Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

The  sizzling summer is on in S.Florida .Welcome to our garden where for every season we have our own growin reason..Now start weeding and mowing and pruning and offcourse fighting the summer garden bugs  especially the infamous white fly that is infesting S.Florida gardens.

Bugs and mosquitos thrive and abide during the summer "EXCESSIVELY" hot/rainy/humid summer season here.No wonder why the Hurricane season this year is expected to be exceeding  expectations !More than SEVENTEEN Tropical Storfms are predicted for the season with four to be named as MAJOR HURRICANES.It is time to be prepared for the garden as well and the best thing to start is :

1-Trimming and Prunning:Take away those dead branches and excessive vegetation population that might turn into PROJECTILES when the storm hits the garden.

2-Prevention is the key note to fight garden bugs and mosquitos:Spray your organic garden with Garlic water ,Neem oil,Insecticidal soap and more of the eco-friendly garden products to reduce the population of the aphids ,nematodes.

A) Aphids:Those tiny winged mighty small mites and insects like the White Fly for instance .They fly and attack the LEAVES and mostly the aerial parts of the plant sucking sap and chewing leaves and secreting kind of a insect honey dew that becomes a safe home for mold to live in..Retaliate by using especially NEEM OIL ,Garlic Water,and other eco friendly non-synthetic pesticides like Natural grain alchohol, Alkaline water,Castile soap,Kitchen spices,garden grown complimentary herbs,,essential oils  etc...Experiment in minute quantities .

I personally prefer using Neem oil ,it is a universal natural pesticides :Friendly to many friendly bugs like the lady bug ,but lethal to other predators like the White Fly and many Florida mosquitos that thrive during the hot summer.

B)Nematodes:Those are microscopic worms that exceed more than 80 varieties of soil laden organisms ,they attack the ROOTS of the plant forming knots  and creating a barrier for the plant to absorb water and soil nutrients through the root system..I personally combat the soil predators with organic ammendments like worm castings,organic matter like composted manures,cover crops like peas ,beans and sweat potato crops.Another old fashioned tradition to NEITRALIZE the soil and get rid of NEMATODES is to bake the soil either in oven or SOLARIZE it using a special soil tarp to trap heat in the soil.

3-Weed Control :As the rain pours on the weeds grow more.To retard weeds population revert to MULCH.Simply add mulch and cover the soil with Card Boards before you do so.A double benefits to the soil .

4-Add Mellipedes to the garden soil:Those beautiful worms enrich the soil with worm poop and help to restore humus .Ask me how.

5-Add garden knowledge :Take more classes on organic gardening for South Florida.Here in Florida farming and gardening is different but not difficullt.It is good to know before you grow!Come to my ongoing gardening classes.More info at:localharvest.org/farms/M20618

6-Save on the water bill:Use rain harvesting barrelsto irrigate the garden.Avoid violating the water restrictions on place .Check out with local governments for water restrictions in your area.

7-Start a Composting site:Summer in S.Florida is the best time to compost.Excessive heat,rain,humidity work best on turning yard waste and  kitchen vegetable and fruit refuse ,into compost/organic matter to enrich the backyard garden soil for FREE! 

8-Add Organic Ammendments to the garden:Summer is the season to enrich rthe garden soil with organic matter ,natural minerals ,manures.

9-Clean up and remove garden clutter:Dead branches,garden waste,old rotten wood and other sick plants will make a perfect home for garden predators.Get rid of garden clutter and clean up your garden act.

10-Turn your expensive lawn garden into a productive organic vegetable garden:Throw a garden party to make it happen :Invite your family and friends for a Hands On "FOOD GROWING "Party .Harvest weeds like Dandelion and make FREE salads .Turn yard leaves into mulch,family and friend provide FREE  labor of LOVE with less money spent on hiring maintenance labor .If you live in S.Florida:Contact us for a  gardening consultation or questions -AT-:guerreroantonio16@gmail-DOT-com

Happy summer gardening!

Why the "White Fly" is the  LATEST HOT Gardening TOPIC  in the Tropics?Taking a pre-requisit gardening course of action prior to a gardenning course  , might be the right thing  to start with..
 
Gardening is an experiential thing.Lot of garden enthusiasts who wish to garden in the tropics revert to the internet,books,magazines and indoor classes that ripe with reading THEORY materials.For your eyes only Gardening is a HANDS ON course of ACTION:First learn to immerse your BODY hands in the dirt prior to getting occupy  your MIND eyes learning process .
Comes the topic of why the White Fly is the old-new menace of the "garden" terrace?
South Florida has been struggling with the white fly challenge for the last ten years.Some refer to the Wf as an imported garden predator.Some chose to unleash chemical warfare by using synthetic pesticides especially when the white fly endemic becomes systemic.For those who look for alternative solutions other than the chemical killing pest control,hope is on the horizon.Introducing NEEM TREE .
 
