Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

The local  Palm Beach Post news paper reported today about another crime against workers who work out in the fields , in this instance make their living by trimming trees .

Two armed men approached three workers ,one African American foreman and two other latino workers and demanded money.When the workers ,who were engaged in trimming trees for FPL ,responded that they have nothing, they were showered with bullets from semi automatic guns.The forman died and one worker is critically injured .

This is another story about the way we look at people who work the land for a living.There is no respect for gardeners and farmers in general around here.Part of this stereotyping is lack of education to the public about the great value gardeners and farm workers provide through their services to keep the EARTH a living planet worthy for the living.

The stereotyping against certain minorities leaves no ample room to get equal opportunities or better jobs in the market place.There is work that is  looked at as menial and some people won't do it.The people who perform those "menial jobs"usually become victims to sweat shops,robberies,humilitians and discremination.No health insurance ,no benefits and sometimes dire living conditions follow this trend of employment.

The solutions are through altering the way we look at such work.Spreading the awareness through the media and schooling system could be like a starting point .

Jobs are plentiful in the field and we need to start educating our kids that farm and garden work are good choices and opportunities to take as jobs.We need to overhaul the way we think first .We need support from local and federal government to provide educational programs in addition to incentives and job opportunities.Health insurance and benefits will attract many applicants.Good or FAIR pay will do the same .It is not a SOLUTION to complain about illegal immigrants or migrant farmers who perform jobs that are menial and do not attract citizens.The solution requires action to elevate the status of those jobs so that citizens will find it attractive to apply for.

Crimes against field workers should be dealt with more punitively to eradicate them from our society.

The perpetrators who commited the crime were youth who found in their preys an easy target for quick money.Usually farm workers are known to carry cash in their pockets as they have no legal papers to open bank accounts .Doing something about this can  help reduce the crimes that target migrant farmers or other legal citizens who prefer to do such kind of jobs.

Change starts from within and raising the awareness towards a solution is just a baby step to restore respect and justice to farmers and gardeners who are the silent  keepers of our living planet EARTH.

I am now searching for a job in this field and I feel unsecure and at risk.I have lost my van to the junk yard as I could not have money to fix it.I lost couple of borrowed lands to locally grow organic vegetables .There are so many lands that sit idle and could be used to grow fruits and vegetables to support enough people who lost their jobs and are seeking food stamps and other financial help to sustain their living.This kind of using tax payer money is a non-productive approach .A better approach is" to teach a man how to fish instead of giving him or her a fish"!

There are churches and schools that have backyards that could be a potential place to create vegetable gardens.I have approached some of those churches and experienced creating a container garden at one of them.

We need to change our attitude from critical negative thinking -using our heads to calculate monetery gains and judging behaviours.We need to shift to a more PRODUCTIVE approach by using our HEARTS and compassion .I went by accident to a local agency that uses COMPASSION in their mission and vision.I found hope and help.When there is a WILL ,there is a WAY -as they say.Sometimes we need to change the WAY we think and feel in order to help bring in change to other peoples life!

Thanksgiving holliday is on the way.Make it an occasion to bring food to the needy through providing opportunities for CREATING MORE  PRODUCTIVE GARDENS that yield ORGANIC food that help feed the needy.Instead of a food stamp voucher , why not offer a voucher of a plot at a community garden to those who are employed.The burden will diminish on our tax payers and we will create opportunities that yield HARVESTS instead.We will educate people of the great value of working the land to produce food.By then may be the attitude towards gardeners and farmers will change towards more appreciation.May be, but it is worth a try!

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!

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

Gardening and farming was one of the first occupations since man took residence on earth.The ancient  Greeks built a garden first and later constructed the home around it.Villages and towns in ancient Egypt and Mesopotemia sprouted around fertile lands by "the Rivers of Babylon " and the Nile Delta.The Romans invented the canals for drawing water to arid lands.Recently the modern Gulf States are cultivating the deserts and farms are sprouting out of the sand!

What happened to this occupation in our culture of the push buttons and hi-tech cyberspace?As an after shock to the recent economic meltdown,people want to start a garden right now because that is the only job oppening close to home after being laid off!Also , it makes sense to follow the path of the Victory Garden which was introduced back in the 40's with a similar economy of  meltdown melieu / environment.Take deep breath and do some home work.Take it easy and have some patience.Gardening is a process and it starts from cultivating self before digging and cultivating the ground.

Here are some personal conclisions gathered from various workshops fascilitated on local organic gardening topics:

1-People have phobias of the outdoors in Florida.It ranges from fear of bugs ,sun,snakes,dirt to gardeners/farmers strangers with a different color or accent or class or you name the stereaotype you want..

2-People want your labor intensive expertise for less and want to grow the plants that they are used to from other states .Hello, we are in the Tropics..the land has a distinct and different taste of  HOT REGION PRODUCE.Get to know your locally grown and forget about taste and being picky.If you want to adjust just start talking to your nearest local farmer , visit his/her garden and get acquainted with what he/she grows or  knows .Get educated.Attend a class or a workshop for a start or read a  local veggie garden book ,if you can find one!Be pro-active!

3-Have ready a garden gear: Hats,gloves,boots,water,sun glasses

4-Lack of gardening knowledge is called ignorance not a BLACK THUMB.Have a hands on training session .Learn more about garden ergonomics .Ask questions related to the garden not about NATIONALITY or ethnic backgrounnd!

5- The times of affluence are over and now is the time to do it yourself and grow your own.Allow a transition period to re-adjust behavioral traits ,like learn how to meet people whom you have never imagined to meet  before because they are different from your already preconceived set of human standard.Respect makes no offence.Humiliation and judgement and intimdations are the worst tools to make the best of human relations .

6-Learn how to deep breathe when you are in the garden .It will open your lungs and also your mind will receive more oxygen and you will feel tired no more.

7-Listen .Learning the gardening process starts with an open mind and ear.

8-Just do it after you have learned it.Do not procrastinate beyond this point.

For more directions read my other blogs to further construe the cognitive as well as the constructive attitude to follow towards fulfiling the PRODUCTIVE GARDEN DREAM!

The journey of thousand miles starts with a mile.Bon Voyage!