The Community Garden Experience

Links to the community in a Community Garden

 

 

 

                                            

The History of the Gardening Movement

 

Links to Plan and Sustain a Community Garden       

City of Mesa Community Garden Policies

Neglected Parcels to Community Gardens: A Handbook

Community Garden Toolkit

I Love My P-Patch: A Community Garden Leadership Handbook

American Community Gardening Association

Gardeners' Welcome Packet

A Community Garden Cooperation Story on NPR

Therapy Community Garden Opens in Tucson

 

 Links Community Gardens in the East Valley 

Mesa Urban Garden, opened January 2013, is located at 212 E. 1st Ave
Care Partnership Community Garden, started in 1995, is located at 466 S. Bellview

Mesa Community College Community Garden located at the Dobson and Southern Campus
Dobson Ranch Community Garden for Dobson Ranch residents
North Desert Village Community Garden located at the ASU Polytechnic Campus

Desert Willow Sustainable Garden at Superstition Farm in southeast Mesa

Harvest of Hope Community Garden at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, @ 32nd St. & McDowell

Agritopia in Gilbert, AZ

Take Action

 

The Results of a Food Forest

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And then there was "Jadab Mulai Payeng" who worked over 30 years, selfishly and by himself to transform 1,360 acres (approx. 2 square miles) of a barren, lifeless sandbar into a lush jungle which now harbors not only many species of birds, butterflies and snakes and also provides a home for rhinos, tigers and elephants. The forest is comprised of many species of flora and bamboo as well as several thousand trees among which are Valcol, Arjun, Ejar, Goldmohur, Koroi and Himolu.  Regular yearly visitors to the forest include a herd of 100 or so elephants who generally stay for around six months. In recent times, the forest also provided a birthing place for their 10 calves.

A Diet Free from GMO and GE foods and harmful chemicals.

A simple way to eliminate foods from you diet that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods, as well as fungicides, pesticides, herbicides and other harmful chemicals.

Rule 1:

Change slowly so that you don't get frustrated and think it is impossible. You must consider that all the foods that you consume now contain GMOs (or GE foods)  Remember that this change is life long commitment. Slow, small, constant changes are easier for your body, mind, taste preferences and budget to handle.  Try change one food a week. For example I would first start with your breakfast cereal and Tortilla chips.  They are easy to change. Lunch is the hardest to change if you eat out at a restaurants or eat packaged meals from the frozen food aisle at your grocery store. Lunch will take the longest.  Breakfast and dinner is the easiest since you probably eat at home.  Dinners at restaurants are the next hardest since you have few choices and you have to do a lot of research and talk to the owner and chef.  You won't be the first one to ask questions regarding GMOs.

 

Rule 2:

Assume that all restaurants and all prepared and processed packaged foods contain GMO foods.  Don't try to find out if the foods you are eating now have GMOs.  It will take forever. Change to brand that are researched by others.  Look up items that state non-GMOs from lists of links below.  The words like organic, natural, healthy, range free will confuse you. The labels must say 100% Organic or have a non-GMO label.  Each product must be researched by an independent sources and not by the company that makes the product. If it does not say " non GMO " is probably isn't.

1. List of  Non-GMO and GMO products
2. List of  Non-GMO Foods
3. List of  Non-GMO food companies and a list of brands
4. July 2013 largest list with printable Non-GMO brands
5. List of  Non-GMO retailers
6. List of  Non-GMO companies 
7. Non-GMO Shopping Guide in SPANISH
8. Whole foods market Non-GMO product list
9. Non-GMO Shopping Guide 
10. How to avoid GMOs in foods
11. Greenpeace shoppers guide to a Non-GMO diet
12. APPs to help avoid GMOs

Rule 3:

As you slowly change your eating lifestyle, you will find the certain foods are very hard to change.  Kick that food change down the road and start changing something else that might easier. Don't try to be perfect.  Listen to your body and especially your digestive system.  Do I feel comfortable. GMOs affect the digestive system. Once you change you will feel the difference.

Rule 4:

Eat organic heirloom wheat.  Remember all modern wheat has been modified in the 1970 by gene splicing.  Heirloom varieties of wheat are hard to find but many restaurants buy it.
Here is a list of AZ suppliers. It is hard to find bread without modern wheat.  I make my own with a bread machine.  Here is a list of local suppliers of Sonoran wheat flour.
Local suppliers of  Hayden flour mill products.