Now for the avid gardener, education and experience are of othe essence  upon seeking selective answers for the garden challenges.
 
1-Horticulural Decisions based on Education:As a certified Florida Master Gardener I learned to value research and consulting educated horticulturist and farmers .It pays to search and research.Seeking is one of the main pillars when it comes to Native American cultures.I remeber a wise Native American Lacota Chief once teaching me about two primal creations:1-Life 2-Seeking.So here I go seeking to learn from a research done by  University of Florida listing two Plant based BOTANICAL  solutions ,among other chemical pesicides.Because I chose the Organic Way as a path for urban farming  ,I select and emphasise using the following as an educated desicion for combatting the white fly endemic in S.Florida among other environmentally fiendly ,non chemical solutions:NEEM oil and Pyrethrine .Both are NATURAL and  non chemical Botancial plant based  Pesticides used to combat the white fly and its cousin the spiralling  white   fly.Source : http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/mannion/pdfs/Rugose%20spiraling%20whitefly.pdf
 
2-Horticultural Decisions based on Experience:From my personal experience of more than twenty years of hands on urban farming in S.Florida, I have learned to use NEEM as a solution to myriad garden challenges in the S.Florida garden.My experience of growing ,harvesting NEEM TREES  using Neem oil have convinced me that there are alternative solutions to combat the white fly chief among them is PLANTING several NEEM trees in our yards as a preventive approach to repell and combat garden predators like the WHITE FLY for example,without inflicting colateral damage on humans,the  environment,animals or even plants themselves that are attacked by pests and garden predators..Why Neem works ? Here is an ancient answer from INDIA the Source  of Ayeurvedic Culture .Here is a glimpse of experiential data that originates in the ancient  Sanskrit Indian Culture that states the Value of the NEEM tree.It is used as a PLANTand EARTH friendly  fungicide, pesticide, herbicide,and whatever you as an Ayeurvedic disciple  in  ancient SANSKRIT   decide to beleive in a human BODY-MIND-SPTIRIT "remedycide" .The time has come when the remedy that is used on  EARTH - PLANT -ANIMAL-HUMAN forms of life DOES NO KILL or HARM the  Forms of Intelligent  life whatever their manifestations be .Neem oil is a BALSSAM that  HELPS and NEVER HURTS.Do NO Harm is the OATH of HIPPOCRETES the father of Medicine that Doctors pledge.I hope Farmers heed and follow the Hippocretes Oath as well  to do no harm to Earth and Plants by refraining from using Chemical Pesticides that  KILL! Source:
sanskritdocuments.org/articles/TheNeemtree.doc
.
If you need garden help or consultation on how to combat the white fly using alternatives to chemical pesticides or wish to attend our organic gardening classes ,please email us at:guerreroantonio16-AT-gmail.com-DOT-Watch us on YOU TUBE:Tony Dagher urban gardener.More info about our classes :localharvest.org/farms/M20618 

The Green Energy and Solar annual Conference this year was my first baby step to join hands with the larger Green community .It was organized by the Central Chamber .A chamber of commerce that stretches to include more than 100 cities from East Central   to West Coast Florida.

Itwas a great experience mixing with officials from many cities and senators and representatives and business men and community leaders all together joining efforts to communicate at the podium,exhibit at the expo and congregate together around lunch tables and have open discussions how to make our community GREENER.

Comes the Greener World famous Missy Strauss one of the anchors at the Greener World Radio and an invitation to have my first radio show interview.

I was so impalled how working together and joining hands makes our community GREENER .More I was so grateful that there are GREEN Media that cares to hear and transmit  the voice of Urban Farmers to the community.Here is the interview broadcasted on June 6...Thank you Missy.Thank you Derek,David and all the rest of OGWRadio team for being the GREEN voice of our community..

http://www.ogwradio.com/shows.html  

Introduction:To start with it is advisable to check out the USDA whitefly knowledgebase.Visit:http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/fasulo/whiteflies/wfly0002.htm

When researching the white fly , it is mandatory to refer to the research done by experts at the University of Florida  web  :Qoute:"

• Keep in mind that the whitefly evolves in 4 stages, from eggs to nymphs, to pupa, to the adult fly. The method used will not kill all stages. So if the method targets the adult fly, repeated application will be needed until all eggs have matured. Moreover, frequent application will be needed to ensure that the newly formed adults do not lay new eggs. For the best application timeframe you should check the life span and stages of the whitefly of interest, as the Silverleaf, Fig, Greenhouse, and Bandedwing have each a different lifespan.

