Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

It is GOOD TO KNOW and be AWARE!

There are so many books and web sites out there to teach you how to start an Organic Productive Garden.ALSO: A new wave of self proclaimed GREEN BUCK THUMBS/"FARMERS" , are out there vying for your buck!

Here are some suggestions to help you sifting the real from the fake "Farmers/ Organic Gardeners/Teachers":

1-BEWARE :There are claims that they have experience and education BLABLA.Ask for proof like a Master Gardener ID for example!

2-BEWARE:There are  salesmen who try to sell you their products like soil,organic fertilizers etc.Simply ask for their price lists and compare with garden outlets/local farmers .The "Fake" Farmers/Salesmen prices are usually way HIGH!

3-BE AWARE:Starting a vegetable garden in your backyard does not need a MEGA BUDGET .You need to start small and in containers to learn the process without breaking your back or bank!Be patient and be prepared!

4-BE AWARE:Ask questions and try to take as many Organic Gardening Classes that are compatable with your HARDINESS ZONE .Example: If you live in a TROPICAL ZONE, try to engage the learning process at a local garden hwere you may check out what grows best and what not  in that particular location.

5-BEWARE:Computer / ELECTRONIC /Distance classes are not a match for a HANDS ON LEARNING! 

6-BE AWARE:There are Urban Farmers who like to share their knowledge for FREE.Check out for FREE classes that are offered by independent local  farmers .

7-BE AWARE:Gardening is a PROCESS! Take your time to learn and implement what you have learned.Nothing grows overnight at the garden!

Check out my FREE Composting class this coming October 8th 2011.For more info, please visit:

localharvest.org/farms/M20618

This coming Sunday I will be taking my gardening talk  to a different kind of a walk. .Comes a Hollistivc Fittness retreat at a four star hotel this week end, , I will be reaching out with my ORGANIC AWARENESS to a different level of organic gardening enthusiasts.

Physical Fittness or Exercising our muscles and doing functional movements is not a monopoly to the gym or the olymics neither to the rich or the poor,.I have  THE PROOF..

Great Britain has recognized Gardening as sports for all,  lately , proving to the world that Gardeners are among the olympic athlets without portfolio offcourse, , Unfortunately they  will NOT  be competing this coming Clympic games 2012 at the UK for gold medals.!!They will be growing the new found gold:Greens!

No kidding.our competition is not for  winning medals???.Sure, not.It is about winning our BIRTH RIGHT FOR HEALTH by going back to Basics:GROWING our own food through farming and gardening or shall we say Gathering ????.

Lately ,I helped coaching a home owner ,who happens to be living in a multi million property-setting and starting up   an Organic Vegetable Garden. I noticed that there is a pre-requisit to the gardening proces:We need  to open our mind,body and spirit ..first.

I explained :The gardening software  does not come naturally with the garden and she has to LEARN the process(Mind)  and train her muscles(Body) and get into the Spirit of growing food.Most of us get confused when it comes to the SPIRIT thing.They end up doing the most convenient:Hire a gardener and tell him/her to do the Donkey Work ,offcourse,having set a streaotype of farmers after the migrant farmers image .God forbid , no racial profiling / discremination /slavery practices   are intentionally committed!.Mistakes happen , offcourse!

Being spiritual is so hard to understand using our minds.One has to open up the HEART FACULTY/or Chakra to be able to comprehend /connect spiritually with other forms of life:Creator/Holly Spirit /Universe ..or whatever you prefer to name it.Even so ,with a human,plant, or na animal .What comes from the heart ?

Expectations ,intentions,passion, abilities,capabilities,integrity ,honesty , commitments ,prayers are justa few to mention.What makes us fail in making the spiritual connection is one word:LYING -with all our HEART.

We put much faith in  lip service and  words  that change as often as the winds blow or with every single breath or  heart beat.We lie to each others and because we get accustomed to negotiating and or lying  as far as it is good to make money and  business. Gone are our commitments for  ethical  or moral values.

There is a separation from our INNER BEING as soon as we separate ourselves from the TRUTH , especially when we want to commit into a relationship: Whether with a human,a plant, an animal or a HIGHER SPIRIT/GOD/UNIVERSE.The bibles mentions:TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.FROM WHAT? I guess from :DISEASE,LACK,STRIFE,SLAVERY ,to mention the least!

