The Garden is in!

Late is better than never! I am happy to say the first round is planted! The irrigation is in place and the tomato cages are ready! I just need some growth now. Hopefully some growth of something besides weeds! You will see that I use soaker hoses to water the garden. I think they are pretty efficient at putting the water just where you need it-at the plant and not all over the garden. The hoses I have been using are a recycled tire rubber. While I love how they work, I am less than impressed with their longevity. If you roll one up with the slightest kink during winter you are destined to have a crack. Every spring I make several splices and put things back together. I am not sure its worth it since 50' of hose costs about $12.00 and the splices cost about $3 not to mention the pain of having to do it every spring! How do you water your garden? Have any suggestions?

Personal Responsibility

One of the things I really hate to do is get on my soap box. So get ready, I'm getting on a soap box. Last Friday I attended a lecture hosted by the City of Greeley's community garden group. We listened to a gentleman speak about permaculture. To sum it up the basic premise of permaculture lies in sustainable cultural practices. In other words our individual responsibility to live and exist sustainably. Don't worry I'm not talking patchouli, earth homes, love and peace. I'm talking basic personal responsibility to do right by our planet. There are other cultures in the world that do it much better than we do here in the U.S. For them its the norm and not considered "hippy" to do things like sort your trash daily and install grey water systems. It's just the way you do it. We all need to start somewhere. Every day choices might be a good place to start. For example take a look at Batter Blaster. It is indeed organic. That's good right? Organic in a propellant filled, non recyclable can. Watch the demo video. Personally I was a bit insulted. It takes me five minutes every Sunday to whip up homemade batter for pancakes or waffles. Yes, flour, milk, eggs etc. Five minutes flat. No waste and no chemicals. Well, maybe some waste but the chickens take care of it. Everyday we all need to consider the impact of what we do from how we throw away to what we choose to buy. I'd just like you to think a little bit about how you can make little improvements in your everyday. It all adds up.