruz milk.  In doing so, I found out that Colleen was recently at the Chicago Food Film Festival where a short film about her dad and his passion for buttermilk won the Jarlsberg Best Short Film Award!  The film, entitled, Buttermilk: It Can Help was directed and produced by Joe York 3 years ago.

In the film, Mr. Cruz isn’t shy about his firm belief in the health benefits of buttermilk.  He says that 8oz of buttermilk a day can change your life.  I’m going to give it a try.  Beginning today, I am going to consume 8oz of Cruz buttermilk, which is delicious by the way, each day for one month.  The month ends on my 44th birthday, Feb 18th, when I’ll report back my findings.

Many of you might be cringing at the idea of drinking buttermilk, but I’m telling you right now that buttermilk is some good stuff…of course, though, I am a little spoiled ’cause I get to drink Cruz buttermilk, which is the best in the south, if not the entire nation.

Buttermilk: It Can Help is a great short film, and you need to take 13 minutes to enjoy it.

Eat well.  Grow your own food, and when you can’t, buy local.  #occupyfood #occupygardens #buylocal

I got to thinking about another type of fungus called Candidiasis and what happens when the yeast gets out of control…well, an infection occurs.  Candidiasis is a yeast-type fungus.  I wonder if this analogy would be true: Fusarium is to plants as Candidiasis is to humans?  If such a statement is true, the natural way to overcome a yeast infection is to introduce beneficial bacteria or probiotics while utilizing a natural anti-fungal to the area of infection.  The unnatural way is to use a fungicide, which is not unlike using a pesticide or herbicide.

Mystified about fusarium and, now, candidiasis, and with my little cogs turning, I thought, “Can an overabundance of fusarium be treated like we would a typical yeast infection?”  I wanted to make sure that yeast was a fungus, which I knew it was, but I like to check my facts.  I typed, “Is yeast a fungus?”  And not looking for a link to cancer, the third hit on the list did just that…Candida, Yeast and Fungus a Cancer – Baking Soda to Cure.  In the article, it states:

Dr. Simoncini’s research has led him to believe that something as simple as a fungus, Candida, is the leading cause of cancer, and that cancer itself is in fact a fungus.

I noted yesterday that scientists in the late 1980′s were doing tests involving fusarium and cancer…another fungus.  In one of the cited papers from yesterday’s blog post, scientists looked at a region in Africa that had higher esophageal cancer rates and found higher rates of the fusarium species and mycotoxin levels.

Fusarium is not candida, yet they are both of the fungus family.  What I can find is that fusarium and candida are being studied together as with fungal infections of the cornea.

Observations: Fungal infections of the cornea are frequently caused by species of Fusarium, Aspergillus, Curvularia, and Candida….

Conclusions: Fungal infections of the cornea continue to be an important cause of ocular morbidity, particularly in the agricultural communities of the developing world. A proper understanding of agent and host factors involved in these infections will improve the outcome of this condition.

I find it interesting that the citation above finds fungal infections of the cornea…particularly in agricultural communities of the developing world.  I’d be interested in learning more about their agricultural practices…particularly what kind of seed they use in their farming.

If I search, “Is fusarium a yeast,” a long list of fusarium and candida results pop up in relation to fungal keratitis.  Fusarium doesn’t seem to be a yeast, but candida may be a type of host for fusarium.

Fungi and bacteria work together to create a balance.  If glyphosate is creating an increases growth of fusarium in glyphosate-resistant soybeans, what kind of imbalance is being created?  Are farmers growing and spreading a harmful fungus?  Will we see higher fungus infection rates and health problems in humans?

If livestock eats crops infected with fusarium, and the infected crops are having harmful effects on livestock like spontaneous abortion and infertility, in turn as we eat the meat and drink the milk, it may have health risks to us.

Scientists at the University of Pisa, under the leadership of  Francesco Massart tested as many as 185 infant formula feeds and 44 samples of meat based baby food and found almost 28% of them contaminated with a type of fungal hormone…These fungal hormones present in formula feeds may lead to infertility later in life. Crops like corn, wheat and soy which form the base of most formula feeds are often contaminated with Fusarium, a large family of fungus. This fungus also contaminates the cattle feed. Zearalenone and other related compounds found in the samples of formula feeds are derived from Fusarium.

