Welcome to Our New Blog Home!

For those of you who have been reading our Wordpress blog for the past couple of years, thanks for sticking around!  We love to hear from you, and it is immensely gratifying to hear how you have been enjoying the articles and resources we have been sharing.

Due to technical issues, we have relocated our Sustainable Gardening blog to this address. Rest assured, we will continue to bring you great resources and news on sustainable and organic gardening - the only thing changing is our address!

We are catching up moving over all the old archives, so you will be able to find all previous posts here as well. The old address will still work for some time, but all new posts will appear here, so please update your bookmarks and favorites accordingly.

You can also always find more info on sustainable gardening on our main website at http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.

Be sure to check back soon for more new stuff coming later this week!

Give Thanks for Community Supported Agriculture

If you don’t have locally grown food as a part of your Thanksgiving feast today, you are missing out!

Image via WikipediaCommunity Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way for those with limited garden space to still eat locally, and support your local community and environment. Many small farmers grow more sustainably, and the food can be more healthful as well.

Here are some great articles on Community Supported Agriculture – learn more, and perhaps you can help support your community (and your family’s holiday table) through a CSA for a holiday feast sometime soon! (And be sure to check our Cooking From Scratch blog for some good CSA recipes – what to do with all those unusual veggies you aren’t normally exposed to?? All the more fun to experiment with, my dear!)

Have a wonderful, fun, warm, and filling Thanksgiving!

Small Space Gardening: Urban Agriculture and our CSA

My other sphere of activity is Urban Agriculture and our very small, experimental CSA. Three of us started doing Urban Agriculture (growing food in other people’s back yards) mid 2008 with the intention of learning how to grow our own …
Publish Date: 11/22/2010 19:06

http://smallspacegardening.blogspot.com/2010/11/urban-agriculture-and-our-csa.html

Interesting article on farming and the development of CSA in …

Interesting article on farming and the development of CSA in Taiwan Elizabeth Henderson: A CSA Mission to Taiwan : Chelsea Green www.chelseagreen.com. Farmer and author Elizabeth Henderson, whose book is Sharing The Harvest: A Citizen’s …
Publish Date: 11/22/2010 14:13

http://everythinginstantly.net/communityfarming/2010/11/22/interesting-article-on-farming-and-the-development-of-csa-in-taiwan/

Instead of a CSA, How About Agriculture-Supported Community …

Jason Mark is a columnist for Change.org’s Sustainable Food cause. He is a co-author of Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots and the editor of Earth Island Journa… Read more of this post, Instead of a CSA, …
Publish Date: 11/21/2010 11:12

http://food.change.org/blog/view/instead_of_a_csa_how_about_agriculture-supported_community

Vegan Burnout: CSA Week 22: Fennelicious.

These last few CSA recaps are gonna be kind of weird, kids, because we did some random things with our produce. (Minds. Out of the gutter. Now!) So, here we go: Our first fennel! What an odd vegetable. It took me a little Internetting …
Publish Date: 11/22/2010 19:33

http://veganburnout.blogspot.com/2010/11/csa-week-22-fennelicious.html

CSAs for the Holidays

The holidays are drawing near, and many gardeners have given up their gardens for the winter, finishing up the cleaning, composting, and mulching, and resigning themselves to a winter of bland, lackluster supermarket produce, with dreams of next year’s gardens dancing in their heads.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! Even if you may not be able to garden throughout the winter in your area, you may still be able to find fresh, locally grown foods as close as your nearest farm stand or community market. Many areas now support multiple CSA (community supported agriculture) programs, some of which offer winter shares as well!

Image by yksin via FlickrIn my Central Ohio area, I suffered through the past few winters of bland, tasteless tomatoes and wilted lettuce shipped from thousands of miles away, oblivious to the bounty growing nearly in my own backyard! Though an avid summer CSA member, I was unaware that it was possible to get locally grown veggies here in the winter, until a mutual local food enthusiast turned me on to a winter CSA, producing certified organic veggies year round, in a series of large greenhouses less than 2 hours from my home. (They deliver weekly to our community.)

