Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

As more and more people lose their homes and jobs in this faltering economy, we notice a new  paradigm growing from this socio-economic -cultural DILEMMA!

Urban farmers are sprouting and transforming our community and backyards as well. Edible gardens  are now everywhere replacing the lawns and neglected lands . But , the never ending challenge remains here  in Florida: What to grow and not to grow in the BLAZING SUMMER of the HURRICANE land.

Most of the new commers to South Florida fall into the JUDGE-MENTAL trap of :"Nothing Grows in the Blazing heat and Humidity  of theS. Florida Summer"....WRONG!

Education pays big difference to clear the ambiguities and provide solutions to the new gardening challenges that are rampant here.

What grows and what does not is the is most frequently  asked question in the summer garden?BUT The most hidden question remains untackled :Which are the most HEAT,HUMIDITY,and DRAUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS?GO NATIVE is the ANSWER!

There are many questions that we need to answer  to adress the challenges in creating an Organic Edible Garden in the HOT ZONE 8-9-10 .It is as easy as 1- 2 -3 only if we treat Gardening as  a PROCESS , we need to take it one day and one   step at a time .WE need to go through the learning curve and we need to LEARN patience ,tolerance and endurance instead of"I WANT IT NOW"!Let us start with the right  PLANTS  to GROW and HARVEST during the summer  here in S. Florida:

I-EDIBLE  ORGANIC PLANTS:

A)Vegetables(that DO GROW in the summer): Pepper,okra,cucumber,Caribean spinach or calaloo,Beans(ex: lima,pinto,string,pole ),eggplant,cherry /wild tomato,corn. Gourds like pumpkins and zuchini . Tubers like sweat ptotato ,yuca ,casava and calabasa).

AA)Veggetables (that DO NOT grow in the summer):

Beats,broccoli,cabbage,cauliflower,celery,kohlrabi,lettuce,onions.garlic,mustard,heirloum tomato,carrot,endive,escargot,California spinach,

B) Herbs(Most warm loving plants do grow!):Basil,bay,chives,coriander,dill,fennel,mint,rosemary,parsely,sage,thyme,ginger,NEEM TREE.CUBAN and GREEK OREGANO and much more. Florida  warm climaste is a welcome environment to most herbs .Use shade to counter excessice hot locations.Use mist to cool the temp down!

C) Fruits(Most sub-Tropical zone  trees do GROW): Coconut,banana,plantain,papaya,pineapple,litchee,mango,fig,grape,pomgrenate,watermelon.

D) Flowers: Marygold,sunflower.

E) Succulents and cacti:Aloe vera,prickly pear.

THE GOOD TO KNOW/GROW  TEN TIPS GARDEN COMMANDMENTS:

1)-Thou Shall Diversify:Diversity makes a big difference even in the garden.Example: grow cucumbers next to sunflower to allow the use of a natural trellis (sunflower) for the vine(cucumber).Xeroscaping -or the right place for the right plant- is as important.For example: Cucumber like hills and raised ground.

2)Thou Shall Use Companion Herbs with veggie plants to prevent and ward off pests.Example: Use Cuban Oregano or basil or..your favorite herb as  companion to tomato or okra or any other vegetable-to discourage bugs from attacking your plants..

3)-Thou Shall Solarize the soil prior to planting to sterilize it and wipe out nematodes.

4)Thou Shall Utilize raised beds in flooding areas ,and trenches in high areas.

5)Thou Shall MULCH.MULCH.MULCH:That will help in reducing the heat effect on the plant ,trap the moisture in the soil for longer periods and contribute in water conservation and reducing the irrigation bill!

5) Thou Shall Create  your own ORGANIC SOIL using COMPOST,Manure,Organic ammendments like lime and other minerals enhancers etc.. .

6)Thou ShallNOT ABUSE THE land by using PESTICIDES .Instead use Alternative green prevention methods to combat pests and harmful bugs like:Neem oil,Castor oil,Tea tree oil,Castile soap,cayenne pepper,etc.

7) Thou Shall Use Organic Soil enrichments as an alternative to Chemical Fertilizers.Example:Bone and Blood meal from non-bovine source.Sea weeds.Epsom salt.

8)Thou Shall Make  use of mulch,shade, and ground covers to combat weeds and  reduce heat effects.

9)Thou Shall Use garden safety gear for personal body protection while in the garden.

10) Thou Shall not abuse your body while in the farm/garden.Instead:HYDRATE , and make use of ERGONOMICS .

Happy Summer Gardening

Tony /Alternative Comminty Farmer  @

www localharvest.org/farms/M20618

I DID NOT BUY A LOCAL NEWSPAPER FOR A LONG TIME , UNTILL TODAY.