From another study, which has been cited 34 times in other scientific research:

Fungi of the genus Fusarium are common plant pathogens occurring worldwide, mainly associated with cereal crops. Fusarium species can produce over one hundred secondary metabolites, some of which can unfavourably affect human and animal health. The most important Fusarium mycotoxins, that can frequently occur at biologically significant concentrations in cereals, are fumonisins, zearalenone and trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol and T-2 toxin).  These compounds have been implicated as the causative agents in a variety of animal diseases, such as leukoencephalomalacia, pulmonary oedema, infertility, diarrhoea, vomiting, anorexia, leukopenia, immunosuppression, skin and gastrointestinal irritation, hemorraging, etc., and have been associated to some human diseases.

A paper from Perdue University Extension discussing gibberella zeae aka fusarium graminearum.

Gibberella zeae produces the mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin…Hogs are most sensitive to DON and may refuse to consume DON-contaminated grain, which will result in poor weight gain. DON affects cattle, sheep, and poultry less.The fungus may also produce another mycotoxin, zearalenone, however this mycotoxin is not as common in wheat as DON. Zearalenone has estrogenic properties, which means it can cause infertility, abortion, or other breeding problems. As little as 1 to 5 ppm zearalenone in a feed ration may produce an estrogenic effect in swine.

And more information from Natural Balance Pet Food:

DON (Vomitoxin):
Vomotoxin is a fungus (mold) group called Fusarium, naturally present in soil and plants. When fusarium infects grain it can produce vomotoxin. This toxin causes severe gastro-intestinal disease when ingested in sufficient amounts. Vomotoxin is also known by its chemical name: deoxynivalenol (DON). Both these toxins pose health risks to humans and to our companion animals.

From Cornell University Cooperative Extension:

It was recently reported that the feeding of combinations of feedstuffs naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins altered immunity and reduced nitrogen utilization in dairy cows.  A second important Fusarium mycotoxin is zearalenone. This compound is estrogenic and can cause infertility and abortions in dairy cows. The fumonisins are another family of Fusarium mycotoxins. These compounds can cause liver damage in dairy cows and, like aflatoxin and the trichothecenes, suppress the immune system.

If the feed is contaminated, then the livestock becomes contaminated.  If the livestock is contaminated, then we become contaminated.

That is as far as I have reached today.  I’ve got more on fungus, though.  As I’m thinking about fungus, I’m wondering more about mycelium and its role (if any).

Eat well.  Grow your own food.  Know your farmer.  #occupyfood #occupygardens

[In interest of time; if you are unfamiliar with GMO or GE foods, seeds, and crops, a quick internet search will quickly lead you, dear reader, to a plethora of information. You can also read Heirloom vs. Hybrid and GMO…What’s the difference? And why should I care?]

Eight years ago, Monsanto petitioned the USDA to deregulate their genetically engineered alfalfa, a key food source for livestock and dairy cattle.  A year ago, after conducting a court-ordered environmental impact review,  USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack approved the planting of genetically modified alfalfa. Blog posts, like the one linked above, hit the internet before the decision was made in an attempt to motivate folks to contact the USDA in protest.

To the organic farming industry, the fear is one of possible contamination, in the form of seeds or pollen from genetically engineered crops being picked up by the wind, bees or birds and falling onto nearby organic fields. Such contamination can be devastating to organic farmers, cheese makers and dairy producers, who say even the smallest presence of genetically engineered seed can result in domestic retailers and overseas buyers refusing to buy their products.

Yes, cross contamination is a problem, but I got to thinking about the contaminates that we don’t even know are in food.  Food companies are not mandated to include GMO or GE information on their packaging.  Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced three bills; H.R. 3553: Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, H.R. 3554: Genetically Engineered Safety Act, and H.R. 3555: Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act, all of which would make life a lot easier for folks who are trying to stay GMO and GE free.  Natural News wrote an easy to understand article last year on the issue and the bills.  My thought train hit a slippery slope as I peered out over my backyard into the woods, suddenly like turning on a light, I thought, “Spontaneous abortion…oh *$#*!  Could it be?  Could there be a link?”

I quickly found GM food toxins found in the blood of 93% of unborn babies, which is a disturbing article in and of itself that published on 12 January 2012.

Another quick internet search led me to a series of articles and many linked to Don M. Huber, who a year ago wrote a personal letter to Vilseck about his concerns with a microscopic pathogen found in RoundUp Ready soybeans and corn that could possibly to be linked to severe reproductive problems in livestock as well as widespread crop failure.