• b)Soapy Water (This method may also help improve the success from other methods as it will decrease the whitefly population to be eliminated):  
  1. Spray wash your plants with a soapy solution, especially the underside of the leaves where the insects live.
  2. Color me yellow: Whiteflies can’t resist the color yellow, and so most garden centers and catalogs sell packaged yellow sticky traps for houseplant and greenhouse protection. These are great for all indoor situations, and even for a few potted plants outside. But if you need to protect large areas outdoors, you might want to make your own bigger ones. Paint sheets of plastic or cardboard bright lemon yellow and coat them with an “insect trapping adhesive” (sticky stuff), like Tanglefoot. Hang the traps around the affected plants and the adults will get stuck to them. 
     
       This method only kills the adult insect. Repeated application every 3 or 4 days to eliminate the new whiteflies emerging from pupa. Continue for several weeks depending on the type of whitefly.

• Plant marigold, except pot marigold or calendulas,complimentary herbs like sage,lemon grass,rosemary etc... These are companion plants that tend to repel whiteflies.
• Use a natural predator. The right predator will depend on the type of whitefly. These predators include green lacewings, lady beetles, bugs, minute pirate bugs, big eyed bugs, wasps, and damsel bugs.
• Use a natural tree oil as spray, such as Neem oil.Please refer to my latest blog refering to NEEM TREE solutions for combating the white fly:http://www.localharvest.org/blog/20618/entry/basic_alternatives_to_chemical_fertilizers 
• Spray earthworm castings at the base of the plant.

    
 
Once again chemical fertilizers Take the NEWS  headlines after the WEST FERTILIZER -Texas Factory explosion .More lives were lost this time as chemical fertilizers explode .Most of us are aware that chemical fertilizers cause carcinogens in humans and pollute acquifers and pottablewater supply.The problem of ingesting chemicals sprayed on our food as pesticides or indirectly induced into the plants through chemical synthetic fertilizers now has a solution:Alternative Organic Non-Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides.
 
A-Organic Alternatives to Chemical/Synthetic Fertilizers for N-P-K:
 
1-Animal Manure:Rabbit ,goat ,chicken and horse manure are rthe best alternatives for a good source  "N" NITGROGEN .Cow manure is a controvercial issue as most of the commercial  cows are injected with growth hormones,antibiotics,steroids and other vaccines .No one want a MAD COW Disease contaminated manure on their plants.Caution must be taken when using animal manure as it must be AGED, otherwise it will burn the roots of the plants.Chemical sources of nitrogen are AMMONIUM which is a hazard that causes explosions when improperly utilized.It is safer to use alternatives to chemicals that do not cause explosions from within (the cells of our body) or without offcourse.Example Rabbit manure which is considered as a COLD manure that doers not burn the plant roots even when used fresh and unaged!
 
2-Non-bovine sources of Bone and Blood meal.Vegeterians can opt to use alfalfa,cotton seed meals as an alternatives .An alternative source for "P"Phosphorous from mother nature and back to mother EARTH.Another alternative source is ground phosphate rock powder.
 
3-Green Sand is another alternative for the chemical fertilzer "K" POTTASSIUM ..

Alternatives to Chemical pesticides :
1)NEEM:Neem tree is a native to INDIA and soutj east Asia.It grows in FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA.NEEM OIL is widely and universally used as an alternative to chemical pesticides.Also the NEEM leaves and poder arwe used to combat bugs like the APHIDS and NEMATODES.The farmer attack the areal part of the plant while the latter attack the root system.There are so many names of dredators that are divided among both categories.What you need to remember is NOT the name of the dis-ease or Predator rather , it is PREVENTION that must be the alternative to PEST KILLING CONTROL!Neem will prevent the predator from multiplying .I personally grow NEEM trees around my garden so I have experienced less predators attacking my organic garden.You can do the same ...Neem trees are resistant to 150 predators and pests...Besides NEEM leaves could be used as tea,added to rice pillaf and curried recipes among others.They are edible and have no side effects.For more" POP EYE" details :Google:"BENEFITS OF NEEM"!I have used neem oil to combat the white fly among others and won the battle after so many rounds and repetetion of treatments.
2)Garlic.
3)Insecticidal soap.Check out Dr Bronner too...It works !
4)Complementary Herbs:Basil,sage,oregano etc..
5)Essential oils.Example:TEA TREE OIL ,Citrus oil ,Cedar oil  etc..(Use few drops in a gallon of water and spray in combination with some of the above .Experiment!
 