 

Rule 5:

Eat grass-fed 100 % organic, free range chicken, eggs, beef, pork
Eat only wild fish.
Here is a list of AZ  beef suppliers:

1. Topline foods.mail order and comparisons
2. Arizona Srv beef 
3. Date Creek Ranch in Wickenburg AZ 
4. Whole Foods
5. Sprouts Market
6. Call local butchers

Rule 6:      

Drink a substitute for milk and teas for soft drinks.  I like almond milk and I have my own special blend of teas and herbs. I use organic liquid stevia and honey from bee hives in the desert for a sweetener.

 

Rule 7:

Allow extra time every day for cooking unless you found a restaurant that you trust by talking to the cook and owner. You will not be the first one that asked them the question.

 

Rule 8 

Write your President, Congressman  and Senators about your situation and that you want to live without GMOs until they have been tested. Why should there be a patent rights on GMO foods.  I have no patent rights if I breed a better plant the traditional way.  Something is wrong here.

Sign the Pledge and download your boycott guide and poster

 Sign the Boycott Pledge of companies supporting NOT labeling GMOs

GMO boycott poster

 

GMO Genetically Modified Organism / Engineered Crops Information

NONGMO NONGMO NONGMO NONGMO  NONGMO

GMOs in agriculture:

Genetically modified (GM) foods were first approved for human consumption in the United States in 1995, and by 1999 almost 50 percent of the corn, cotton, and soybeans planted in the United States were GM. By the end of 2010, GM crops covered more than 9.8 million square kilometres (3.8 million square miles) of land in 29 countries worldwide—one-tenth of the world’s farmland.

Potatoes, cotton, sugar beets and corn, that were endowed with a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a natural insecticide called Bt toxin. Studies of Bt cotton production in Arizona, U.S., demonstrated only small gains in yield—about 5 percent—with an estimated cost reduction of $25–65 (USD) per acre due to decreased pesticide applications. In China, a seven-year study of farms planting Bt cotton demonstrated initial success of the GM crop, with farmers who had planted Bt cotton reducing their pesticide use by 70 percent and increasing their earnings by 36 percent. However, after four years, the benefits of Bt cotton eroded as populations of insect pests other than bollworm increased, and farmers once again were forced to spray broad-spectrum pesticides. While the problem was not Bt-resistant bollworms, as had been feared initially, it nonetheless became clear that much more research was needed for communities to realize sustainable and environmentally responsible benefits from planting GM crops.
The independent studies regarding GMO food crops (not done by the Seed/Chemical corporations) have shown an alarming increase in health risks to humans. Bacillus thuringiensis has the unique property that it can transfer genes across species and is not naturally live in our human body.

Below are  6 of the most INFORMATIVE VIDEOS I have seen over the last few years.

GMO education goes mainstream on Dr. Oz 2014, but that is only part of the problem.

A short overview of the potential risks of GMO  by Thierry Vrain who retired 10 years ago after a long career as a soil biologist and ended head of a department of molecular biology running his own research program to engineer nematode resistance genes in crops.

GMO seeds are not the solution for this generation

A World View of  GMO crops

Farmers speak about GMO crops

2009 Nova / Frontline Documentary about GMOs on youtube part one of 12

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Joys in the morning in the Garden of Gratitude

I just heard the birds chirping in the Garden of Gratitude outside.  It is a call from the hidden forces in nature to begin another day within the "Circle of Life".   It is the time to commune with the unknown and the ever present life force that surrounds us all the time. For some they may call it God.  For me it is all the tillions of cells and microorganisms in my body and the almost infinite number of individul life forces like bacteria, fungi, viruses, animals, birds and plants that live in the air, soil and water all around us, each doing their job and so I can experience the joys of life and a new day of fulfillment as I reflect on the gratitude I have for the experience of yesterday. I have to go. I hear the call.

The Peach Faced Parrot is squawking for breakfast.

 

The Black Widow is spinning a new web.

 

The Salt March Caterpillar "Whooly Worm" is searching for lettuce

 

The Birdhouse Gourd is hiding for those who want to peck.

 

The White-lined Spix Caterpillar munches some Swiss Chard.

 

The Red Hollyhock absorbs the Sun's morning rays.

, 

 

The Honey Bee gathers fresh pollen.

 

 

Enjoying the Turnips, Artichokes and Sunflowers in May.

