THE FOOD POLICE ARE NOT A JOKE!!!

I CONSIDER THIS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO INCLUDE IN MY BLOG. PLEASE READ AND HELP FIGHT THIS VERY DANGEROUS BILL TO CONTROL OUR FREEDOM OVER THE FOOD WE GROW AND EAT.....


HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment
Freeze! Maam... we're here to confiscate your tomatoes!
Friday, March 26, 2009 Health Freedom Alliance

This bill (HR 875 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c1112RD9bb:e11439: is sitting in committee and I am not sure when it is going to hit the floor. One thing I do know is that very few of the Representatives have read it. As usual they will vote on this based on what someone else is saying. Urge your members to read the legislation and ask for opposition to this devastating legislation. Devastating for everyday folks but great for factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.
I have no doubt that this legislation is being heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property seized. It will effect anyone who produces food. Even if they grow for personal consumption. It will literally put many independent farmers and food producers out of business with the huge sums of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. It will enable them to be very selctive in who they want to harass. And of course the cries injustice will go unheard because its just 'one grower' who will be lambasted in the media as a 'danger' to the community. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a variety of harassment from this completely new agency. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food... for our own protection of course.
The more people who read this legislation the more insight we are going to get and be able to share. Post your observations and insights. Urge your members to read this legislation and to oppose it! ANY FORM OF IT! Find out more and Take Action! Remember it always starts moderate and becomes increasingly draconian... More >>> http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/crimminalizing-organic-and-home-growers/

LOTUS

Lotus. The very name evokes visions of a southeast Asian garden with vines clamoring up tall tropical trees and the lovely Lotus flower rising up above the water reaching for the sun. The round leaves beading up the rainwater as it softly splashes down from the tall canopy above the black reflecting pond.

Every year I start new Lotus plants from seed and this year is no exception. I love to grow them in containers of all kind from the lowly plastic tub to tall urns with an Asian motif painted on the ceramic glazed surface.

Lotus can be grown either from rhizomes or seed. I do both, but I enjoy the thrill of growing from seed the most. It is like giving birth for the first time. It is a wonder and a joy all in one.

Lotus have a rock hard shell of a seed coat and in order to get the seeds to germinate you must nick that seed coat somehow. I prefer to use a stone bit on my Dremel tool as it works the best I have found. It's quick and sure and only take a little practice to get it right.

The whole point of nicking the seed is to expose the pale beige coloring of the cotyledon from which the germination will take place. It is not my intention to give a lesson here. Go to http://www.victoria-adventure.org/ for in-depth instructions on growing Lotus and Water Lilies.

I grow many different colors of Lotus here at the jungle. My favorite I guess, is the large leafed Lotus from southeast Asia. (nucifera) The seed is a bit bigger than the American Lotus and has an oval shape to it. It is not hardy even here in southern Alabama and has to be brought into a heated sun room or greenhouse to over-winter if I want it to flower.

Check out the link in this post and you will get hooked on growing some of the 700 Lotus, too!

Pond Almighty!

It was a beautiful Sunday and Db and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon working outside getting ready for the summer season.

Ornamental grasses were cut down to the ground, swing set was taken down so new chains could be purchased this week, old shutters out of an antebellum home that were sitting out front for a couple weeks were moved into one of the sheds. Exhausting but invigorating day!

Around 3:00 a load of Chad's friends drove in from town for an afternoon of fishing and relaxing. The young men were kind enough to see that our cement table top was on the ground and the umbrella in the woods where a tornado last summer touched down. Way too heavy for us to move without a lot of strong arms.

My big truck tires are filled with compost and should be ready to plant herbs in a few weeks now that the heat is here. I have strawberries in one, potatoes in another, and the other three will be planted with culinary herbs for my recipes.

I hope your Sunday was just as nice! Later gator!

Square Foot Gardening

I am a huge fan of Square Foot Gardening. It just makes so much sense and is lovely to look at, too!

When Mel Bartholomew first came out with his first printing of this book way back when he had me hooked from the start. He also had a show on Square Foot Gardening on PBS if memory serves. Wish I could get copies of those tapes!