A FRONT PAGE HEADLINE CAUGHT MY ATTENTION AND I WANT TO PASS IT ON   .

It talks about kids who got brain tumors ..It asks:was it a coincidence that they lived  close by  in a  neighborhood of farms that use pesticides? Or was the culprit the  well water??Find out for yourself down below:

www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/06/18/0618cluster.html

I have read in the news before,about migrant farmers who had kids with birth defects due to the pesicides.I have read about the pesiticdes side effects as carried out to us through the produce.But this is something new.

I like also to mention a web page that follows pesticides and rates the least and the most of produce with pesticides ,it is good to know, check it out at :

ewg.org

It is summer time now in Florida and guess what?The rain is back with a revenge and the water ponds are everywhere.The sun is blazzing and the bugs are grazing.Mucho mosquitos are in the air.

People here take refuge in the comfort air conditioned zone.Farmers like us need to work to make a living so what is the best bugs buster to protect the plantrs and the humans as well from the common enemy that is in the air?

Here comes to my mind what my mother and grandmother reommended as a home folklore preventive remedy to shew awy the unwanted  pests:

1-Citronella  Essential oil

2-Neem tree essential oil

3-Lavender Essential oil

4-Melaleucha or Tea tree essential oil.

I use those essential oils on my skin and on my plants to ward off the outdoor pests, never in full strength though.I use 1 % strength of those oils (like in two or three drops )mixed with other oils like Extra virgin olive oil combination mixed into a gallon of water with my favorite organic soap , then I spray on my plants or spread on my skin.Anything that goes on my skin can go into the air.Anything that goes into my mouth can go into my skin and NEVER do I use toxic chemicals .

Think about it.Why do we need those toxic chemicals  in the first place?

Wait.You will be hearing more about the effects of cell phones soon....I do not have or use one.

INTRODUCING:TARAXACUM OFFICINALE" or the "OFFICIAL REMEDY FOR DISORDERS".

HERE , they learned about its invasive properties as a weed  from the pest terminator  .The Europeans learned about its MEDICINAL properties  from The Arabs.The Arabs learned about them  from the Indians.The Indians learned about it from the Chinese .The Chineses...and the STORY keeps on rolling!

I speak no Chinese , and I learned about it from my mother who is not chinese either! 

She used to harvest it wild from the wilderness  .As a little boy , I remeber wandering with mother Sarah pulling  DANDELION  _DENTE DE LIONE_or the "TOOTH OF THE LION". It grew close to the trunk of the olive trees during the spring times.No lion teeth were pulled or found during the gathering process!

Now I  know it is called so due to the shape of the dandelion green leaf that has a look alike sharp lion teeth.It is beleived to act as a tooth /scavenger on the bad bugs in our body and chew them up.

This weed is now well respected all over the world for its value in preventing liver , kidney and gallbladder disorders.It is to be considered like food though just like some of us consider it as a weed and they have the right to say so if they beleive so!.

DO NOT SMOKE IT.DO NOT USE IT TO TREAT ANY DISEASE!

JUST EAT IT LIKE FOOD , use it in salads or soup or juice it with other vegetables!Careful though it is bitter and it might interfer with your medications , so check with your doctor first !

Disclaimer:This DANDELION is not to be used as medicine to treat or cure any disease.Follow directions of  your professional health practitioner ONLY in any regards to  treat disease  .

This literature is to be taken as an educational material based on stories from Indian Ayuervidics,Chinese  and European herbalists like Nicholas Culppeper(England),Russian chemist Gerasimova, the Swiss Vogel, and Eastern European Racz and Marei(Hobbs 1985).

Studies and  research  by the above mentioned Gerazimova and Vogel found out that dandelion reduces inflammation of the liver and is rich in vitamins A,C,D and the B chain plus a good load of minerals and trace minerals.

Here is a list of the alleged benefits of Dandelion:

1-It treats liver,gallbladder and kidney disorders.It stimulates the secretion of the bile.

2-It is condidered as a tonic,blood purifier,system detoxifier,cleanser.

3-It dissolves kidney stones and improves gastro intestinal health through acting on correcting and releiving constipation or diahrea.

4-It assists in weight reduction and treats skin disorders like acne.

5-It helps in lowering high blood pressure , serum cholesterol and acts as prevention for  diabetes.

I personally beleive in following a healthy life style including a diet rich in LOCALLY GROWN ORGANIC GREENS , like dandelion for example.I grow most of what I eat.You can try and see for yourself how  DANDELION GREENS can BE helpful in getting you internally CLEAN.Check it out in your backyard or from a local organic farmer near you.

So now you know.when are you going to apply what you know?

Timing is the key.When?

