Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

1-Recycle your and "their" -to be trashed PRODUCE/KITCHEN FOOD SCRAPP.Ask your local neighborhood health food store/supermarket/barn/restaurant etc,if they like to save their unwanted food scrapp ,for you to  compost. Otherwise...you know what to do!

2- Commute on foot/on a bike/in a bus/car pool.Take a break from your car.Give a break to the  earth.Do not burn fossil fuel!Do not smoke.Do not drink and drive.

3-Give away your unwanted:Absolete/idle/stored/dust accumulating treasures like old shoes, old refrigerator,bike,clothes.In this Economic meltdown ,there are hidden lines of "HAVE NOTS" displaced human beings.So, give them a hand .I suggest Garage sales or Church Rummage for better affordable delivery!

3-Replace your inefficient lawn with a productive veggie garden.Or even join a community garden if you have no back/front yard.Garden in containers , the least, if none of the above exist! 

4-Install the following:

 a) A rain barrel irrigation system to save on the water bills and survive the draught in S.Florida.

b) A solar panel electric and water heating system.Green energy is the new fashion.Wear it!

5-Buy locally grown produce ,if possible  switch to ORGANIC!

6-If you are a farmer, fascilitate a workshop or attend one on promoting the awareness of green energy/organic and locally grown produce .

7-Volunteer at a local community garden/soup kitchen/church/csa/farm/earth day or green events.

8-Do no harm to yourself/others/environment by following the NATURAL ONE AND ONLY ONE LAW: LOVE.An avallanche of laws were created as we broke this one law...Business as usual is not THE motto for EARTH DAY.GREEN and SIMPLE LIVING IS!

9-Do NOTHING .BUY NOTHING.SHUT OFF ELECTRIC.TURN OFF TV.Switch off your cell phone.GO OUTDOORS .TAKE A NAP in the garden.Spend the day in NATURE.HUG A TREE,a friend ,a stranger.Use eye contact to connect!WE ARE ONE WITH THE EARTH .IT IS OUR HOME for now and for later ,when we depart to the other side!Our first HOME was in the garden so will be our last one!RESPECT the soil by refraining from polluting with your hands/mouth or any other means!

10-Reward yourself .Be with your family at the  dinner table,at a park or visit a family member/friend .Schedule a massage treatment to yourself or a loved one. LEARN HOW TO RELAX...in NATURE.TAKE A LOT OF DEEP BREATHS...BE CALM!BE GOOD!

Have A Healthy Happy Earth Day

Tony :)

Alternative Community Farmer

How to make your own BASIC ORGANIC COMPOST in South Florida?

Most of us were shocked when we first hit the ground trying to grow vegetables in South Florida .The reason:SANDY SOIL.

There are so many ways to amend or even replace whatever found in the ground.

I personally opted to prepare my own ORGANIC COMPOST and soil after so many trials and errors of more than FIFTEEN years of HANDS ON Community gardening and farming in South Florida .Practice makes perfect .The ones who make mistakes are the ones who accomplish by DOING! Do not be intimidated by lack of knowledge. Follow the LEARNING CURVE! EXPERIMENT and EXPLORE!

I found in times of food safety issues and uncertainty to take the most untravelled road prompted by my own instinct and learned experience. Here are some suggestions if you choose to make your own Organic Compost and thereby Organic Soil.

Always start small to learn the process. Allocate, first, a safe location for the compost pile or get a compost bin .Remove any existing sod or weeds from the spot you chose to be your composting area .Cover with sticks/leaves or mulch for aeration.

Start by compiling and collecting the brown and green manure first on a nearby spot.

A-Brown Manure: Consists of natural CARBON rich materials like: Saw dust, dried leaves, dry plants like sea weed, mulch...etc. Avoid using sick plants or weeds with seeds.

Here is a list of suggestions for sources of Brown Matter or Manure ready to be buried:

1-Coffee-paper filter and grounds /tea bags.

2-Newspapers/junk mail/paper towels and toilet paper rolls!

3-Old rugs/clothes made from Natural cotton .linen or wool. No polyester or plastic clothes please!

B-Green Manure: Consists of NITROGEN rich materials like: Kitchen food scraps, acceptable animal manure (I personally use cured /aged horse manure) and meals like blood and bone meals from a non-cow source for being PICKY!Grain /legume meals like alfalfa, flax, corn, soybean etc...

Here is another list of suggestions for more sources of Green Manure:

1-Egg shells/Seashells/ Coconut shredded shells/other nuts shells!

2-Feathers and hair. No animal meat products, whatsoever!

3-Expired Organic dairy products: Milk/Soymilk, yogurt and cheese!

4-Expired cans of NATURALLY brewed beer/Expired brewers yeast .No soda drinks or any other drinks with added additives /chemicals or colors, please! REMEMBER:

The secret keyword for composting is: R E C Y C L E!

For more info on future events /blog /etc, please visit us at:

www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618