If you live in S.Florida:You are cordially invited to attend my next FREE class:Alternatives to Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides on May 4th. For RSVP and more info,please visit:localharvest.org/farms/M20618

How many of us drink coffee to stay alert or wake up from a nights sleep deprivationOR A  HANGOVER OR WHAT HAVE YOU!.How many of us daily are aware of being awake as they are rushing to a job while half awake half asleep or rushing to catch a bus,plane or an event half dressed or half finished their lunch or breakfast or what have you?.The answer lies in MILLIONS ..

Welcome to the human commerce calender life or   time as money( one more day one more dollar).Thinking of a new year taking away one more year of my life  on earth or just adding one more year of a HAPPY TIME,I remembered my MOTHER who passed away this year!

Numbers just made to NAME AND NUMB US may be this is why they called them NUMB-ERS!Deprive us of who we are REALLY by shutting our feelings down:Free Spirits we are .. COUNTABLE dwellers of EARTH in Body and COUNTLESS dwellers of the HEAVENS in SPIRIT!

The  DAYS and LIVES on EARTH are numbered! We count :MONEY,YEARS,AGE,EVEN FOR MUSIC  NOTES WE GAVE THEM NUMBERS . We have social security,telephone,insurance,home address numbers..STILL  RYHTEMS ARE NOT NUMBERS BUT RATHER BIOLOGICAL VIBRATIONS like rymes echoing our spiritual paths as we walk in steps not fly in miles.May be we are now experiencing a chaotic crazy you name it from ecconomy to relationships that are ending in death, depressions or better pronounced recessions or you name it ?!The countdown for our age span on earth is by slowing down not speading upTherefore the creation of the garden where we get grounded farming and growing food or roses!..SO,rather than rushing to finish what we have started.Taking a silent step to stop and SMELL THE ROSES and connect BACK WITH our MOTHER nature .Meaning let us get back to basics and live as simple as we did millions of years before where we lost to keep calenders or timetables.Being slaves to the clock of commercial life on earth that gives meanings in numbers like we have a penny then we are wortha penny , right?What a life???/We WORK TO LIVE RATHER THAN LIVE TO WORK.

 Learning from the ancients who used BIODYNAMICS farming methods ...they harvest according to certain lunar phases and observe how the fruit reacts to its environment and the gallaxies and the HEAVENS!!!  But ,instead.....What do we do in our modern life as farmers ?Take the the Agri-Business for example that uses farmers as well , do they pay attention to the laws of BIODYBAMICS or check out the charts of the heavns?.Money talks and in numbers!!!!

Back to Mother Earth..Back to Basics..This year  I lost my mother.She passed away at 98 years old.She was a passionate farmer.Had chicken hatching,had a backyard and roof garden.She gave birth a a big family..yet when the time came..we all were scatters on the face of earth.I missed the last moment of seeing her while she was breathing , I was away.Yet..I have the rimes and rythems that she incubated in my heart..the lub dubs and the LOVING memories.I remember her as if she did not leave.I will keep her memory by tending the earth and growing gardens .Life is a cycle and we are recycled spirits that keep reincarnating.I love you MOM..May your spirit rest in peace.

 Finally:I want to mention birds as a witness of Rymes .They stART THEIR DAY WITH SONGS AND RYHTEMS AND TUNES .WE HUMANS START OUR DAY WITH NOISES FROM A RADIO OR PLANE OR CAR OR STREETS BURSTING WITH TRAFFIC POLLUTION!wHAT A DIFFERENCE?Wonder why you have a headache or feeling angry ????

Water water to find no where ,

while the food prices run a scare!

Jobs jobs to   find it's .. rare ,

while lands in draught are barren  bare

Old Farmer  Jhon has lost his farm

after  crop got  ruined by snow ,n storm .

Now Peak oil is pushing up ..gas price

doubles the costs for fertilizers .. twice

Small farmer Joe  does farm  organic

 GMO ,s. no kidding:It  makes him panick

Some "farmers market" are lacking local growers

Instead  they have summoned  jewellers and grocers

Its all about trading : To buy and sell

For  its business  usual.Does It ring a bell!!?

