Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

Organic Community Gardens are now sprouting like crazy in South Florida.The economic crunch is now compelling churches,schools,municipalities ,homeowners etc..to transform lands -that are either neglected or used to grow lawns -to productive vegetable gardens.

As a Master Gardener who worked for the last 10 years in establishing and maintaining Organic Community Gardens in South Florida I came up with a summery of RECOMMENDATIONS to help out new comers chart a feasable way into starting their own ORGANIC COMMUNITY GARDENS:

1-LOCATION:START SMALL,choose a location that is immune to FLOODING,is not a slope and is topograghically sound.Check out and clear the soil of  debris and other toxic substances.

2-Solarise and aerate the area you plan to use for a vegetable garden.

3-Appoint a care taker who has knowledge and experience to manage an organic  garden. Form a committee from your group and name a CO_ORDINATOR to follow up,to handle and decide on the garden  issues and solutions:financial,social,organizational,community events,gardening process and other matters pertainig to the garden.

4-Declare a mission and a vision.Prepare a garden budget.Set up rules and regultaions.Fill applications and paperwork to observe ,preserve and protect all parties from litigations on subjects pertaining to safety,accidents,insurance liability,obligations and responsibilities,time limits for using the plots etc..

5-Fascilitate educational classes and workshops to promote organic gardening awareness ,garden ergonomics,safety,gardening know how etc..

6-Publish a news letter,design a web site for the garden .

7-Involve members who are dedicated and able to carry out the garden tasks.Specialize gardening areas for different groups: SENIORS,ADULTS,CHILDREN,DISABLED etc..

8-Have specialized areas for: composting,a mini nursery,workshops and classes,shed for storing tools and garden accessories,events,bulletin board etc..

9-Prepare your own organic top soil,compost,organic fertilizers,organic pesticides.Weed and maintain the garden.Irrigate and mulch as necessary,harvest and use companion herbs .

10-Market your produce in green and farmers market especially to people who can not afford the EXPENSIVE HEALTH FOOD STORES.Donate to soup kitchens and charity organizations that cater for the needy.Do potucks and spread the good word of LOCALLY GROWN ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLES!

Most of us farmers and gardeners do plant and harvest crops ..But the shocking news about a different kind of "harvesting" is something unusual to happen here in our backyards.

Check out this article published by a SWEDISH newspaper about Harvesting Human Organs and selling them  H E R E   in   USA !This kind of INFORMATION IS A TABO AND IS NOT AVAILABLE BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA!!!CHECK IT OUT BY CLICKING ON THE WEB LINK BELOW:

http://aftonbladet.se/kultur/article5691805.ab

I am concerned about how we humans are treating The ENVIRONMENT. Be it:SOIL, ANIMALS,WATER,AIR,HUMAN BEINGS.

We have an obligation to be humane to all kinds of LIFE FORMS no matter what religion,nationality,ethnicity etc..

The world now has become like a small village.The internet is bringing us closer to each others and the MAIN STREAM MEDIA tries to feed us food for thought the way the supermarket stuff us with all kinds of adulterated,fumigated genetically engineered food.This is the reason we choose to write and read blogs:Telling and reading about WHAT IS REALLY and TRUTHFULLY GOING ON.

This is the time that we need to open up to the information age and be part of it.We are concerned to is being done to our food ,our environment and our HUMANITY.The public opinion is the real SUPER POWER.AWAERENESS IS THE KEY !LET MY PEOPLE KNOW!

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS THAT LEAD TO THE MILL ,THAT'S WHAT MY FATHER USED TO TEACH ME.DIVERSITY IS THE KEY TO NATURE , BY NATURE AND WITH NATURE.

The environment (earth)is our home and partner .

RECYCLING IS THE KEY WORD FOR CORRECTING OUR ACTS OF GREED AND WASTE .COMPOSTING is the answer to our irresponsible waste ,crashing - trashing -dumpster agri- CULTURE!!