Like when is the best time to detoxify the body for example? Did you know that the body works by RYTHEMS.They are called the Circadian Rythems or the Biological Clock..TICK...tick ..tick

Time to go to bed time to wake up..do you have any idea how your immune sustem works...It works when you go to sleep.

You want to cleanse and detoxyfy your body just by eating dandelion.WRONG!You got to have ample rest and sleep.Your body has a program to get rid of toxins through the skin(sweating),the lymphatic system(lympho-drainage),the kidneys (filtration)-liver / gallbladder(bile excretion),the colon(bowel movement).

So here is the good news why farmers live longer than anyone else: They wake up early and go to bed early.The key is "Sleeping time"!

The liver is called so because it is the one that determines the LIFE SPAN!

It does so by keeping the body clean from the inside free of toxins.It has a working schedule.

The human body  detox process  according to TCM ( Chinese Traditional Medicine) and Indian Ayuerveda teachings:

11PM-1 AM Liver time detoxification process takes place.

1 AM-3 AM Gallbladder detoxification process takes place.

3 AM- 5 AM Lungs detoxification process takes place.

5 AM-7 AM Colon detoxification process takes place.

Farmers wake up and start work early just like the  birds so they empty their bowls first  upon arising from bed.They get mucho oxygen intake as the earth releases more oxygen into the  air in early hours of the day.

LIFE SPAN?It is all about LIFE STYLE and the STATE OF THE LIVER!

Diet is one aspect.Sleep is another...Sleep tight..tonight!!

Urban Agriculture as defined by Wikipedia is :"The practice of cultivating ,processing and distributing food in or around a village,town or city...It contributes to food security and safety in two ways:

-It increases the amount of food available to people in the cities.

-It allows fresh vegetables to be made more available to urban consumers through the bio-intensive method ..and is seen as susatainable practice."

Urban farming in history was predominant in ancient cultures of :Mesopotemia, the  Incas, Persians  and Egyptians .

Urban Farming is now making it  to the headline news with the decline of the economy .Income loss is forcing many middle class households to revisit their back yards /front yards and transform them -from the lawn  inefficient , unproductive and expensive water bill , not to mention  the draught and dwindling water resources side effects-to flourishing vegetable gardens .

Here in the Sub-Tropical Florida hot zone frontier , those are few of the felt impressions by some URBAN FARMERS :

A) CHALLANGES:

1-Ecconomic incentives: With the budget cuts that are prevailing now, no or less  financial aid/incentives are made available or accesible by local  public authorities or and private  organizations to small urban farmers. Green markets mostly are run to attract tourists like the snow birds during the season and they are shut down during the summer, for example.Green markets offer no affordable or subsidized stands to small urban farmers.Grocery produce stores like extensions stands are mostly invited to sell produce that is mostly conventional that has been shipped from abroad or  travelled the  road of the 1500 miles!

2-Available agriculural land:Developers and Big Agri-Business have the lion share of the land here.  Farms (mostly conventional)have been dwindling in size tremendously and losing the battle to the developers.No programs are available for urban farming such as the ones in neighboring Cuba.There are a population of hispanics and Caribean Islanders who are experienced in urban farming but have no access to agricultural land.Lots stand idle and neglected after the shrinking of real estate market .

3-Lack of Sustainable and Permaculture  Education:Even though the talk of the town is about GREEN ENERGY the reality is still :Agri-business as usual!

B) BENEFITS of  Urban Farming:

When I was in college I took students from the biology class I was tutoring to volunteer at a community garden .They were rewarded with credit hours for the community service effort.

Now with the schools being vacated for the summer break the best homework is to get busy outdoors in a community garden or a farm near you!

There are so many schools in the country that now have added vegetable gardens next to the play ground.California leads the states in their Permaculture and green school yards.

Studies have pinpointed ADHD and other cognitive issues besides high rate of Asthma and bronchial disorders among school children who spend most of their time indoors.

Outdoor gardening activities can do a lot of help to our children by taking them away from idle and boaring times spent watching TV or playing video computer games etc.

learning productive skills like growing vegetables can produce a positive influence in so many ways.

Learning social skills like communication , diversity interactions,community involvement is just an example.

Outdoors activities has been recommended to avoid the indoors pollution effects .Mental health improves as well as the physical health , studies have shown.Instead of complaining about disruptive behaviors and countering such with punitive and  negative judgemental parental approaches.Try the positive productive approach of the outdoors activities like gardening.

Kids love to play in the "dirt".They are drawn into playgrounds naturally and they deserve a HEALTHY meal from a local organic source.It takes a village to raise a child and IT TAKES a VEGETABLE GARDEN to PROVIDE NOURISHMENT.

It is your choice to raise your kid to be HEALTHY and PRODUCTIVE by leading in EXAMPLE .You can choose the CARROT -Nourishment -over the stick_Punishment. 

The decision is yours.