In this day and age when being frugal with all of our resources is more important than ever, his system just makes perfect sense. It saves time, labor, water, and does not have to take any fossil fuels in order to re-till it every year. If you combine Mel's theories with the theories in the Lasagna Gardening book, you have a perfect combination for any and all gardeners. It doesn't matter if you are into doing it with the squares as he suggests or if you garden in containers. It's all the same and it will all work together very well.

I highly suggest picking up a copy of both these books. I can guarantee that you will reach for them time and time again in your gardening daze ahead. Want it now? Just click on the Amazon.com link below and it will take you right to the book section. Be sure and let me know how you enjoyed these books by placing a comment on my blog...later gator!

Yes, It Snowed Sunday

And no, I didn't get any pics of the inch that fell. Was definitely pretty, but was glad it didn't stick around more than a few hours. I am NOT a snow bunny by any stretch of the imagination.

I am getting into high gear with the spring gardens and have been since mid February. Potatoes planted, Strawberries transplanted, green peas, onions, greens, all are underway.

Let's hear what you are planting/doing in your gardens!!!! Leave your info in the comment box below. Later gator..deb

Micro Eco-Farming

I recently purchased the book, Micro Eco-Farming by Barbara Berst Adams. So far I have read it from cover to cover three times. Why, you ask? I guess because it describes my own life. Making a living from my own place by doing what I do best. Soon, my dh will join me here to do what he does best.

Micro Eco-Farming is sustainablly living on your own property, no matter how small, and managing to make a living for yourself and or your family. It is being done all over the country and world but is just now becoming noticed. It is not for everyone, but those who are not afraid of hard work and do not want to have a boss hanging over their shoulder 8-10 hours a day, it is a dream job!

Those who read my posts on a regular basis know that I grow rare plants for plant collectors and bonsai enthusiasts. I also make garden art under the pseudonym, 'Lenora', sell my home baked cookies and other delectable, in a tiny gift/tea cottage next to my greenhouse and love to talk "dirt". I also sell a wonderful plant elixir that I developed myself over the past 40 years that will provoke miracles in sickly plants or new cuttings.

My dh is an auto body shop owner and has built a 30' X 50' shop next to my greenhouse and cottage that resembles a red barn. He is moving here shortly to semi-retire at stb 65 in August. To retire completely is in neither of our vocabularies.

I am not going to give anything away on the above mentioned book, but I highly recommend you read it if you are wanting to "live the good life". You won't be sorry. It will give you the encouragement and ideas you need to step out of the mainstream and step into another realm. Small, interesting, and inexpensive so give it a read.

*I have no connection with the author and am receiving no renumerations for mentioning her book here.

Mother Earth News

Received my latest issue of MEN the other day and of course I read it from cover to cover in the bathtub. (my favorite "library") I am glad to see that the magazine has gone back to it's roots because for some years in the 90's it really got lost in the "yuppie" movement to the point that I stopped subscribing or ever reading it. I would like to know when it went back to it's old ways so I could catch up on those issues. If any of my readers knows, please let me know in the comments section here on my blog. TIA!

How I would love to be able to incorporate some of the alternative energy sources subscribed to in MEN. The best I can do is open the blinds in my sons south facing window on a sunny day in winter and get some passive heat into our mostly East/West facing home. Better than nothing, though, as I am able to keep 3/4 of the mobile home warm that way here in southern Alabama. Our electric bills in this all-electric home are terrible in the winter, running about 300.00 in December and January so far. I hope and pray that February is not a cold month.

The sun is trying to peak out today and it will be a big help since it is only in the 50's. Unfortunately, it is not burning off the overcast sky like I hoped. It is now 10:11 AM and still mostly cloudy.

The days are now over thirty minutes longer than they were a month ago and that makes me thrilled. I look for this every winter because I know that the sun is higher in the sky and that causes everything to start waking up here in the deep south. My poor Forsythia bush by the dock is blooming it's head off and has been for the past week. It's in a protective spot where it enjoys a micro-climate position. I also have a Chinese Fan Palm tree and tropical Bambusa in that spot but neither can stay evergreen throughout the winter. They do come back in late spring but will never be at their best because of the die back every year.