The Native Americans were the first pioneers to mention when we talk compost.They used to bury the fish bones right into the field where they grew corn and sunflower.Their ways are sacred because of the simple reason they gave us when it comes to farming:FEED THE EARTH NOT THE PLANTS.We just do the opposite , because it makes more money and less common sense to our business as usual mentality ! 

Here in S.Florida composting is a must to grow a bountiful crop,for SOME  SOIL  REASONS:IT IS SANDY-TOP SOIL DEPLETED-NEMATODES AND WEEDS INFESTED-CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDE CONTAMINATED !

Just a living example is the EPA and Health DEPT ongoing recent investigation of the ACREAGE , an agricultural and residential area that is now the focal point of the media for its CANCER CLUSTERS outcry! COULD IT BE THAT WHAT IS IN THE SOIL MIGHT BE THE CAUSE FOR ALL THOSE CANSER CLUSTER????

Home made composting made easy:

 One of my favorite way of composting is PILE COMPOST.

1- Start with yard trash like broken branches,leaves and grass shavins as my first layer.It is important to do so to maintain proper aeration.

2-Add: GREEN MANURE OR MATTER like -kitchen scrapings and allowed animal manure( I prefer horse manure).Great source for nitrogen.

3-Add BROWN MANURE  OR MASTTER like:mulch,saw dust,newspaper ,old cotton cloth.Great source for carbon. I try to maintain a C/N ratio of 25/1.

4-Add natural minerals,trace minerals and nutrients like :lime,iron,bone meal,blood meal,flax mealetc..Great food for worms that help transform the soil into HUMUS which is the fully and COMPLETE COMPOST.

Compost is a partially and not fully complete soil.Worms  fill in the gap towards a complete compost as in  nutritionally rich HUMUS!

5-Cover with saw dust and coffee ground.Add baking soda and epsom salt to combat and neutralize odor.If you live in condos or regulated communitiesuse bins to cover pile .This will discourage visitations of night animals and eliminate odors that might intimidate your neighbor!

There are many other ways to compost:

Trench-WireCage-Plastic Bin-Turning barrel and much more.Use your imagination and be creative!

The secret is to keep onTHE  RECYCLING PROCESS alive in your backyard and garden  not just DUMPEDAND TRASHED IN THE DUMPSTER!

WE must campaign for RECYCLING LAWS and FINES for those AFFLUENT AND GREEDY WHO FILL OUT THE DUMPSTERS WITH FOOD MUCH NEEDED BY THE HUNGRY HUMANS OUT OF WORK!

WE MUST SPREAD THE AWARENESS BY DOING AND EXAMPLE.

I beleive in preserving and concerving NATURE.So I follow the path of the ancient ways of farming:

1-Recycling-Composting!

2-Community farming-Collective agriculture.

3-Sustainability ,working in partnership with the Earth and the environment!

4-Grow and Trade LOCALLY!

USE the ENERGY of The four elements of creation :water,air,fire and earth  to create a natural compost.Never adulterate with chemicals or plastic or man made products like processed and chemically produced ,genetically engineered foods.Do not use meet or fklesh other than the skin and bones of fish.You may add yogurt and cheese to enhance and activate decomposition.Always water and if you have time flip flop the pilre to expedite creation of compost.

Happy Composting!

In the TIMES OF:NO MONEY,NO JOB, NO HOME,NO FOOD- HARVEST THE  WILD EDIBLES .IT IS for FREE plus :GMO,PESTICIDE AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS FREE!Hold on: You forgot one thing,which one is edible and which one  is  poisonous?Aha..you need to be aware and do your homework depending where do you live! In case you are in Florida here arte some incredible edibles from what is leftover from the wilderness.

What is for dinner?

Fetch in the wild for the famous pursalane greens or pig weed, it makes a great  raw salad with wild florida cherry tomato . Or cook it  sauted with wild  onion and garlic  ,add the infamous rounded up dandelion greens weed and the boiled sliced dandelion root .Chop in prickly pear spikless cactus...add sea salt and extra virgin olive oil..mix and serve. YUMMY! Cost:FREE!