This will be the first year I will be able to subsist on largely local food year-round, and I am so excited for my first winter share – coming next week! (I also am a member of a meat CSA, offering naturally-raised local meats.) Milk, bread, apples, and sometimes cheese are also available through the CSA.

With a bit of luck, the right connections, and the fortitude to seek out area farmers near you, you may be surprised at just how well (and how local) you can eat, even during the winter!

For more info on CSAs, and how to find one in your area, visit our website at: http://www.newholisticliving.com/csa.html

Related articles on Winter CSAs:

• CSA Offers Winter Fruit and Juice Shares (fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com)
• What if Your CSA Veg Box Came with Instructions? (thekitchn.com)
• What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? (blogher.com)
• Wintertime, Local Foods, and Pickling (tinychoices.com)

Recent News on Xeriscaping

Image via WikipediaTo wrap up our short series this week on xeriscaping, here are some helpful articles on the topic. From description and benefits, to good plant choices, to gorgeous pictures of some lovely options for your xeriscape, you’re sure to find some good resources in the list below.

And feel free to post your own tips and ideas for xeriscaping or sustainable gardening below!

Xeriscaping Basics
In fact, you’re probably familiar with xeriscaping or you wouldn’t have found our site and this article you’re about to read, but just in case you stumbled here in some other way, let’s take a moment to talk about what xeriscaping is …
Publish Date: 11/12/2010 2:12
http://patiocoversplace.com/xeriscaping-basics/

10 Best Plants for Xeriscaping – EcoSalon | Organic Green Fashion …
You’re the perfect candidate for xeriscaping.As a desert dweller, I know firsthand that this eco-friendly method of gardening conserves water, requires minimal upkeep, significantly reduces your water bills and yields stunning greenery …
Publish Date: 03/23/2009 8:00
http://ecosalon.com/10-best-plants-for-xeriscaping/

Bring the Green: Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping your yard or garden means reducing or eliminating the need for irrigation. Here are some ways you can save water outside. Use native and adaptive plants for your region- use plants known to thrive naturally in your climate. …
Publish Date: 11/09/2010 11:07
http://www.phoenixenergyproducts.com/blog/?p=110

The Principles of Xeriscaping
I have to admit that when I first moved to the desert and heard the word “Xeriscape“, I didn’t want anything to do with it. To me, at the time, I thought it meant zero plants and more rock. The fact of the matter is that xeriscaping can …
Publish Date: 11/03/2010 22:42
http://gardeningandthespanishway-rohrerbot.blogspot.com/2010/11/principles-of-xeriscaping.html

Xeriscaping and Stunning Desert Gardens that Save Water
Xeriscaping, commonly known as drought tolerant gardening, can be spectacular and resource friendly if planned properly and maintained regularly.
Publish Date: 07/06/2010 23:55
http://www.suite101.com/content/xeriscaping-and-stunning-desert-gardens-that-save-water-a258458

Video – Benefits of Xeriscaping

For those new to xeriscaping, this video provides a nice introduction, a description of some of the benefits to be gained, as well as some good ideas for incorporating xeriscaping into your own garden.

Xeriscaping can be a great addition to our sustainable gardening practices, conserving water as well as other resources, while still providing an attractive and productive garden. (If video does not appear below, please click link to view.)

Xeriscaping Basics-HGTV Pro
Xeriscaping uses drought-tolerant native plants for a water-efficient yard. This video is part of Best Practices show . SHOW DESCRIPTION :The best techniques for building and remodeling homes.




(For more sustainable gardening ideas and resources, please visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.)

Using Xeriscaping to Save Time and Water

While having a full fledged garden is rewarding and enjoyable, lots of people simply don’t have the time that is required to maintain it. Whether you have too much going on at work or too many kids to take care of, you should never try to operate a garden if you don’t think you can handle it.