 State of the Garden of Gratitude May 20, 2013.

   I am picking the last of the Turnips, cooking mthArtichokes and watching the Sunflowers grow their seeds.

Microbes in Garden Soil increase your immune system.

     Gardening is good for your brain and the bacteria in the soil may be the cause, according to  Dr. Raison, a University of Arizona researcher.

    Scientists have found that contact with a bacterium that lives in the soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, can improve cognitive function and mood. “What is remarkable is that this microorganism seems to know how exactly to signal the brain areas we believe are most important for reducing depressive symptoms.  It immediately goes on a mainline right up to this one particular area of the brain. “Dirt has a lot of microbes in it that we know impact the immune system in ways that actually enhance emotional resilience,” says Dr. Charles Raison. So far, most studies of M. vaccae have been done in animals, but Raison is hopeful that future studies in humans could yield a new tool for fighting depression and other mood disorders. Their physical benefits have been known for decades. “It’s been shown a number of times now that people who live near green spaces, who have access to natural environments, live longer than people who don’t,” Raison says.  “There are now a number of studies to suggest that gardening in particular—therapeutic garden—may beneficially impact a range of conditions: obesity, dementia, schizophrenia, depression,”

 

 

The State of the Garden on May 15, 2013

 State of The Garden of  Gratitude May 15, 2013

Large leaves from Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Artichokes and squash are composting on my garden paths and also stabilize the soil.

 

 

 The Centaurea cyanus, Blue Boy Bachelor Buttons and Lavatera trimestris, Silver Cup flowers are blooming and make great cut flowers. The tulip and ranacula bulbs are fading and the marigold are prolifc. My neighbor are talking about the Sunflowers that are six feet high and the nine foot hight, Holly Hocks with their red, pink and white flowers.  I just finished harvesting the last of the broccoli, peas, spinach and lettuce. The beets, turnips, swiss chard and carrots are all huge and will be bolting soon.  The brussel sprouts and celery are growing.  The tomatoes are almost ready to eat and the cucmbers and peppers are blooming. The corn is knee high and the beans, melons and squash are beginning to growing fast. The bees are working late as I watch them at twilight on the Silver cup flowers and the Goldfinches love the Bachelor buttons. Today I planted Armenian cucumbers and tomorrow I am planting more Birdhouse gourds and String beans.

.

 

Peas from garden

It is pea season in the garden....Hmm.good!. It reminds me of  all the times I shucked peas with my maternal Grandfather, Albert Major  who lived in LaPorte In.. The are so sweet...that's why the call them "sugar" snap peas.
 

Serendipity in the garden

The garden becomes alive with Mushrooms under the Swiss Chard and a nearby Black Widow Lair.

Bird House Gourd from my garden morphed

Can you guess what the name of the plant below is? Yesterday, I took this photo in my garden and enhanced it today in Photoshop.. This is a planet for mold and bacteria. It is just another Mandala for me.

Answer:  Birdhouse Gourd

Glass Gem Corn

I won the lottery.... for Glass Gem Corn Seeds that is. These seeds are vary rare and I will be planting them this week and selling seeds next fall if all goes well for those who are interested. Check out this link. This sweet corn is too beautiful to eat.
 

 Come For the Beautiful "Glass Gem" Corn; Stay for a Dose of Genetics.

No, this isn’t Photoshop or a gemstone-studded trinket—just an ear of corn.

Honey and Carpenter bees feast

Honey bees and Carpenter bees feast on Broccoli flowers in my garden today. The honey bees seemed pretty calm so I don't thing they are killer bees. Did you know that plants change the electrical field around their flowers when they "sense" honey bees. This gives the bees a special invite to come and feed. It is very subtle. It is time to take out my large format camera. The Arugula is flowering too.

 

Sting me Sting me just one more time.

LOL
Here is another reason to celebrate diversity and to live in harmony with bees!
Current research show the melittin destroys some viruses and malignant tumor cells
Melittin is a powerful toxin found ...in bee venom. It can poke holes in the protective viral envelope that surrounds the human immunodeficiency virus, as well as other viruses. Free melittin in large-enough quantities can cause considerable damage.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257437.php

The Power of ONE

Never Underestimate the Power of One!!