The Ubiquious Dandelion (Taraxacum officnale) :Which translates into "official remedy for illness".The seeds travel like parachute and spread all over .It is very rich in minerals and vitamins especiallyA , C and the B chain..It is bitter though especially when eaten raw..to take away the bitterness ,steam it.You risk the loss of the rich minerals and enzymes for the sake of taste!

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.):The pear shaped cactus is a favorite dish when cooked or eaten as a salad among the indigenous peoples of the Caribean, Florida peninsula and the South and Central America .In mexicao it is used along with Aloe vera to treat certain cancers.It is also available in the form of dietery food supplemnts.

During the summer we have a plenty of edible fruit to harvest in the wild like:

Elderberry,coconut,dates,sawpalmetto,grapes.apples,papaya,avocado.

Coconut : Is a good source of vitamins and trace minerals. The natives here used its juice water to combat kidney and liver ailments besides to relinquish thirst.The oil extracted from the coconut is used for cooking and salads besides as an ointmment for the skin and a hair conditioner and fortifier.

Saw palmetto berries:Those fruits from the pigmy palms are a good food for those who have prostate problems .

Elderberry: The flowers and fruits were considered a great source for combating colds and flu.Also the berries were cooked into jelly ,juice,jam and preserve.

There are more and more to explore of the incredible wild edibles..Stay tuned

IT IS BLAZZING SUMMER ALREADY TAKING HOLD HERE  !!HEAT ..HUMIDITY ...MOSQUITO..and MOLD are the apparent summer harvest  in the HURRICANE SEASON ! A GOOD REASON TO "BAIL OUT" ...OF HERE!!!

ARE YOU CONSIDERING HIRING AN EXTRA PROFESSIONAL "ORGANIC HELPING HAND"? CONSIDER THE UNDERSIGNED! I HAVE A SHOVEL AND I AM READY TO TRAVEL .

There are side effects of the heat-humidity - mold/mosquito MOSQUETEERS.Taking into consideration the EMOTIONAL effects of the stress caused by the FINANCIAL meltdown , I find it more safe to choose FLIGHT over FIGHT!!

Here are my personal reasons for FLIGHT :

1-NO STIMULUS HELP FOR SMALL Urban / Local Community Gardens Farmers  exist in the bail out stimulus- list.Federal help is needed just like the one extended for the "Victory Gardens" model during the great depression!

2-NO GREEN  / COMMUNITY - FARMERS MARKETS  INCENTIVES are offered for start up local small urban farmers.Investment in community gardens need more attention from both local and private sectors to provide AFFORDABLE organic produce especially to inner cities of  low income communities.

3-RACIAL PROFILING: Blacks..Hispanics..Farmers ..Different/Ethnic People  etc.. get a bigger bitter bite ..Slavery in the South was abolished long time ago, but some of us here still have no clue! People now have RIGHTS! They are FREE and EQUAL by law ,no matter what color,nationality,ethnicity etc !Being different here , is being vulnerable.Ask me!

Take for example, "The Punisher" story..It is a REAL  racial profiling  incidence that happened in an AGRICULTURAL town called :"Glades" in Florida .It happened to coincide with" GATES"racial story !Now it is the right time to expose :RACIAL PROFILING and write laws against RACISIM just like we wrote laws against TERRORISM!! If you want to learn more  about the "Glades story", just  google:"The Glades Punisher."

There are people who just REACT and project their personal  problems,  hate ,anger and prejudice on others to feel better.There are people who PRO-ACT and tend to face their own challenges without causing a colatarel damage to others.There are a lot of us who are losing THINGS like: Homes,cars,farms,gardens,storage units and offcourse JOBS .Let us not take this PERSONAL.LET US SEEK AND PROVIDE HELP with patience and passion.Let us show COMPASSION to others!

I have attended an Organic Farmers  conference  once  in an OUT OF STATE TOWN ,  I was extremely impressed by the respect ,civil and polite attitude of the different farmers whom  I have met.I beleive the ORGANIC FOOD and THE ORGANIC way of life has an important impact on our behaviours and attitudes.Let us vote small organic farmers for office.Let us write organic laws to serve and preserve freedom,justice,jobs and dignity for ALL ! Let us pray...not prey!