This is it for today so later gator!

Happy New Year

Well, it has been a hell of a week! We had to take our little nine year old Chihuahua mix to the vet the day after Christmas. She had developed an infection of her uterus that was so bad that she ended up infected in her pancreasis, liver, and kidneys! We thought we were going to lose her for sure but the wonderful Vet, Dr. Trotter, in Prattville pulled her through and I finished the healing process with my homeopathics and herbal remedies. Now she is almost back to her old self. No, she was not a "breeder". My husband in his innocent ignorance, just couldn't stand the thought of her going through a painful surgery when she was younger....guess what? She ended up having to have a complete hysterectomy anyway! Hard lesson to learn, eh?

I have no desire to make any New Years Resolutions as one never sticks to them so why bother. I will be 60 on Groundhogs Day so I am just thankful to still be alive and kicking and will take what comes along with as much grace as I can and help those I am able with as much zeal as I can. You can't do more than that.

The economy has really struck us here in Alabama like many of the US. When I think of how inept our government is in handling the country, it sickens me to my stomach; and I mean this "literally", not figuratively. Crooks, sex addicts, demons....that is what is running this country right now.

Our country is now a Plutocracy and has been for quite a few generations. Of course not many people study up on governments and what each entails so the word would seem foreign to most folks. Look it up and learn!!!! You will see that I am right on this.

Gardening:

I guess I am going to expand the gardens this year in order to supply as much of our food stuff as possible. Even Db is hyped up on this project. He is not a big vege eater, but I am and will try and make sure to get as much growing as possible to help stretch the meager food budget we find for ourselves now. With food prices doubling in the past year, it has been very difficult for us. If I had the pasture land, I would definitely raise a couple of beef cows, but that is not an option here on our wetlands. I could raise a couple of pigs, but Db will not hear of it. Too bad. Since he was a butcher in his younger years, he could have even done the butchering....unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Db is soft hearted as mush.

I will leave you here now from warm but overcast southern Alabama till next time. God's blessings on you and yours, Amen!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!

I hope that everyone is having a good Christmas day. I am thankful for much on this day and most of all that our Lord and Savior was "born" on this day. Yes, I know it is not the true date of his birth, but I really don't think he cares when we celebrate it, do you? He loves us all the same.

Although the economy is effecting us as well as many, many, people around the world, I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads and that soon Db will be moving his in-town shop out here to our homestead. The electric company surprised us with a hookup two days ago; we really didn't think they would get to us until after the New Year! Such a blessing!

The weather today is plenty warm, though overcast. It is near 80 and still. We have been getting plenty of rain of late and the pond is back up to it's normal level. I bet the fish are happy as fish can be. (big smile)

One of our good friends was out here this morning fishing off the dock-gazebo with our son, Chad while I was inside baking up a bunch of my world famous sugar cookies. Db was watching a movie with our daughter-in-law. I went outside to the dock to give Roger a Christmas container filled with my fresh baked cookies for he and his wife when all of a sudden we heard Chad yell out, or should we just say, "scream" and almost drop his fishing pole in the pond. One of our geese.........Mr. Goose Lee bit him on his butt!!!! LOL! We all got a good laugh out of that one watching him try and pull his baggie "grunge" jeans up and watch his pole while watching his back so that he didn't get bit again. Needless to say, he didn't last fishing much longer!

Well, it is 2:30 now and the kids went over to my daughter in laws families home for Christmas dinner and I am going to go take a hot bath with a good book before I have to take the Lasagna out of the oven and make the garlic bread with the homemade French bread I also made this morning.

Merry Christmas one and all! deb in Alabama

MY SHRUB PLANTING SECRET REVEALED!!!