As an urban farmer who battled with draught and recently with the white fly ,I like to share with you a lesson from history "The potato Irish Famine and some tips from my experience as an urban farmer in the Tropics.

First, here is a story for   farmers to learn  from .I Qoute it from HEIRLOUM SOLUTIONS ,FYI :

Qoute:"Here in the United States, we're spoiled. Food is cheap. I know it's hard to believe, given what you've probably been paying for groceries lately. But it's true. Even with rising food prices, we still pay a smaller percentage of our income for food than residents of just about any other country in the world. But the farming system that helps keep our food costs down also puts us at great risk. It's the same farming system that caused the Irish Potato Famine. And we all know what the result of that was -- 12 percent of the Irish starved to death. Millions more suffered the debilitating long-term health effects of severe malnutrition. If an event of the same magnitude happened in the United States today, we'd be talking about over 37 million lives lost.
What is this farming system -- and why did it cause the Irish Potato Famine? One word: monoculture. In case you're not familiar with the term, it simply means growing a single crop over a wide area. That's the very picture of how we grow food here in America today. Just take a drive through Idaho, and you'll see what I mean. You can drive past potato fields for hours on end until you want to scream from the monotony.
 
Today's monoculture farming put us at risk for major crop failure just as it did in the days of the Irish Potato Famine.

Next time you're at the grocery store, count how many varieties of potatoes you find. In mine, there are only three. Russets, Red, and Yukon Gold. Why so few? Because those are the three varieties that grow well in today's industrial agricultural operations. It's an economic decision. By planting just one variety over wide swaths of land, growers can streamline their operations and make more profits.
In Ireland in the 1840s, two thirds of the Irish population depended upon agriculture for their very survival. They lived on the land but didn't own it. Instead, they worked for their landlords in exchange for a plot of land to grow their families' food. Working the land demanded long, hard hours, and they needed a crop that was easy to grow in quantity. That crop was potatoes. In 1845, the Irish planted over 2 million acres of potatoes.
Potatoes were actually a New World crop brought back to Europe in the late 1500s. They caught on very quickly, and it's no wonder. Potatoes are, for the most part, pretty easy to grow. You dig a hole, drop in a potato, throw some dirt on it, and walk away. Occasionally, as the potato grows, you throw a little more dirt on it. Three months later, you've got a potato harvest. Potatoes originally started out as a delicacy grown in the gardens of the gentry. But by the early 1700s, they were a staple food of farm laborers and the poor.
For over a hundred years, potatoes were a staple crop and formed a major part of the diet for a huge portion of the population. By 1840, potatoes were the only significant source of food for 3 million Irish. Until 1845, that is. That was the year potato blight struck. Potato blight was actually Phytophthora infestans, a fungus-like infection that attacked the plants and actually caused them to ferment. First, the leaves turned black and curled up, and then began to rot. The tubers often looked perfectly normal on the outside, but were rotten on the inside. The disease spread quickly through windborne spores. One infected plant could infect thousands more in a matter of days. The blight spread at the rate of 50 miles a week or more. The whole countryside reeked of rot.
In 1845, up to half of the entire country's potato harvest was lost. In 1846, three quarters of it was lost. The Irish population fell by almost 25 percent as a million people died from starvation and over a million left the country.
Today, with all our technology and scientific advancements, we're making the same mistake the Irish did almost 200 years ago. We practice monoculture. Wheat, corn, and soy are the 21st century equivalent of yesteryear's Irish potato. We plant over 60 million acres of wheat each year, and over 70 million each of corn and soy. We're making the same mistake with potatoes too; U.S. potato production encompasses over a million acres. It would take just one disease with the same kill rate as Phytophthora infestans to cause a major collapse of US agriculture.
Eight Potato Varieties That Reduce Your Risk of Crop Losses
At Heirloom Solutions, we are the very antithesis of monoculture. The Bible tells us "Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth." (Ecclesiastes 11:2) If the Irish had heeded this wisdom and planted several varieties of potatoes, history would tell a very different story. " Unqoute.

Now back to the White Fly.There is an infestation that is endangering agriculture and vegetation in general in South Florida.It is the WHITE FLY .I have seen it and battled with it.There are infestations and more than just a white fly some name it as a spiral white fungus .

We need to drastically address this challenge in a way different from what we did with the CANKER disease that wiped out plenty of citrus trees and mainly ended up eradicating many of HEALTHY CITRUS trees as a collateral as well!!!

