Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

There are a lot to learn in the gardening process.Here are some tips to consider in case you are considering taking some organic gardening classes;

From my experience teaching organic gardening in South Florida for the last ten years, I have gathered a fortune of advice to the new garden comers.Here are the top ten tips:

1-The head .The Heart.The Hands are your virtual garden tools.Eventually!USE THEM!Protect Them!

A)Clear your head from misconceptions-preconceived ideas-judgements apriori .Empty the excess baggage.

B)Open your heart to new dimensions of exploration and observations.Animals trust their instincts .Humans are more skeptical when they rely only on their heads.Try the heart and guts instincts .You will get connected to the earth vibration through the third eye and heart chakra.Garden is a Therapy and a Spiritual experience not just physical chore!

State a purpose like:You are going to LEARN  HOW to grow and PROVIDE for Your Family and Save on the Grocery Bill ,for example!.You are not going to fight and chastise the messenger -in this case the garden teacher or mentor-You need time to digest what you learned .

C)Doing what you have learned will be the best.hands on classes fair better than the theory only classes.Your hands will be the tools to implement.Your body will be the vehicle to take you to the garden chores.So take care of both your hands and body and learn ERGONOMICS!

2-BE PATIENT.Gardening is a process.You have to learn how to get grounded and do nothing other than immersing your hands in the soil .Take a silence vow to be able to observe and meditate while in the garden.LISTEN!

Some  of my students have the habit of a non stop chatting.They keep their cellphones handy.Their tongue muscle is  always flexed while their hands and body muscles are fluffy and not trained to garden.Train and flex your whole body muscles not just your tongue!

3-Take more than one class in gardening.Try didderent and diverse teachers/mentors and benefit from the knowledge USING IT!

Give yourself the time when you are at the class to learn,observe,ask questions and please do not bring along your cell phone,dog,cat.

4-Respect other students  and  the place where you are invited to learn .Respect the mentor or garden teacher.Some people bring in their negative attitudes to the class.That is not the best thing to do.Instead:turn on the positive attitude with a smile on your face ,a peace in your heart and an open window in your brain.

Do not arrive late to the class.Do not leave early , especially sneaking without paying the class fee.Do not haggle the class fee.Do not ask  racial profiling questions like:Where do you come from?You have an accent, I am curious?Etc.Respect all class associates regardless of their color,ethnic background,religion,race etc..

5-Do your home work :read the information posted at the Web sites of the school or garden teacher:Show that you are a partner in learning and doing what you learn!Bring on your garden questions.Follow class protocol.Avoid chatting in class.Silence your scell phone in class.If you disrupt you might be asked to leave.

6--Be prepared:Put on garden gear , that means no tank tops,no shorts and no flip flops.Pests may be present and garden bugs etc.. .Drink plenty of water .Use the restroom before you enter into the garden class.Take notes.Bring along a pad and pen.

7-Take deep breaths before ,during and after the class.Oxygen helps your brain and your muscles and circulation .Relax .Smell the roses or the herbs of the garden without mutilating or cutting them from their mother.Employ the faculty of TOUCH.It is OK .to touch the soil.the plant .Discard all fear from connecting to other form of life .gardening is the art of growing your living food.Be a live gardener.Beleive in what you are doing!

8-Start small :When you are not sure about the garden budget,the time commitment ,the space limit.

9-Check with your Doctor before you do any physical activity, if it is OK.Especially when you are on medication or disabilty.Learn Ergonomics .Follow safety procedures when in the garden.Florida weather is Extremely hot,humid.Pay attention and listen to your body.

10:Take rest often.Enjoy gardening .It is a THERAPY after all for Body Mind and Spirit..It is not a hard work ,if you work smart.Choose times when the weather is suitable to garden for you.Avoid alchohol , it dehidrates your body.Drink plenty of water.Breathe deeply and have fun.

Are you familiar with a blood bank on wheels ? Here is something else on wheels :A job Center !!.Yes , I saw it and visited it at my neighborhood library.Great innovative  idea to have a" job opportunity bank" BUS equipped with a state of the art information technology searching for job seekers to donate their resumes instead .I did my own donation!

I like the idea of COMMUNITY OUT REACH.I support the way of life that treats all with EQUAL OPPORTUNITY as WELL EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL!

I have lost my only transport :my van to a junk yard after I could not come up with money to repair it.They took my only way of transport without giving me a dime.My neighbor lost his home to the bank because he could not come up with the money .He owed the mortagage guys $190,000 .The bank sold his foreclosed home for $35,0000.Heand his wife  were  working THREE JOBS together.The mortgage payments were much more above the masrket value of their house.How many of you can relate to me and to my neighbor?If not now, may be it will happen to you along the way...

There is a joke about DEPRESSION AND RECESSION.Do you know the difference?If it happens to you and you lose everything, it is a DEPRESSION.If it happens to your neighbor,it is RECESSION!

I am a positive person , so I like the POSITIVE idea of THE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE initiative to send  HELP to JOB SEEKERS right on wheels.I had to use my bicycle  to reach them..They told me  this is a PILOT PROJECT..Taht was a GOOD initiative!But,it was only a trial to measure the response from the public.Well the library  printed few flyers to inform us, like couple of days ahead of time.The outcome was a show up of 13 people.I am sure there are more job seekers than that .The thing which we must adress is :LET THE PEOPLE KNOW!

There are stimulus money for many other than the banks , but the problem is that MOST OF THE PUBLIC DO NOT KNOW .

Awareness is the key.It is always GOOD TO KNOW!Thank you WORKFORCE ALLIANCE for the sending HELP on wheels.Next thing I love to see:ORGANIC Locally grown fruits and vegetables on wheels for those who HAVE NO MEANS of TRANSPORT TO visit  the soup kitchens or the food pantrys (mostly distributing canned food and bread)!. .At least we have a lot of job seekers who are eligible and qualify for  a plot at a community garden ,to grow their own organic fruits and vegetables.The question is :Where are the land that still holds on the fertile soil here in Florida?Do not ask the developers or the officials who helped this to happen.They have erased two community gardens with good fertile soil not long time ago ,which I know of.Where are the LAWS that protect AGRICULTURAL LANDS WITH FERTILE SOIL in our COMMUNITIES?

Top soil out.Hydroponics in.What happens if  safe potable water be next to miss ?Where will we grow our food?The Florida Areage community of 45,000  is now battling a  Cancer Cluster that is being allegedly traced to the well water.It is time to raise the WATER AWARENESS level to higher STANDARD ,before we end up with  WELL WATER ON WHEELS!