Ghandi once said: If you want to learn how to have a successful relationship with humans, you need to start to learn the process by getting in touch with plants first.I found out that our relationship with plants is similar to that with the animals and humans :Crush,control,contain.

Guess what happens when we are moody or in a state of hurry :We injur a muscle  ,break communication flow ,obliterate trust and jeoperdize a relationship and the whole process . By just flip flopping and changing our commitments , we withdraw  natural process of creation and meaningful and fruitful  fulfiliment  into a state of static FAILURE :decomposing/degeneration /degradinding to our Body/Mind/Spirit.

Stay tuned to Organic Gardening Awareness .Be TRUTHFULL in and to all our relations.Just like the Native American saying goes  :Aho -Meta-Quee-Yasin.

THERE are ways to do business and ways  to live as much as of high ways and routes to TRAVEL.Diversity is the KEY word if you want to LEARN HOW TO START AN ORGANIC  GARDEN.Start SMALL and LEARN BIG!

Unfortunately for the working people who want to be a week end garden warrior it is not enough .I have found out that Communication,Culture,Community and COGNITION ,play an important role of WHO WE ARE and HOW WE FUNCTION.BINGO!So , you want to START GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD because the OBAMAS have done so or because it is the new WAVE!??Here are the GOOD and BAD news:

GOOD NEWS: You need an able body(YOUR OWN) to use other than the migrant farmer's who is now to BLAME for the DEPRESSION which is making you LOSE your HOME-CAR-BUSINESS to the BAILED OUR INSURANCE -MORTGAGE-BANKS ,BIG BUSINESS TRIO!

BAD NEWS: You need to start the LEARNING PROCESS FIRST before you  to START DIGGING YOUR OWN GARDEN.Unfortunately the books - DVD -Information Technology and  what have you ,fall short of a Shovel or RAKE!..Using the SOFTWARE is not SUFFICIENT .YOU NEED HARD WARE!TOOLS and ABLE BODY! When was the last time you moved your body other than swirching a TV channel  at a GYM?Our muscles need to be trained to use basic gardening tools like a rake or shovel so that we do not end up with back injuries etc..They call it ERGONOMICS...THIS IS BASICS prior to digging.No Horticultural school I know of teach ERGONOMICS to agriculture students.Most of FARMERS and GARDENERS I know of HAVE BAD BACKS.Be AWARE! HAVE AWARENESS!LEARN ERGONOMICS FIRST.

GOOD NEWS: There are classes and workshops fascilitated by farmers on PRACTICAL GARDENING according to THE GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE..I do have  ones ready to order or attend . HERE IN S.FLORIDA , you need to learn about what and when to grow at the TROPICAL-9-10 ZONE.Reading a gardening book or going to college  is overdoing it..You need to look for simple way..and hook up with a PROFESSIONAL FARMER / GARDENER near you! VOILA!Instead of using your plastic at a mega garden center and buy it all ready made...WHY NOT MAKE and GROW YOUR OWN: COMPOST-SEEDLINGS ..FROM A TO Z.

The gardening way is SLOW and it is a PROCESS! Meaning : IT TAKES TIME and it follows the GROWING SEASON from start to end...HERE it is less than six months from November to March.So...Why are you waiting?You can start NOW by just LEARNING THE PROCESS and GETTING THE ORGANIC GARDENING AWARENESS!BEST WAY TO DO IT IS :HANDS ON..and on the GARDEN GROUNDS! !MICRO-Urban farming  is  different than MEGA farming!You need to start small.A container will do..But you need the EDUCATION LIVE and HANDS ON APRIORI!

My experience with new comers to ORGANIC GARDENING: They come from out of state zones,ask for handouts, want the GARDEN NOW.They are overwhelmed with the notes and know-how.They need time to digest the information,.They need budget to start the garden.They need help in setting up the process.Here are the topics that you need to learn about: Compost.Mulch.Organic Brown and Green Manure.Soil PH.Irrigation.Seeds.Seedlings.Organic fertilizers.Organic pesticides.What grows and what does not in your area and season.

IT IS  GOOD TO KNOW FIRST ,  BEFORE YOU GROW!