I need to plant a hedge on the other side of our driveway across from Db's new shop. There is a chain link fence there and a neighbors house. There are way too many tree roots to dig holes for the plants but I found out a long time ago a different way to get plants started in inhospitable areas. Yes, it was an accident, but a happy accident.

What is this secret? Simple; just set the plants on top of the ground in their pots with the bottoms cut out.

I am going to do a combination of Leyland Cypress and other fast growing evergreen shrubs such as Thuja Green Giant for this stretch of about 200'. To plant all of one plant species or cultivar in an area is inviting problems with disease and insects hoards. I will be sprinkling some good compost and root stimulator in the area where the pots will sit in order to make the roots want to grow into the compost and down into the ground. The area is quite fertile as it is after decades of leaf drop so the bushes should be quite happy there.

Once the shrubs are rooted well into the ground in a couple of years I will cut off the pots and surround the root ball that is above the ground with a bunch of straw and leaves. Eventually, it will settle down into the surrounding ground and continue to grow on far past my lifetime.

Almost There...

I was quite surprised when the crew came out with-in two days to finish the construction of the shop. They built the paint booth and put the gutters on, finishing up with everything we had contracted for.

Now it is time to get the water run inside the shop and the electric and lights as well as a small deck for the compressors to sit on outside in the back of the shop. Db is thrilled so far.

A Common Question

People often ask me why we decided to place our manufactured home in the position we did. Actually, we didn't have any choice!

Our ten acre plot is mostly wetland woods. The county engineer told us where we could put the raised septic system and the home. In order to hook up the homes plumbing to the raised septic system, it had to be placed in the manner in which you see it.

Because our driveway is so long; (500') we decided to put in a circular turn-a-round out front. Did I want it this close to our home? NO! Does it have any good qulalities? YES, it is not as far to carry groceries.

In the center of the turn-a-round is a grove of five different species of Phyllostachys bamboo. P. nigra 'Henon', P. vivax, P. nigra 'Punctata', P. vivax , P. vivax 'Aureocaulis', P. aureosulcata.

Across the drivway bordering our neighbors chainlink fence is P. Aurea. I could not understand why the bamboo was not flourising as it is well known to do until I realized the electric company was sneaking in and spraying it right under the electric lines. Of course when I found out I was engraged and promised all kinds of retribution which have never come to fruition. They not only have kept the boo from flourising with this poison, they also totally killed a mixed shrub border that grew there. I have found that whatever they used must have been on the order of AGENT ORANGE because NOTHING will grow there now...not even weeds.

Mankind, in it's complete stupidity, will be the one to destroy it's own future as well as all animal and plant life here on earth. You can take THAT to the bank!

BAMBOO'S LOVING ARMS

This is one of the groves of bamboo that protects our home as well as our small guest cottage. It is Semiarundinaria fastuosa and is about 25' tall.

I have watched this boo literally bend to the ground and snap right back in hurricanes and tornadoes, breaking up the winds and protecting like the loving arms of a mother. It is a Godsend to mankind and needs to be used more for other than it's beauty.

SHOP IS COMPLETED...FINALLY!

Finally, at least the outside of the shop is done; well, almost. Still needs gutters which will be put on in a few more weeks. The inside is still needing the paint booth finished, electricity and lights. Db figures he can fit six cars inside but will not be doing as much as he used to since he is going into semi-retirement. Can any middle class in the US afford to totally retire anymore?

Shop Is Moving Along

It's a shame the way Americans have no ambition to work at manual labor in this day and age. I imagine much of it comes from the terrible drug problems we have in this country. Too many young people have nothing on their minds but getting high or stoned on the many available illegal drugs out there. What a waste of a life!

It has been taking us forever to get our shop built because the contractor cannot get enough qualified help. Because of this almost ten days went by since this pic was taken and today when they finally started working on it again. Soon the rains will be here and then it will be difficult to get trucks in here with gravel for the parking and driveways. I hope they get a move on as it is supposed to start raining the next three days.

As far as gardening goes, I have planted one flat of pansies but need to buy more as it was not nearly enough. I usually plant hundreds of pansies every fall to give us a splash of color throughout the chiller months of the year . It brings such a lift to the spirits to walk out side in the morning and see the pansies smiling faces to greet you. Db, definitely appreciates them and compliments me on them every year.