For a good portion of my life I have been involved landscaping and site development. When I read this article, I wanted to gain perspective. Landscaping 13 miles of Pima Road took 1 year with 100 people, landscaping 7 miles of Bell road too...k 80 people 1 year are two projects that came to mind that would be easy to compare. This means it took 180 men to landscape 120 arcres. This man landscaped by himself 1360 arce in 30 years. Thats 45 acres a year. AMAZING! NOW THIS IS SUCCESS. Thank you Jadav Molai Payeng for your contribution to the planet earth.

Lone Indian Man Plants 1,360 Acre Forest single-handedly!!

A little over 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav “Molai” Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthpla...ce in northern India’s Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acre of jungle that Payeng planted single-handedly.

It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.

“The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested,” says Payeng, now 47.

While it’s taken years for Payeng’s remarkable dedication to planting to receive some well-deserved recognition internationally, it didn’t take long for wildlife in the region to benefit from the manufactured forest. Demonstrating a keen understanding of ecological balance, Payeng even transplanted ants to his burgeoning ecosystem to bolster its natural harmony. Soon the shadeless sandbar was transformed into a self-functioning environment where a menagerie of creatures could dwell. The forest, called the Molai woods, now serves as a safe haven for numerous birds, deers, rhinos, tigers, and elephants — species increasingly at risk from habitat loss elsewhere.

Despite the conspicuousness of Payeng’s project, Forestry officials in the region first learned of this new forest in 2008 — and since then they’ve come to recognize his efforts as truly remarkable, but perhaps not enough.

“We’re amazed at Payeng,” says Assistant Conservator of Forests, Gunin Saikia. “He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero.”

Weather Links & Optimal Soil Temperatures of Vegatable Germination

 

LINKS TO CURRENT WEATHER INFO

Real Time World Weather Stations (Locate a Closeby Weather Station)

Real time Mesa, AZ Weather Station (My Garden Weather Station)

Yesterday's Cities of AZ Ground Temperatures (Column ST1) and more

OPTIMAL GERMINATION CHART

The chart below shows the effect of soil temperature on sown seeds showing the percentage of vegetable seedlings germinated and the days to emergence at different soil temperatures.



The percentage of any seeds to germinate is maximum at the optimal temperature for that species.  While the percentage of seeds to germinate decreases, the number of days to germination increases.  For every species of seed, there is an optimal soil temperature for germination, At that optimal temperature, the maximum number of seeds will germinate and in less time than at any other temperature.

 

Percentage of Normal Vegetable Seedlings
Produced at Different Temperatures

Numbers in ( ) are the days to seedling emergence. () in ITALIC is optimal soil temperatures

Crops	32ºF	41ºF	50ºF	59ºF	68ºF	77ºF	86ºF	95ºF	104ºF
Asparagus	0	0	61(53)	80(24)	88(15)	95(10)	79(12)	37(19)	0
Beans, lima	0	0	1	52(31)	82(18)	90(7)	88(7)	2	0
Beans, snap	0	0	1	97(16)	90(11)	97(8)	47(6)	39(6)	0
Beets	0	53(42)	72(17)	88(10)	90(6)	97(5)	89(5)	35(5)	0
Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage	0	27	78(15)	93(9)	0(6)	65-75(5) 68-75(5) 99(5)	0(4)	0	0
Carrots	0	48(51)	93(17)	95(10)	96(7)	96(6)	95(6)	74(9)	0
Cantaloupe Carrot Cauliflower	0	0	58(20)	60(10)	60(6)	(80-85)(5) 63(5)	45(5)	0	0
Celery	0	72(41)	70(16)	40(12)	97(7)	65	0	0	0
Collard Corn Cucumber	0	0	0	95(13)	99(6)	75-85(10) 99(4)	99(3)	99(3)	49(3)
Eggplant	0	0	0	0	21(13)	53(8)	60(5)	0	0
Endive Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce	98(49)	98(15)	98(7)	99(4)	99(3)	99(2)	12(3)	0	0
Muskmelon Mustard Greens	0	0	0	0	38(8)	94(4)	90(3)	0	0
Okra	0	0	0	74(27)	89(17)	92(13)	88(7)	85(6)	35(7)
Onions Onions	90(136)	98(31)	98(13)	98(7)	99(5)	97(4)	91(4)	73(13)	2
Parsley	0	0	63(29)	70(17)	69(14)	64(13)	50(12)	0	0
Parsnips	82(172)	87(57)	79(27)	85(19)	89(14)	77(15)	51(32)	1	0
Peas	0	89(36)	94(14)	93(9)	93(8)	94(6)	86(6)	0	0
Peppers	0	0	1	70(25)	96(13)	98(8)	95(8)	70(9)	0
Pumpkin Radish	0	42(29)	76(11)	97(6)	95(4)	97(4)	95(3)	0	0
Rutabaga Spinach New Zealand Spinach	83(63)	96(23)	91(12)	82(7)	52(6)	28(5)	32(6)	0	0
Sweet Corn Swiss Chard	0	0	47(22)	97(12)	97(7)	98(4)	91(4)	88(3)	10
Tomatoes	0	0	82(43)	98(14)	98(8)	97(6)	83(6)	46(9)	0
Turnips	1	14	79(5)	98(3)	99(2)	100(1)	99(1)	99(1)	88(3)
Watermelon	0	0	0	17	94(12)	90(5)	92(4)	96(3)	0