He was quickly dismissed and discredited even though Huber been a scientist studying plant diseases in the U.S. and around the world for 50 years and spent 35 years at Purdue University as Professor Emeritus of plant pathology.  Any presented research on the subject of glyphosate was quickly labeled as fraudulent: Conventional Product – GLYPHOSATE HERBICIDE ( Roundup ) – Weir – Huber – West Coast Environmental Law – Health Canada.  Even Monsanto jumped in on the tar and feathering: Monsanto Begins Smear Campaign on Huber…and a comment at the end of this article caught my attention.

The comment from Paul Tukey stated:

This link was provided today by a retired scientist…If you skip to the conclusion of this peer-reviewed paper — which Monsanto claims does not exist — you’ll see a very clear result that Roundup has a highly negative impact on plant health and crop yield. 

It took some time to find the article, which didn’t pop up so quickly: Glyphosate affects micro-organisms in rhizospheres of glyphosate-resistant soybeans it ran in the Journal of Applied Microbiology in September 2010.

The objective of the research:

was to evaluate the microbiological interactions in the rhizospheres of GR2 and GR1 soybean and the performance of the cultivars with different rates of glyphosate applied at different growth stages…

The conclusion:

Glyphosate applied to GR soybean, regardless of cultivar, negatively impacts the complex interactions of microbial groups, biochemical activity and root growth that can have subsequent detrimental effects on plant growth and productivity.

But it wasn’t the conclusion as much as some as the results on page 3 that caught my attention:

The response of all microbial groups and plant measurements to increasing concentrations of glyphosate was consistent for both GR soybean varieties. Root colonization by Fusarium spp. increased in response to glyphosate applications and was further enhanced as soybean growth progressed.

I blinked and reread the statement and questioned, “Fusarium?  As in Fusarium wilt that I can get in my garden and kills my tomatoes…and not plant anything in that part of the garden for years and solar bake the soil under heavy plastic?”  Yes.  Fusarium wilt is caused by one type of fusarium, but I have now found out that there are many types of fusarium.

Fusarium is a fungus that is found mainly in the soil and mostly associated with plants.  Fusarium wilt mainly affects tomatoes, peas, peppers, melons, dahlias, and mimosa trees according to Rodale’s organic gardener’s handbook.  Fusarium is also the fungus that causes those nasty finger and toe nail infections.  Most species are harmless, but some species produce mycotoxins in cereal crops that can affect human and animal health is they enter the food chain.

The type of fusarium fungus that affects the plants …is Fusarium oxysporum. This very fungus, along with Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium proliferatum, can cause serious illnesses in humans and animals. In many cases, the fusarium fungus causes death…Most are harmless to man, but when some of the fungi – like the ones mentioned above – become part of the food chain or attack a host with a compromised immune system, they can be devastating to both animals and people…Another way that humans can get fusarium fungal infection is by consuming foods that have been infected with the fusarium fungus. Some seventy years ago, wheat infected with fusarium fungus was used in the Soviet Union to make bread. As a result, thousands of people were infected with a fusarium fungal infection called alimentary toxic aleukia. The initial symptoms of the infection included fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Within days, the victims suffered from bloody diarrhea, bloody urine, vaginal bleeding, tarry stools, and ulcers of the larynx and stomach. Six out of every ten victims died.

My next series of thoughts went something like this, “In regards to plants, can fusarium spread?  And if it can, how?”  Guess what the answer is?  That’s right, the answer is, in fact, yes.  Spores can be spread through wind, running water, on gardening implements, and on farm machinery.

spores have also been proven to live on non-host plants in the absence of a susceptible host. This provides a means of survival for the fungus, which remains virulent until a host plant appears. When non-host plants become infected they show few, if any symptoms, and become a carrier of the pathogen. A study by Waite and Dunlap (1953) showed that, on a farm devastated by Fusarium wilt, there were traces of F. oxysporum in three common types of grass, a low growing herb and the roots of common weeds…Underground rhizomes are often another means of spreading the disease.

And that’s right.  Glyphosate, the main herbicide in RoundUp Ready plants, is linked to fusarium growth.

Why is fusarium got me so intrigued over the possible link to spontaneous abortions in livestock?  It doesn’t.  It’s just another piece of the pie, because there is a little bit more information that I found out in regards to fusarium.  I stumbled across many scientific articles that discuss fusarium and cancer.  All of the articles are scientific papers and only parts of the papers can be read online without paying for them…”Your current credentials do not allow retrieval of the full text,” but there seems to be a lot of research on this topic.  Many of the articles listed below have been used to cite many articles, which are listed below the abstract and can be read online for free.