I have been potting up tons of Agave's for the spring nursery sales. I only grow to sell that which I love myself. I see no reason to grow plants I'm not totally passionate about.

Well, I am pooped out and a nice, relaxing bath is calling me so later gator!...

PS: Ignore dates on my pics as I forget to change the camera's calendar setting when I remove the batteries for charging. OOOOOOOOOOOP's!!!!

PAPER WASPS

WASPS! The very name brings fear and shivers to some who are afraid of these small, soldiers of the garden. Such a shame!

I have a large back porch on the back of our home of about 30' X 18'. It has a high railing and lattice all around so that when our grands were little we didn't have to worry about them tumbling off on visits. Now the youngest is 8 and that is not a worry anymore, but I still love the look of it.

The roof of the porch is white coated aluminum and paper wasps love to use the corners as nesting spots from spring through fall and even beyond. (these wasps will hatch throughout winter during our frequent warm spells) I guess this season I have close to twenty nests all over the porch not counting what is under the porch. "ARE YOU NUTS?" you say? Naw! Just smart!

I grow many, many, plants on my porch every year as part of my nursery operation and for my own gardens and pots/baskets. The railing is a perfect place to place large flats of seedlings or cuttings as well as the floor itself. Because of all these young plants, insect damage would normally be a big problem, but not for me. Why? Because I allow the paper wasps to live in peace on my porch and their favorite diet is BUGS!

While other people are ordering Lady Bugs and every other insect eating bug out there at $$$, I am sitting back and letting the paper wasps take care of my plants. They do a better job of keeping my plants bug free than any insecticide could ever do and for free!

People ask me, "Well, aren't you afraid of getting stung?" NOPE! Those wasps are just busy taking care of business and have no interest in messing with me. I sit out there and talk with my daughter in GA once a week with nary a problem. I had my grands all summer and they would do crafts out there without the wasps bothering them in the slightest. I have taught the kids that if they don't bother the wasps then the wasps won't bother them. It's true! All they want to do is live in peace and do their thing. Too bad humans couldn't be so easy to get along with, eh? Later gator!

FALL

Fall may be here but the heat is still on here in southern Alabama. Hot and humid days in the mid to upper 80's but is still better than our usual mid to upper 90's. I just can't take the heat anymore due to health problems.

Db's shop is finally going up but it is a slow and frustrating process due to the contractors labor issues. Just like Db, he can't find any good help anymore. No one wants to do any physical labor in this day and age. Of course part of the problem is out there in the news every day and I won't go there in this blog. I do have another blog where I share my own personal political opinions, but not here.

I am in the process of moving tropicals inside now as once in awhile the temps drop to the mid 50's. Some of my tropicals are so tender that they would not be able to even take 50's, so I'm just doing the move now. It takes about a week to get them all situated inside for the winter. I basically do a "six months in-six months out" rotation even though many could stay out a couple more months.

I have started the fall/winter veges in pots that I grow outside. Leaf lettuce of all kinds, some root crops such as Turnips, radish, etc.. then other greens such as Mustard, Collards, Spinach, and of course Garlic.

My hot peppers are still producing and I am collecting them daily and putting them in a baggie in the freezer to use in my cooking throughout the fall/winter. There is nothing that will spice up a pot of soup, stew, or chili like a hot pepper of any kind. I grow Jalapenos, and Chili's, all in pots.

Db is getting the Annual Rye Grass seed today so that I can start sowing it as soon the rains come. It's useless to sow it before then as the birds will just eat it all before it gets a chance to germinate, (3-5 days) and at 25.00 for 50# bag... (usually around 500 lbs. total ) I do not want to see it used as bird food. I love the birds and grow many, many, plants here on our homestead for them as well as keep feeders filled with sunflowers so I don't feel guilty at all. :-)

I am going to try and write more in this blog from now on. I realized that I can use my MSN calendar to send myself a daily reminder to write about what's going on here at The Bamboo Jungle. Later gator!