Image via WikipediaHowever, for those people who are just too busy for a normal garden, I would suggest a somewhat recent method of gardening, which you may not have heard of, known as Xeriscaping. This minimal yet stylish theory first emerged in Colorado when water levels were at an all time low. It is a great method of having a great looking yard or garden, without having to maintain it or water it very often at all.

If you live in a dry climate such as Colorado, many places now offer free Xeriscaping lessons in order to encourage the conservation of water. If your area is undergoing a drought, you should check with the water suppliers and see if they are offering lessons. If you attend those, you will be able to get advice specific to your region (IE types of plants to grow, how much to water them, etc).

To some, the name Xeriscaping conjures the image of a yard that consists of a giant rock bed. However, this is known as “zero scaping”, and it is a considerably different concept. It focuses on reducing your yard to nothing that requires any maintenance whatsoever.

Unfortunately this is usually just rocks. But this shouldn’t be your goal. While keeping maintenance at a minimum, it is still possibly to retain a nice looking yard that won’t attract the negative attention of everyone who passes by.

Image via WikipediaThis might sound like it would be hard to implement without making your yard into a hideous mess, but this is not so at all. The theory basically involves choosing plants which are low maintenance to begin with, then putting them each in environments that are ideal. It is usually applied by figuring out what side of the house to place it on to get the best amount of shade, and figuring out how to group it with plants with similar water needs.

To get started in your Xeriscaping renovation, you first need to pick out all the plants you will be using. They should for the most part require a low amount of water. This doesn’t mean you can only grow cactuses in your yard. Just cut back on the really thirsty plants that you have to water every day to keep alive. You’ll want to stick with local plants for the most part, and don’t go with anything too exotic as these generally require larger amounts of water.

The second most important principle of xeriscaping is placing the plants in ideal areas. If you place them all together with plants that require essentially the same amount of water, then you will end up saving lots of water. Also place the plants in areas where they will be protected from wind or excessive sun, depending on the needs of the plants. Xeriscaping is almost the same thing as microclimating, just with more of a focus on adaptation to harsh conditions rather than avoiding them. So if it sounds good to you and you’re looking to save time and water by renovating your garden, you should look for xeriscaping lessons.

Recent News in Hydroponic Gardening

As a follow up to our recent series on hydroponic gardening, here are a few other interesting articles. Gardening hydroponically can be particularly useful for those who have little or no traditional garden space.

Image via WikipediaPart of becoming self-sufficient and responsible for our own food supply involves being able to grow at least a part of it ourselves. For city and apartment dwellers, this can seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. Use of hydroponic techniques can allow one to successfully grow food indoors, and utilize the availability of vertical space.

How to Grow a Garden When You Have No Yard | Holistic Survival Show
There are some clear cut advantages to hydroponic gardening: 1. Allows urban dwellers to raise their own food, without a dedicated yard. 2. The nutrient solution recycles constantly through the closed system, which means less waste and …
Publish Date: 11/10/2010 15:49
http://www.holisticsurvival.com/2010/11/10/how-to-grow-a-garden-when-you-have-no-yard/

Hydroponics and Indoor Hydroponic Gardening
Hydroponic gardening is often defined as “the cultivation of plants in water.” Research has since determined that many different aggregates or media will support plant growth; therefore, the definition of hydroponic gardening has been …
Publish Date: 10/29/2010 19:20
http://www.asylumhauntedhouse.com/hydroponic-gardeningindoor-gardeninghydroponics.htm

Grow Lights for Hydroponics Gardening | MOJeDELO HOME IMPROVEMENT
One can enjoy hydroponics gardening any season of the year, but it is especially rewarding during the cold and dark winter days. Being a type of indoor gardening, this system implies growing of plants in a special growing medium, …
Publish Date: 11/10/2010 9:48
http://www.mojedelo.us/grow-lights-for-hydroponics-gardening.html

How Hydroponics Can Benefit Your Apartment Garden | Oh My Apartment
For lots of beginning gardeners who don’t have an accessible outdoor plot, hydroponics is the perfect solution for helping to get home-grown herbs and vegetables to the table without using a conventional.
Publish Date: 11/04/2010 12:35
http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/how-hydroponics-can-benefit-your-apartment-garden.html


For more info on hydroponic gardening, check out our last few posts, or you can also find hydroponic gardening kits and supplies on Amazon.com.