Here are some of the more interesting articles, but it is only the tip of the iceberg:

July 1988: Fumonisins–novel mycotoxins with cancer-promoting activity produced by Fusarium moniliforme.

April 1988: Cancer promoting potential of different strains of Fusarium moniliforme in a short-term cancer initiation/promotion assay

March 1988: The emerging role of Fusarium infections in patients with cancer.

1990: Natural occurrence of some Fusarium mycotoxins in corn from low and high esophageal cancer prevalence areas of the Transkei, Southern Africa

What I found is not that fusarium causes cancer, but people with compromised immune systems, like people fighting cancer, are less likely able to fight fusarium infections, which can lead to more dangerous problems like skin lesions and pneumonia.

Not all fusariums are created equally.  It’s possible that the increased root colonization by fusarium spp. that occurred with glyphosate applications isn’t really all that dangerous, but tell me then, why are the cases of spontaneous abortion and infertility in livestock and sudden death in plants (a topic not discussed here) are increasing in areas where glyphosate is used.  Huber states that what scientists found is a new “unknown organism” and ”microscopic pathogen.”  My guess is that this pathogen has always existed in small unnoticeable amounts, but with the increased use of glyphosate is accelerating its growth rate.  It’s growing and possibly mutating into something that is making our plants and livestock sick…and since approximately 75% of the processed food on grocery store shelves contains engineered ingredients, that could be making us sick, too.  15 years ago, were the instances of cancers, food allergies, gut problems, infertility, behavioral problems, etc exist like they do today?

The use of GMO and GE seeds and RoundUp Ready products has increased.  In 1996, the first genetically modified seeds were planted in the United States for commercial use. Between 1996 and 2009, the use of GMO crops has increased dramatically, along with our health problems.  GMO crops are found to be so awful by some that in 2003, Southern African governments found themselves in a dilemma: let their citizens starve to death or give them genetically modified food aid that they believed may be harmful to health.  Yet, Americans eat this crap everyday…and look at us…fat, sick, depressed, angry, hyper…

And now, Vilseck gave the thumbs up for planting genetically engineered alfalfa.

Here is a little more on Huber…in his words in an interview conducted with Food Democracy Now:

and an interview from May 2011 (PDF): GMOs, Glyphosate & Tomorrow
Distinguished Professor, Scientist Reveals Growing, Multi-Faceted Problems in Glyphosate & Crops Created to Survive It with Acres USA

Digression: This article (PDF), Are We Shooting Ourselves in the Foot with a Silver Bullet? that appeared in No Till Farmer seemed to really piss-off Perdue.

Eat well.  Grow your own food.  #occupyfood #occupygardens

I last wrote about purchasing seed in January 2010.  Since it’s been two years, and though in those two years words like heirloom and genetically modified have become much more mainstream, even Willie Nelson makes a call for us to Occupy the Food System.  If you are not familiar with the terms heirloom, hybrid, GMO or GEO, here is some information for you because not all seeds are created equally.

Heirloom vs. hybrid and GMO…what’s the difference?  And why should I care?

Vegetables from hybrid seed have some benefits like disease resistance, greater productivity, and a more uniform fruit.  Hybrid seeds are hand pollinated, patented and often sterile.  Hybrid seeds are bred, like horses, for characteristics to produce a bigger and better vegetable.  You can try to save the seed, but you are not guaranteed the same qualities of the vegetable you saved it from. Because they are bred for certain qualities between  different varieties, they usually show unpredictable characteristics in their offspring (if they weren’t bred to be sterile).

GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) or GEO (Genetically Engineered Organism) seeds have been genetically altered using DNA molecules from different sources (sometimes animal) to create a “super seed” or “Franken seed” as some call it.  GMO seeds are patented by companies like Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Sygenta and Bayer.  Monsanto corn’s DNA has been altered to include Roundup,  YieldGuard corn borer and YieldGuard rootworm insect control.  GMO seeds promise things like better pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, salinity tolerance, added nutrition, and pharmaceutical vegetables (Yes, you read that right!  Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These “vaccines” will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional vaccines.)