Here are some green solutions for defearting the white fly:

Hose the area affected with WF infestation early morning .Spray with an incecticidal soap.Spray with NEEM oil water solution .If infestation is SYSTEMIC, cut down tree or vegetation.NEED More solutions? Pls visit  :

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7531721_organic-white-flies-tomato-plants.html

 http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-the-Whitefly

Most of us will roses for a loved one this Valentines day.Before you rush to the flower shop ask yourself this question: Are the roses treated with herbicides,pesticides ,fertilizers and are they safe to SMELL them?

More details and info at:

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5575661_pesticides-used-rose-bushes.html

Rose water ,rose oil ,essential oil of roses make an alternative gift to your loved one if you opt to say no to GMO and pesticides treated roses..

Happy Valentines day

1-New comers to S.Florida first common mistake is to garden as if they are still home up north.Wake up call:Please forget about using a fork to dig out the SAND.Your soil HELLO is SANDY.So , start to learn how to prepare yopur own SOIL FREE of NEMATODES!

2-Upon deciding to grow plants in containers: Please refrain from adding STONES at the bottom of the container like you do UPNORTH.The stones will bake the root system of your plants!

3-Do not grow the usual crops as you do up north.Florida has a different HARDINESS Zone .Follow the guidlines of the new USDA Agiculture zones issued recently and learn to grow what is locally acceptable crops and not what you used to grow at a different zone.

4-Do not water your plants when sun is at peak or temperature so HOT.Water will evaporate soon.Learn to irrigate before sun rise and after sundown.More tips at our ongoing Organic Gardenning Classes , visit:localharvest.org/farms/M20618

It is not too late to learn how to grow your own food and medicinal herb garden.
Now people are rushing more than ever to learn the process of being self sufficient after being hit hard in their pockets.
We have ongoing organic gardening classes that suits your budget and we can help you jump start a garden from scratch !
Are you still procrastinating and hybernating ?
 
Here is one reputable web site to WAKE YOU UP and convince you why it is important to start a garden and grow your own food:
 
http://www.naturalnews.com/038782_self-sufficiency_collapse_preparedness.html
 
Take it from a horticulturist expert .It take time ,effort,space,budget,and LEARNING to start a garden.Rushing to the garden center to buy accessories and materials will not be enough.First you need to learn the Organic Gardenning Process of growing food in the TROPICS , especially if you live in South Florida.
 
Here are the basics that you need to consider:
 
1-Start small , preferably growing in containers from seeds.Shoose HEIRLUM seeds  or buy seedlings from a local Urban Farmer or a reliable source that does not use chemical fertilizers .If you have no access for land check out a community garden near you.For a listing of community gardens in Palm Beach County contact us for suggestions and advice.
2-Sign up for an organic Gardenning Class offered by  a local  urban farmer near you.We offer ongoing Organic Gardenning Classes .More details at "Mark Your Calender" -Natural Awakening Magazine-PBC edition , or simply visit:
 
localharvest.org/farms/M20618
 
3-Look for recycled containers before you buy new ones.Here are the best recycled containers to choose from:Municipal old recycling bins-used nursery pots-old bath tubs-old terra cotta.Best purchased containers are: Half wine barrels or natural non treated wooden boxes-Remember thatS. Florida is a tropical region with exessive heat and best for your root system plants are wooden containers that retain moisture and cool the root system.
 
4-Prepare your own soil:Use mainly composted manure,compost recycled from your yard and kitchen.Add ammendments to enrich soil and add nutrients from Organic sources like:Bone and blood meal.sea weed,horse manure ,coffee grounds ,fish emulsion,worm castings etc ..
 
5-Soil testing for proper Ph:Plants usually prefer a nutral Ph to grow between 5.5 and 6.5.Usually the soil at the coastal areas are acidic .Add calcium and lime to offset the acidity and make the soil more alkaline .I beleive that we need to focus more attention on TRACE MINERALS like Magnesium,sulfur,boron,zinc stc..What we have learned from the mainstream horticultural schools and Agri-business is to utterly deal with N-P-K formula of Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium.In Europe they have been paying more attention to minerals and we need to heed the new approach by the Europeans!
 
6-The Golden Rule usually is :Those who have the gold Rule??Right..Well, it does not work that easy when you want to follow the Organic Gardenning process which rules that Natural Laws Rule.Among these laws are to use Organic sources especially to keep adding ORGANIC MATTER...The rest is keep MAINTAING the garden and never abandon it .Plants are like people.They demand ATTENTION and TLC.Try to neglect a loved one and see what follows???

From an experienced horticulturist  point of fiew(20 years of community urban farming in S.Florida), I asum up the Pros and challenges as follows.