Start Your Own Hydroponic Garden

Hydroponic gardening may be a new concept to some, but it can be a great option for those with limited space. You can use wall space or build a scaffolding or simply use a series of steps, to use your vertical space more efficiently than with traditional gardening methods.

Image via WikipediaIt can actually be fairly simple to start your own, as well. There are a number of hydroponic gardening kits on the market nowadays, so it can pretty easy and affordable to put together your own small hydroponic gardening system.

You can even find some good and affordable kits on such websites as Amazon.com. They are generally easy to put together, and don’t take a lot of time or effort to maintain.

Try hydroponic gardening for yourself, and see how easy it is to grow your own vegetables at home, regardless of climate or season!

Video-Hydroponic Garden

Here is a cool video on hydroponic gardening — just some great views of a vertical garden in a small space.

(If video does not appear below, please click link to view.)

Hydroponic Vertical Garden:
tomatogeek@gmail.com DIY hydroponic garden. This is my vertical garden. Started with the idea of getting the most production out of a small space. By growing in the vertical styrofoam pots, you insulate the roots of the plant keeping them warm in win...

Hydroponic Gardening For Beautiful Plants

If you’ve ever wondered about hydroponic gardening then this article is for you. I will explain just exactly what hydroponic gardening is, why it works, the benefits, and what you will need to get started.

Image via WikipediaPut simply, hydroponic gardening is growing plants without dirt. This dirt-less gardening is done one of two ways; with the plant roots growing in a liquid nutrient solution aka solution culture or with the roots growing in another solid medium (other than dirt) which is called a medium culture. It’s all about the nutrients. Soil is just a holder of nutrients and with hydroponics your choices can be perlite, coconut fiber, sand, and vermiculite as well as other mediums.

Hydroponic gardening is simple once you try it, and can be affordable depending on what system you use and to what scale you want to use it. This type of gardening takes less time, uses less space, has no weeds to pull, and requires no digging in the dirt. It’s also very satisfying to watch your healthy plants grow, especially if you’ve never had a green thumb before.

Hydroponic gardening works because the plants are given what they need, in the amount they need, and when they need it. The gardener is in control, not fickle Mother Nature. Also, the plants don’t need to spend time spreading their roots to look for nutrients and they can concentrate on their above root growth. This can mean bigger fruits or vegetables. Another plus to this system is that since the roots don’t spread out, more plants can be planted in a smaller area than when planted in soil.

There are some popular hydroponic gardening name brand systems that you should investigate to educate yourself on what is available. You don’t have to pick an expensive system, especially when first starting out.

You will most likely need a grow tray, reservoir tray, submersible pump with a timer, and air pump and air stone to make bubbles that add oxygen and push the nutrient solution toward the roots. You will also need light; natural or other. Keep in mind that with grow lights you can grow your plants anywhere in your house or garage.

Try the hydroponic way to grow your next crop of lettuce, tomatoes, or cut flowers and enjoy success, even if you’re not known for having a green thumb. Maybe you could take some beautiful tomatoes over to that neighbor who’s always bragging about her garden.

Related articles on Hydroponic Gardening:

• Greener Veggies: The Benefits of Hydroponics (thedailygreen.com)
• Read And Learn To Do Hydroponics Using The Help Of This Guideline And Become A Victorious Hydroponic Gardener (mydecorarticles.com)

Organic Agriculture in Cuba: An Inspirational Story

As you probably know if you’ve been reading this blog for some time,  organic and sustainable gardening, as well as local food production, is one of my passions, which I discuss often with family and friends.