The Summer

This has been another strange summer with mostly droughty conditions and now Tropical Storm Fay on top of us. Hopefully, before it's all said and done we will get the pond filled back up to the normal level. It didn't take long at all for it to drop to last years lowest level this summer. My poor fish!!!

The bamboo groves have kept us from getting any damage from the winds and we are happy and thankful for that. It takes these storms in stride; bending, weaving, and whipping about with nary a leaf drop.

It is hard to believe how fast this summer seemed to fly by. The end of August already? Goodness! Everything did quite well despite the drought with all the mulch I used.

Having my two grand kids for two months probably helped to make it fly by but now they are back home and in school along with their mama who is studying to be an RN. God bless them!

Memorial Day Weekend

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that I haven't kept up with this blog since January. I need a way to get reminders so that I can keep this up-to-date. If anyone knows of a reminder service for blog writers, please let me know.

We have gotten plenty of rain this spring so the jungle is growing by leaps and bounds. I need to get out there with my camera and start snapping some pics. If the darn battery door wasn't broken and required taping for each session, I would have hundreds by now. I need to buy a new camera but I am not financially able to do that right now.

My daughter, her best friend, and the grands are coming in tomorrow. I will be watching the grands for six weeks this summer while my daughter starts her nursing clinicals. She is making me very proud as a recently single mom with all her struggles, yet always staying forward looking and positive thinking. God bless her and the kids.

I sold some rare tropical plants this spring and am soon putting up some tropical fruit trees for sale. It has been a weird weather pattern causing me to actually move my plants back inside four times in late spring! Even last night, at nearly June, the outside temperature was only 58 at 4 A.M. !!! Unheard of in southern Alabama!!! It is saving us on the cost of air conditioning 24/7 so I shan't complain.

The Day lilies are starting to bloom. I think I grow more passionate about these easy to care for plants every year. The leaves stay nearly all winter long and they are no trouble at all. I wish I could say the same thing for my Bearded Iris that a friend in IL gave me some years ago. They bloomed wonderfully that first year that I had planted them in pots, but now that they are in the ground they just put out great leaves but no flowers. I think I am going to put them back into pots. There is no telling what is causing them not to bloom.

The bamboo of which I am famous and for which I was nic-named many years ago is going fantastic this year....well, all but the Moso which got hit by a late freeze and killed all the beautiful, fat, tall, culms in front of my kitchen window. Db and I have decided that a thick, mulch is in order this winter to keep it from shooting so early. It is in front of my kitchen window and faces East so it gets early morning sun every day and I think the ground warms up to quickly. It started shooting on March 3rd. which is way too early.

The Semiarundinaria Fastuosa which is planted on the side of our guest cottage has taken off like a rocket this year and is doing just what I hoped it would. It's here, there, and everywhere! I can't say enough good things about this bamboo as far as beauty, fast spreading, the ability to hedge out unwanted views or for privacy issues. The leaves will go from top to bottom but you can trim them to any height you choose. I have some that I leave alone and some that I trim up in order to walk through or under. Check it out if you are in the market for a bamboo for privacy cause this is the winner hands down in my book.

We put a screened gazebo up on the dock some months back and that is where the girls and I will be relaxing when they come in Saturday. I have a southeast Asian theme going inside with hanging plants, potted plants, and candles. There are metal Tikki torches that surround the pond and it is a site to behold. We also have an oscillating fan on a stand, music, (Exotica Cd's) and a round table with a tablecloth made from Sari's. It is very relaxing and a favorite spot for my hubby and I to enjoy on Sundays or Saturday evenings when he gets home from his shop. It was all done very cheaply, but looks grand.

Well, I have a million more things to get done before tomorrow so I will end here for now. Have a blessed and safe Memorial Day weekend from all of us here at The Bamboo Jungle N Gardens....

Messed Up My Blog

I just noticed that my blog is all screwed up so will have to get into the template and fix it soon.

Rainy day so just staying inside on the comp. Later gator!