A:The Pros-

1)Urban Farming as a THERAPY:I have been interviewed by the Sun-sentinel back in 2008 and the topic was :Gardening as a THERAPY!People who grow their own food have access to  fresh food which supports nutritional health, decreases susceptibility to illnesses and overall reduces the burden on the health care system ,inhancing IMMUNE SYSTEM and offcourse shrinking  the doctors and grocery bill by reducing STRESS.

 2)Spreading GREEN AWARENESS and SUSTAINABILITY!I have fascilitated classes on Organic Urban Farming at colleges(Palm BeachState College-Green Expo 2011,Cities,Churches,Wellness centers,Firefighters group,Scouts,Homeowners etc..).I am indebted to Natural Awakening Magazine and localharvest.org for their support .You may find out about ongoing classes by visiting:localharvest.org/farms/M20618.Or by checking out the Natural Awakening Magazine-Palm Beach edition"Mark your calender".The community garden has inspired me to reach out for those who want to grow their own food and did not have access for land , just like myself.Swinton Community Garden is the latest community garden I am involved with and it has been a great experience for the last four years and going.Thank you SCG!

I fascilitated Composting classes at the city of Lake Worth from 2010-2011.The composting program was was created to reduce waste especially coming from the kitchen and the GARDEN INTO THE lAND FILL  AND RECYCLE IT INSTEAD INTO COMPOST AT THE BACKYARD GARDEN .

3)Community Urban Farming can create GREEN JOBS:I personally MADE A LIVING FROM 2001 TO 2008 from ONE OF MY LARGER  COMMUNITY GARDENS   and created a network of CSA back then , before it was turned into a LAND FILL in 2009!

Community gardens can be a significant source of food and income for members. This is especially helpful for families and individuals without JOBS or  land .

 4)Community Gardens are a venue for cultural DIVERSITY and PRODUCTIVE community social interaction between local  officials and the public.

Community garden projects give community members the opportunity to work side-by-side, regardless of cultural background ,ethnicity,nationality,religion etc...

Studies show that legal immigrants  produced traditional crops that are otherwise unavailable locally.Community gardens does not have a generation gap ,mixing youth and adults together. 

Community gardens bring officials and local residents closer.In a recent volunteer work ,two weeks ago ,at the Hollywood community garden project, I met a local commissioner Mr.Pete Hernandez.Upon explaining to him that the soil is lacking nutrients and full of pebbles and debris , he invited me to accompany him to chose a fertile soil which he donated into the garden as a good will gesture to help improve the status of the community garden under construction.Studies have shown that areas with above average green vegetation have less graffiti and littering, and lower crime rates .People caring for their neighborhoods learn how to care about each others from growing their own food to beautifying their community with flowers and greenery.I personally experienced that while volunteering at the Chief Sitting Bull garden in Lake Worth and Carver Community Garden IN Delray.Both gardens do not exist anymore unfortunately!

5)Community gardens can turn neighborhoods infested with crime, into safe communities.They can be a good food source for soup kitchens.I personally donated crops from my community garden to the Caring Kitchen from 2001 till 2008.Giving back to our community through volunteering at community garden and donating crops to soup kitchens help enrich our community spirit and nourish so many who are in dire need for food.

B)The Challenges-

1-Out of 10 community gardens I tended for the last ten years two are still existing while one  was  available for sale and the other one  has already downsized!Many reasons among the short term life of community gardens among which:Sale for developers,repocession by owner,failure of members to maintain the garden,lack of funding ,convert site into landfill,abandonment,etc.. 

2-Community gardens being used as platforms for political agendas.Some join to boost their community Organization resume references,others to assume and boost a socialist profile,and many just to experiment their green nostalgia then quit after finding out that it takes sweat and gets their hands dirty...

Locally speaking:This is the first time I come across so many sneezing and coughing , may be because I am taking more trips on the bus and the train..How about you and the Flu?Have you noticed that there is a scare going on GLOBALLY ,but not locally!!!.

With the absence of health insurance to many especially farmers and the unemployed or underemployed, one needs to gaurd his or her health .Knowledge and courage play an important role by spreading the AWARENESS and stressing the HERBAl SOLUTIONS.The  fight or flight response to sustain life naturally directs us to look for NATURAL solutions ESPECIALLY USING herbal medicine .FARMERS , GARDENERS AND HERBALISTS NOW  can educate the public from their experience with growing herbs and using them as FOOD   that help the immune system,beside vaccination offcourse!.Disclaimer:The information listed here is for educational purposes only and not to treat ,prevent or diagnose any disease .Consult with your health provider who is the only authority to help you incase you seek treatment for any medical condition.