These Franken plants pollinate.  Their pollen travels in the wind and is carried by our friends, the bees, as much as any other pollinating plant. Many are concerned that the “Franken pollen” will contaminate other non-GMO vegetables and threaten the purity of seeds.  Claire Hope Cummings at Natural Awakenings writes: “Genetic engineering…takes DNA from one organism and combines it with DNA from another organism. It does what nature avoids, crossing the natural boundaries between species. GMOs are new, living organisms, capable of spreading, reproducing and recombining. Their presence is invisible and irreversible.”

 Other criticisms and concerns of hybrid and GMO seed:  harm to other organisms like beneficial insects; reduced effectiveness of pesticides; resistant bacteria; reduced effectiveness of herbicides creating “super” weeds; increased human food allergies; unknown effects on human health like cancers and tumors; and economic dependency since GMO and hybrid seeds don’t assure the same quality fruit or vegetable as the original seed.

Heirloom seeds are passed from generation to generation and are always open-pollinated naturally by the wind and friendly little insects like bees; not in a lab or greenhouse by machine or hand.  When saved properly, you are guaranteed the same variety year after year.  Many times, but not always, there is a history behind the variety…a story from where it came from and how old it is.  Not only are Heirlooms pure and offer more variety,  they also have better flavor.

Buy buying heirloom seeds (or seedlings started with heirloom seeds), you assure your sustainability by being able to save seeds that will produce the same crop year after year.  With heirloom you can enjoy and eat something a grandparent or an ancestor grew and ate.  (If you buy seedlings, ASK  if the plants come from heirloom seed.)

GMO and hybrid seeds are not labeled as such. There is no law requiring companies to do this.  Be sure that the seeds you buy are labeled heirloom or heritage.  You may even check to see if the company has signed or professed the safe seed pledge:

“Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.  The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately people and communities.”

Some companies that declare the safe seed pledge are:  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Terroir Seeds (Underwood Gardens), John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds, Victory Seeds and Amishland Heirloom Seeds.  This is by no means a complete list of heirloom and heritage seed suppliers.  For a more detailed list visit Garden of Eatin’: How to Avoid GMO/Monsanto.

Many seed companies carry heirloom seeds.  Some catalogs don’t tell you much about their seeds.  They may have heirloom varieties, but you have to read each description carefully to ensure that heirloom is what you’re buying.

If you are putting together your first garden and want to start everything from seed, the catalogs seem intimidating.  You may wonder, “What do I do?”  Here are a few tips:

Start with what you know.  What do you like to eat vegetable wise?  What are your favorites?  What do you like to cook?  Now stop.  Don’t read any farther until you answer the questions above.  Write down your answers.

If you completed the above task, you have a general idea of what you should grow.  If you are limited by space and time, pick three to five of your favorites and start there.

If you really like tomatoes, for example, you will notice that there are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes.  Don’t fret.  Maybe you really like orange varieties and dislike red ones.  By narrowing down what you like to eat, you can go directly to that section in the seed catalog.  (Baker Creek organizes their catalog in alphabetical order by vegetable then breaks down  larger categories into sub categories making it a very easy-to-read catalog.)

If you have never grown a garden from scratch, start small.  Next season, you can add variety once you feel more confident in your gardening and catalog reading skills.

Don’t make the mistake of ordering too much of one variety.  You won’t have  enough growing space and you won’t be able to expand your growing skills for other types of vegetables.  Pick no more than two varieties of the same vegetable.  That’s plenty for your first year and gives you something to look forward to growing and tasting next year.

Whether you choose to start your vegetables this year from seed or if you choose to buy seedlings please choose heirloom.  Your buying power shows corporate industrial agriculture that we want to preserve our heritage and history, as well as our right to save seeds.

Bed one. First layer; straw piled high.

The day I decide to paint my fingernails for the first time in two years is the day that Chad decides to get manure to build the gardens.  Earlier this year, if you recall, I did not plant a big garden due to our move.  Compost is the key ingredient to creating a rich bed, and though we compost our food scraps, we aren’t creating large enough quantities for the garden space.  We needed manure and in very copious amounts.

Fall is a great time to build up beds.  You can pile up layers and let it compost all winter.  We had the beds
planned and started, but were at a pause due to the amount of manure we needed.  I called a local horse stable, which fortunate for us is located less than three miles from the house.  The owner of the stable was more than glad to participate in a symbiotic relationship with us.  We needed manure, and she needed someone to take manure off her hands.   As she said, “Manure happens,” and if you keep horses, it keeps happening.

Bed two. Using pickaxe to remove top layer os grass and slightly break the soil.

