COMINGS AND GROWINGS BLO Newsletter for June 2013 Summertime and the living is easy. June 1st puts us at 152 days into the year, but we can call it the beginning of summer, even though that officially begins June 21st, going by the Zodiac. I (GK) mark the seasons by the comings and goings of certain birds who know these things better than we. Starting Off the Year I used to mark the beginning of spring by the arrival of the Violet-Green Swallow, although we don’t get those here anymore. I’ll have to do something about that. I need to get some nest boxes up with openings sized small enough to keep out the pesky (and murderous) English Sparrow. Lately I was thinking they’re all about here, except the secretive Swainson’s Thrush, cousin to the American Robin. This drab little ground-hugging bird gives out calls that are truly musical and liquid sounding. They make evenings most enchanting, but they don’t show up until June. But then to make a mockery of me, the first (heard, of course, not seen) showed up on May 31st. How seldom do we stop to realize what a paradise we live in (or at least used to). Welcome back, brown songster. What’s Going On with the weather? I can’t recall a rainier May. Again, our gardens are being deprived of needed sunlight. Heat-loving plants like peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers are just standing still waiting for sunny skies and warmer weather. We have our cucurbits (cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins) out for sale at $2.00 in full 4 inch pots, just waiting for warmth that surely will appear, now that summer is here. Amazing Tomatoes – We still have tomato plants for sale at $3.00 in tall 3.5 inch pots, but these are headed back to get potted up to gallon size. What’s so amazing about these tomatoes is that they stand a foot or more tall in such a small pot without any need of staking. When your tomato plant can do that, you know it is well-grown and will take off and outgrow the competition, as soon as we get some warmer weather, like they get back in the Midwest in between tornadoes. Don’t Forget – We have a nice selection of perennial flowers and some herbs that could be just the thing to fill vacant spots in your flower beds or herb pots. Prices are $2.50 and $1.50. Red Worms are back in stock. Our worms are in recycled coffee bean bags and a perfect bedding that can hold them for weeks in prime condition. There is a pound of worms for $25.00, and enough to start off an average family worm bin. There’s even an instructional leaflet on how to make a worm bin and care for the worms. Also available is our BLOSSOM Brand Worm Grub, containing shrimpmeal and a blend of natural mineral powders to get the worms off to an extra healthy start. They are about 65% protein and make great chicken or fish food. Symphyllan and Nematode Control can be accomplished very effectively by stirring shrimpmeal into your garden soil. A fungus found in the shrimpmeal attacks these root-eating pests and does them in without harming earthworms. As a bonus, you are fertilizing your plants. Indeed, if you use Worm Grub you also supply a range of minerals for greater plant growth. All the good guys prosper and the bad guys get their due. Yet Another Reason to hate Monsanto and Syngenta are the GMO pesticides known as neo-nicotinoids that reportedly are responsible for devastating world bee populations, songbirds, probably frogs and aquatic invertebrates. This isn’t just sentimental stuff. Most of the fruit and much of the vegetables humans rely on for most of our daily food are dependent upon bees as pollinators. When there is nothing produced and nothing to eat, we might get concerned. Clueless in D.C. – Almost as distressing is the apparent ignorance or indifference of President Obama, who appointed former Monsanto executives to high posts in the USDA, and refuses to question what they are up to in this regard; at least that’s the report. These death-dealing corporations must be stopped. Europe is banning their products. Why don’t/can’t we? When I Was a Kid there was a silly little song we sang: “I went to the animal fair - - - the birds and the beasts were there - - - .” It won’t be long and the birds and bees won’t be there. And when they are gone, humans won’t be far behind. Stop the insanity! Monsanity? It’s the chemical farmers who are spreading these GMO pesticides that are so unnecessary. Agriculture must be changed before Silent Spring is our irreversible reality. We’ve got to get to Sustainability and Sensibility right away. A Better Way to Go (by far) is mineralized organics. Here’s one man’s experience: “People ask me why my raspberries are so fabulous and healthy. I say the reason is Black Lake Organic’s caneberry fertilizer [BLOOM No. 8].” A BLOSSOM Manifesto has been promulgated at BLO. The kick-off of the modern organic movement began 73 years ago, in 1940, with the publication of Sir Albert Howard’s An Agricultural Testament. Below is a testament for a new era of sustainability that was introduced for the recent Mother Earth News Fair; note the first bullet point: Entering The BLOSSOM Era Concepts and Products for Achieving Real Sustainability · Agriculture’s sane Future Path · Far beyond ordinary Organics · Adding the mineral dimension · Creating ideal soil nutrient balance · Growing highest nutrient-dense foods · Striving for maximal health · Restoring and improving soils · Safeguarding Earth’s environment · Aiding a return to the land
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:30:17 +0000
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