To start with the EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS:Here is  what the MedWeb  tells us about the Symptoms of the Swine Flu FYI: I qoute:"

H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) - Symptoms

I am an ardent reader of the Old Farmers Almanac and The Natural News.Com.To take the preventive way to avioid the flu and prevent it, I am loading my diet with on Calamantine citrus,vitamin C,Chiken soap,Lemon grass,GARLIC,Rose hips and carrot juice!!!

I read The New York Times  today and they were reporting about how  they are MONITORING ,screeening visitors from Chicago at the South Korean Seaol Airport for gues what?Not illegal drugs,not arms...Simply THE FLU?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/us-usa-flu-idUSBRE9080WD20130111

An ounce of prevention is worth more than a ton of merdications as they say in old..We farmers have no luxury for insurance so we take our medicine from the garden and the food we grow organically offcource!By the way this information is presented for educational purposes only and it does not intend to diagnose or treart any disease and in doubt please check with your health practitioner and conside rall this educational material presented as science fiction or old folk medicine that has been labelled as QUACKERY  before ...and may be still considered so!But it is good to know anyway!!

Have you seen ,touched or smelled a flu  near you?Noticed someone sneazing or coughing? Are you concerned and do not favor  a flu shot because you are allergic to needles and hate pain feeling of needles penetrating your body, and would consider some Natural Remedies so easy to swallow or ingest instead?.Here are some flu fun suggestions from the OLd Farmers Almanac:

 http://www.almanac.com/content/natural-remedies-cold

 http://www.almanac.com/video/dirt-cure-winter-cough

More to know about combatting the flu?

 http://www.naturalnews.com/038689_flu_pandemic_home_remedies_influenza.html

For the new comer Organic Gardener Beginnners,  South Florida has its special approach .It is different but not difficult.What to expect from the learning process is to be prepared to implement "HANDS ON"what you learn.

1-There are new USDA zones now in place of the OLD Hardy Planting USDA zone ...Thanks to the climate change we have new guidelines of USDA Hardiness  zones .Check them out at:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=usda+zones&qpvt=usda+zones&FORM=IGRE

Remember to list and locate what are the best options for the draught tolerant plants,temp,etc..for your S.Florida Hot Zone garden and not to look for or apply an out of state USDA zone  like where you come from say for example UPSTATE NEW YORK!!!??

2-Plan a location in your garden and divide it into different parts like for fruit trees,vegetables,herbs etc...Remember to apply the XERISCAPING the right plant in the right place..like for example do not plant a water loving tree in an area that is so dry  or prone to draught and no access for water !!

3-Make an educated choice in choosing the type of garden:Raised beds with frames-Raised beds without frames-Container garden-Trenches-Hydroponic etc..Remember to adhere to Natural Laws in gardening.Natural laws are not man made or mandated.Get close to nature with an open mind to learn what is best as determined by the plants,climate and your location.

4-Be creative.Experiment.Ask questions.Work with other farmers and exchange experience and knowledge.

5-Check out the SOIL Ph of your garden..Most soil in South Coastal South Florida is Sandy and acidic...Leaern more about preparing your own soil if you do not want to struggle against nematodes and fight soil diseases or soil lack of nutrients.

6-SOIL.SOIL .SOIL:Make your own.Add organic ammendments.Add humus and organic matter.Add beneficial worms like mellipedes etc and keep your soil ALIVE .

7-Use PREVENTION in combatting plant disease rather than chemical and synthetic PESTICIDES.Remember to apply LIVING methods of AGRI- cultur .After all CHEMICAl fertiliZERS AND PESTICIDES HURT THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL OUR HUMAN BODY.BE AWARE OF USING GREEN WAYS IN GROWING YOUR GREENS!

8-Sign up for as many classes with  a LOCAL URBAN FARMER who teaches classes OUTDOORS in  the garden and not just in a classroom.Gardening is a HANDS ON approach , so learn it the hands on way..and be prepared to get your hands dirty into the SOIL .

9- Start small.Check with a health practioner before you do any pysical work.Hydrate.Wear garden gear.Be safe.LEARN and UseGARDEN  ERGONOMICS

10-Volunteer in community gardens.Donate food to soup kitchens.Share the harvest with neighbors and the needy. Support local urban farmers. on any way you can.

NB:If you live in S.Florida and you need help to learn the Tropical way of gardening or start a backyard garden, check out our classes and web blog at: localharvest.org/farms/M20618