Earthday / Perennials / Organic Vegtable Garden Lecture
This Saturday I will be lecturing in Eastchester at 10:00am on the Organic Vegetable Garden. The event is taking place at Eastchester Town Hall 40 Mill road off of route 22. It is 9:00pm Tuesday April 22nd, Earth day, and I am sitting in my office writing my Friday email. Being tired and feeling my age all I want to do is lie down and go to sleep. I was listening to the evening news that was full of doom and gloom about how we are ruining our beloved earth. It boggles my mind to think about the mistakes that we humans are making. Anyone on my email has been inundated with my philosophical feelings on this subject. Earth day makes one think about ones own actions in relation to the earth. How did I reach the place I am in and what did I do to help preserve our earth? It is interesting how a winding path of desperation on my part lead to an interesting discovery. Going broke, I could no longer afford the fuel for my greenhouses. Learning the ways of nature taught me things I never knew and found me solutions I never thought existed. My fuel costs of 130,000.00 dollars were more than I could afford. So I closed down my greenhouses from Thanksgiving to the first day in March. I have not burned an ounce of oil and have not polluted the environment with an ounce of burned fossil fuel this year. I have my large range of greenhouses filled with a beautiful selection of organic flowers, organic vegetable starts and organic herbs. Each of these plants is grown the organic way doing their part to reduce global warming. My solution to my heating problem was revealed to me through Mother Nature. I have become a strong advocate that we must all work with Mother Nature and learn lessons from her that will affect our way of viewing things.
Last week I had an interesting experience. A customer picked up my book “12 Steps To Natural Gardening’ at the Greenwich Nature Center. He read it from cover to cover and was very impressed with it. His father had written a book at the age of 78 about the ways of the true Native Americans and how the Indian tribes lived in harmony with Mother Nature. He brought me a copy of his father’s book which showed the philosophical outlook of our Native Americans and the close ties they had with Mother Nature. They lived in harmony with their surroundings and had a great respect for our earth. The name of the book is ‘A White Man’s Journey to a Northeastern American Indian Faith and its Relevance Today. It was written by Edmund K Swigart. It is an interesting and worthwhile read.
My mother always said if you don’t toot your own horn no one will toot it for you. So today on Earthday I am patting my own back. Not only did I save 130,000.00 dollars on fuel but I was able to reduce global warming, grow beautiful organic plants, generate heat through composting, solar energy and house my beneficial insects to overwinter in my composting operation. From the teachings of my Cornell professors I have evolved to the teachings of Mother Nature. My cousin and I found arrow heads on the Nursery property as kids. I often wonder what wisdom these Native Americans could have brought to this property today. Mother Nature has taught me a way to heat my greenhouses. I sit here and wonder if we can find a way to add compost energy to solar energy, and wind energy as an environmentally safe source of energy.
THE PERENNIAL GARDEN
There is nothing more rewarding in your garden than perennials. They are plants that come back year after year. My father use to be excited about his perennial garden because he would say a new friend would come into bloom each month and greet him. In an organic garden it is important to build up the diversity of plant material on your property. The greater the mix the greater the results. A large mix attracts a large diversity of beneficial insects to your property. Monocultural designs usually end up as high maintenance or disasters. It is the large mixture of plant material that provides the diversity that attracts a large number of beneficial to your garden and develops a sustainable garden. There is so much selection in perennials that there is no better group to choose from if you want to build up diversity in your garden. Going to the Garden Center should be an exciting adventure to find another treasure for your perennial garden. Building a beautiful perennial garden is a never ending quest. Every two weeks take a critical look at your perennial garden. Walk the neighborhood and see what is in bloom. Take stock of your garden and see what you can add to improve it during this time frame. Your perennial garden is not stagnant but continually evolving. It should gain in beauty each year and it should always be a blaze of color.
Perennial gardens take a lot of care but if you keep up with it, it is fun. Follow our recommended applications listed in ‘Monthly Perennial Calendar’ on page 185 of ’12 Steps To Natural Gardening’. Read my chapter on watering (page 29) and make sure either you or a drip system supplies the proper amount of water. The most important task in growing a good plant is in the ability to apply the proper amount of water. Keep your beds mulched, well fed and weed free. Spend time in grooming. Make sure you deadhead spent flowers and cut back plants that are finished blooming for the season. Dead tissue makes the whole garden look ugly. There is a relationship you need to build up with your plants and there is no greater place to do this than in your perennial garden.
If you build a new perennial garden, it is imperative that you prepare the soil properly. Follow the formula listed as ‘My Formula For The Preparation Of A New Planting Bed For Perennials. On page 184 and follow the Monthly Perennial Calendar listings on page 185.
Plant the right plant in the right location. Cultural requirements are important for the longevity of the plant. If you live in Deer Country, your selection is limited. However there are many choices and I spent a great deal of time and research to come up with my list of Deer resistant Perennial Plants which is listed on page 299 of my book.
Water is critical to a perennial bed and drip irrigation is an ideal method to keep up with watering. Mulch your beds to a 2 inch depth and keep them weed free.
Below is my list of my top 20 plants.
Anyone interested in sending any of this information on to their local newspapers, their local radio stations , garden clubs or any other educational facility are welcome to use any of my written material free of charge as well as any of my prior or future emails. Anything from my 360 page book can also be used. My concern is to get this important message out to as many people as possible. We are all in this together and I need your help to spread the word. Much of the previous material I posted can be downloaded from our new website naturalgardennews.com.