We took a nice 2.5 mile country drive to the stable and were able to get two overloaded truckloads of the richest blackest composted horse manure teaming with fat grandaddy earthworms.  Too bad I didn’t get a photo of the earthworms, but I didn’t want to mess with a camera when my hands were busy shoveling poop.

Bed two. Clearing the grass.

We planned three very nice long beds (using two different methods of garden tactics).  The golden rule:  We do not till.  I rather build up the soil instead of tilling, which I view as a loud, disruptive, and destructive process.  Yes, tilling is faster and it breaks up the soil, but the process destroys the top soil and kills any beneficial micro-organisms, including earthworms, that are in the top six inches of dirt.  Your dirt is the most important part of your garden.  Your relationship with Earth and nature begins with your soil.  Treat it with respect and reverence, and you will be greatly rewarded.  Dirt is life*.

Bed two. Chad has created the outline for the bed.

I created the beginnings of Bed One last spring from the composted straw bales.  We had no manure or compost at the time, so I added organic nutrients to the soil.  After first frost, I clipped the spent plants at the base.  (I don’t rip the plants from the ground.  I view this as an act of aggression.  By leaving the roots in the earth, the roots give nutrients as they break down and keep the soil aerated.)   I laid the healthy, disease-free, green waste on the bed to compost and add nutrients.  In October, Chad brought home truckloads of straw.  I piled the straw to elongate the small garden.  As the leaves fell, we raked and piled the leaves on the straw.  Chad pulled back some of the leaves.  He layered a truckload of the composted horse manure, which added nitrogen and seeded the garden with earthworms.  Then, I stacked the leaves back on top of the manure layer.  This winter, the earthworms will do their job and assist in composting the layers making a nice bed for May planting.

Bed two. Raking the soil before planting the cover crop. (House in background is neighbor's house.).)

Bed Two came about because Chad wanted to experiment with growing annual cover-crop grasses.  We choose a location right behind bed one.  I measured the width of the lawn mower, which makes the perfect width walking path as well as makes it easy to mow between the rows.  After deciding the width of the bed, we outlined it in straw.  Using a pickaxe, Chad outlined the garden and cleared the top layer of grass, which he piled behind bed two to create bed three.  He raked the soil, then planted the bed with winter rye.  When the rye matures next spring, he will scythe it and lay the clippings on top of the bed leaving the roots to breakdown and aerate the soil.

Beds one, two and three the morning of December 2, 2011.

Bed Three began from the ‘waste’ of Bed Two, but it needed more girth.  Chad added leaves and straw then layered a truckload of the composted horse manure to the top.  There is a strong chance that the grass ‘waste’ from bed two will not compost and die but return with the warmth of summer.  The dirt will be good, though, and I am not bothered by grass in the garden.  The grass provides a home for beneficial insects like lady bugs.

For added fun, the backyard grape arbors on 2 December 2011.

As fall passes and winter begins, we have three beautiful garden beds.  They appear to be resting, but as the earthworms wriggle and the winter rye grows, they are actually quite active.  By the time the berry bushes bloom, they will be ready to plant.  I’ll have no excuses for not gardening next year.

*My view on Dirt!

This is where the story left off...blueberry plants in a row waiting to be planted.

The thick frost that covered the backyard with this morning’s dawn inspired me to take some photos of our gardening progress.  We left off on November 1, Samhain, with Chad’s new grape arbors and the blueberries lined in a row but still in planters…and now we continue the story.

I watched the moon calendar for the most auspicious time* to plant the blueberries.  This year, I used the 2011 Gardening by the Mooncalendar, and I was set to plant the blueberries on a Friday when the moon was in Pisces, which is a very fertile sign.  At the same time, I watched the weather.  Thursday morning forecasters said that the rain would begin Thursday afternoon and last till Saturday.  I found myself in a predicament.  I could plant on that morning, but my calendar said that the moon was in Aquarius, which is dry and barren air sign.  I could wait till Saturday but then the soil would be too wet.  Wet soil turns cement-like when it dries making it difficult for the roots to establish.

digging the hole and fining the soil

I quickly did a little more research on the current moon cycle on Farmer’s Almanac, but I didn’t find it too helpful for the information that I needed at the time.  I was breaking into a small panic when I stopped, breathed, and said, “Okay, I need some help,” to no one particular but still sending the plea out there.  As I chilled-out, I clicked on The Gardeners Calendar,which seems to follow the Stella Natura calendar and showed that the moon was just right for planting.