 

New Seeds and Planting in March 2013- March 2014

       A list of garden planting in March 2013- March 2014        

a = Planted in March 2013  b = Planted in Sept 2013 c = Planted in January February 2014  Vegetables a Glass gem corn a Candy mountain corn a Pepino verde sabrosa cucumber a Slicing cucumber marketmore 76 a National picking cucumber a Empereur alexander cucumber a Strait 8 cucumber a Burpee pepino hibrido II cucumber a Lemon cucumber a Armenian cucumber a Yellow crookneck summer squash a Spaghetti winter squash a Hopi squash a Hopi crenshaw winter squash a Grey zucchini squash a  Yellow grape tomato transplant a c Siberian tomato galina a c Chico 111 tomato plum shaped a c Roma tomato a c Cayenne pepper a c Jalapeno pepper a c Serrano pepper a Yellow bell pepper a French breakfast garden radish a b c Scarlet nantes carrot 65 days b c  Cherry Belle Radish 22 days b  Easter Egg Radish b c Romain Lettuce c Rouquette Arugula c Red White & Blue Potatoes Van Zyverden

Melons a Minnesota midget cantelope a Sugar baby watermelon a Honeydew melon Grains  a Quinoa a Amaranth a Safflower Beans a c  Tamahunaua purple pole bean a c  Tamahunaua marron cream stripe pole        bean a Bluelake Burpee pole bean Gourds a Bitter gourd vine a Birdhouse gourd a Nest egg gourd a Ugly gourd Herbs a c Mint a Basil ac Parsely a c Catnip Misc  a Wonderberry ground cherry a Vitex a b c Single bloom Chocolate Hollock b Chinese Lanterns b Catnip b Red Acre Cabbage 80 days b Trafalgar F1 Brussel sprouts 240 days b Brussel sprouts transplants b c Walla Walla Onion b De Cicco Broccoli 90 days b c Nasturtium b c Sweet Pea mixed c  John F Kennedy hybrid tea Rose c Tropicana Hybrid Tea Rose c Oklahoma hybrid tea Rose c Climbing Joseph's Coat climbing rose c Dorsett Golden Apple

                              WE ARE THE NURTURING CARETAKERS Of THE EARTH!

Celebrate diversity!

Live in harmony!

Change Reponsibility!

 

Dance of the Honey Bee

 

How to green the deserts and reverse climate change.

A December Day in the Arizona Garden

December 30, 2012

      I thined my beets today by harvesting the larger ones, three inch diameter ones leaving the smaller one to continue growing.  I will boil the leaves to make the make a vegetable soup stock.  I also planted Ranunculus and Tulips scattered among the other flowers and vegetables as well as a Ginger root in a pot.  I tilled in some steer manure into the top 2" of soil in the areas where I cleared the last of the Watermelons and Birdhouse Gourds plants. I planted Green Onion, Arugula, and Radishes, Turnips, Black Simpson Lettuce Seeds and Aritchokes transplants.  I noticed that a weed, London Rocket is growing everywhere.  I realized that it looks alot like some of my other green. It is edible too and so I began havesting it too. 
      The lone hummingbird found the feeder since I moved it close to an blooming Aloe vera plant that I knew he frequented.  He was within arms length when I saw him.  Then two more came it looked like a family. Mom, Dad and a small chick. The chick is no bigger than your thumb. I hope they survive the upcomming cold weather.
    

The Cannas are still blooming