My dad recently mailed me an article he ran across in a magazine, about the re-emergence of organic agriculture in Cuba. It was a tale of struggle, pain, and sacrifice, but ultimately one of triumph. I wish I could find it online to share a link with you, but I haven’t been able to find the exact article. (It was in Christian Century Magazine, September 7, 2010, Page 11, if anyone wants to dig it up. The title of the article was “Organic By Necessity.”)

Image by hoyasmeg via FlickrHowever, there are a number of related articles, as it’s a pretty inspiring story no matter how it’s told. Below are some other articles on the topic, but here are some of the highlights from the original article.

When Cuba lost its connection with the Soviet Union in the early 90′s, the nation of conventional agriculture, readily available cheap food, and modern grocery stores (sound familiar?) lost its main source of oil-based fertilizer; and it was in for a rude awakening. Or maybe that is putting it mildly. The outcome was starvation, or close to it, for many citizens. As this article put it, “It is difficult for Americans to imagine the horrors of (this period).” Farming and gardening were not familiar past times for many of Cuba’s citizens. And not only did many people not know how to grow their own food, but those in urban areas did not have the space to do so.

But in the years since then, Cuba has become “the world’s largest working model of a semisustainable agriculture.”

Without easy access to cheap chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Cuba had to start from scratch – which  meant learning to grow food the way people have grown it for thousands of years before modern civilization and the days of cheap oil. (Combined, of course, with modern research and developments which allow for the use of more advanced organic techniques and ways to utilize smaller amounts of garden space more productively.)

Currently, in Havana, organic urban gardens (or organoponicos) have become the main food source for the city (and the same is true in neighboring cities as well). Not only that, but (and I love this statistic) farmers there make approximately three times the salary of doctors! Thus the gardens are also stimulating the local economy to a great extent.

Although most Americans don’t often think of Cuba as progressive or role-model material, I think it is worth a careful look. Someday not too far in the future, we ourselves may have to take a page from Cuba’s book. As the article suggests, “One day soon oil will become too expensive to extract, making the price of oil too high to warrant using it for food production, and with that will come a collective cinching of American belts.”

Hopefully we won’t suffer through years of starvation as the Cubans did, but if we are to avoid that fate, we must start preparing now, and learn more about producing our own food and supporting local growers, before it’s too late.

Related Articles on Organic Agriculture in Cuba:

Havana harvest: Organic agriculture in Cuba’s capital | San …
On a recent visit we learned that Cuba has been raising its fruits and vegetables organically for more than 15 years, using worm and vegetable compost and integrated and natural pest management to raise crops for its people.
Publish Date: 02/27/2010 0:20
http://sfbayview.com/2010/havana-harvest-organic-agriculture-in-cuba%E2%80%99s-capital/

Cuba: An Urban Agriculture Utopia? « down the garden path
Cuba: An Urban Agriculture Utopia? Jump to Comments. Urban Agriculture in Havana. In 2009 I was lucky enough to participate in a three-week sustainable agriculture tour in Cuba organized through the University of British Columbia by a …
Publish Date: 09/02/2010 14:44
http://tgcgarden.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/cuba-an-urban-agriculture-utopia/

Organic Cuba without Fossil Fuels
Cuba’s experience has opened our eyes to agriculture without fossil fuels, a possibility rapidly turning into a necessity for mitigating climate change as world production of petroleum has also peaked. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho.
Publish Date: 01/23/2008 17:53
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/OrganicCubawithoutFossilFuels.php

Cuba – An Unlikely Model for Organic Farming
Going organic is typically thought of as a choice. Farms choose to become organic; retailers decide that organic is best for their customers and their business; and consumers select the products that best fit their lifestyle. In Cuba …
Publish Date: 05/12/2010 15:01
http://blog.albertsorganics.com/?p=934