“How can this be?” you might ask.  On the average, the moon spends about two and a half days in each sun sign, but it is not exactly, two and a half days.  The calendar that I use is a good guide, but it is set up in equal chunks of moon time in each sun sign.  Sometimes it’s off.  The Stella Natura calendar measures the exact time in each sun sign, which means the time in each sign varies.  I find the Stella calendar hard to read, but The Gardener’s Calendar online is very simple to follow.  It’s free, but it only seems to go for a week at a time making it challenging to plan for gardening events further into the future.  I keep a copy of Gardening by the Moon because it gives me a good general idea of the moon’s position.

checking the holes for proper depth and width

Not only did the calendar agree, but also the day felt right.  There was a slight chill in the air that sunny morning, and rain was coming.  Like icing on a cake, the moon cycle calendar validated my feelings toward the day, so I ran outside to plant the blueberries while the fog still lingered and hovered in the woods.

I first checked the lines.  I wanted to make sure the plants were spaced properly and in a straight line.  I also wanted to be sure that the plants sat far enough from the property line so they would not grow over the line.

Like giving a speech, I always feel a little nervous the moment before I sink the shovel into Earth.  Because I see Earth as living being, I find any act that disturbs her to be a violent act.  I don’t like getting stuck with a needle, but sometimes it’s necessary.  I say a little prayer thanking Earth, explain what I am doing, take a deep breath, and slide the shovel into the soil.

Jack supervised.

When planting bushes and trees, width and depth play an important factor.  Bushes and trees are not like tomato plants that like to get sunk deep into Earth.  With tomato plants, the deeper the better.  With trees and bushes, they need to be planted at the dirt line, meaning that when you pull the plant from the pot, you want the soil where it hits the base of the plant to be level with the sides of the hole.  It’s always best to have the hole two to three times wider than the root ball then it is to have a hole that is too deep.

Blueberries like good drainage.  I purposefully dug the holes too deep and extra wide making sure to rough-up the sides of the hole to allow for a place for the water to go.  With our clay soils, I wanted to raise the plant up so if there was a lot of rain, the plant’s roots wouldn’t sit in standing water.  I checked where the bushes soil like would be level with the edge of the hole, getting an idea of how much soil I needed to fill back into the hole, then I patiently sat on the ground and worked the soil in my hands till the big clumps broke apart.  I repeated this process seven times.

Planted and mulched...ahhh, finished. So rewarding.

When the plants were safely in the ground and the holes filled back, I mulched with fresh oak chips and pine needles.  Just as I put my shovel in the barn, the rain began.  It was one of the finest planting days that I can recall.

*Gardening with the Moon to familiarize yourself with my moon gardening philosophy.

Pedal power at Occupy Wall Street.

Don’t let mainstream press fool you, the people at Zuccotti Park know what change needs to happen. I’ve often written about how people have lost touch with Earth and have moved away from the land. The food on the shelves at the store is barely food at all. Read the ingredients on any industrial food label. How many of those ingredients can you grow in your garden or raise from the pasture? Though the people at Occupy Wall Street may not be growing their own food, people are educating folks about guerrilla gardening and about permaculture.

In an attempt to deal with the quickly growing population, Occupy Wall Street established a  Sustainability Working Group, which is beginning to receive some press of it’s own.  Yesterday, Bloomberg posted Sustainability=Survival at ‘Occupy’ Protest, and today, Inhabit New York City posted an article Occupy Wall Street Establishes a Sustainability Working Group to Find Green Solutions.

When gas powered generators were confiscated by police, the group quickly began using bicycle generators, to create electrical power for the park. This story has received coverage from news sources like The New York Times,  The Washington Post, and The Tehran Times.  Occupiers at  Wall Street are now recycling and composting.  They also installed a greywater system that filters their dishwater which they use to water park plants.

Greywater irrigation system at Zuccotti Park.

I watch with a sense of awe and admiration as the occupants of Zuccotti Park have brought a return to natural cycles into the biggest urban center of the United States.  I think many people living the regenerative and permaculture lifestyles have hoped out of this revolution that an evolution of this magnitude would happen at Occupy Wall Street.  We are witnessing how permaculture principles can and do work in an urban setting…and the whole world is watching.

One Pack Productions produced this video on permaculture and the greywater filtration system in the above photo featuring Mobile Design Lab.