Organic Gardening,
Joy in Nature

Organic gardening is a joy!

As a whole foods cook, I love the fresh herbs and ripe tomatoes. In the garden, I love the bees, hummingbirds and butterflies; they lift my soul. Here are some photos of our garden and some gardening ideas for you to enjoy.

As a culture we are so dependent on packaged foods. I desire to be more self sufficient, so I am learning about organic gardening and exploring permaculture, a little bit at a time. Alan grows the garden we have now, I am just the weed puller. But I desire to learn more.

You need bees in an organic garden and borage helps. It is easy to grow. It is a Mediterranean plant and prefers sun to dappled sunlight. There are no special soil needs. Borage gets to 3 feet high, big for an herb.

Learn more about the bees here.

I was excited yesterday to see two toads in our garden! We have recently had rain. I plan to create a toad home to keep them around when it's hot and dry. I will plant a terra cotta pot in the ground, sideways, so they can crawl into a damp, cool place, under my fig tree.

Toads eat many pests and are a great natural pest control. So we help each other. If you have no chemicals in the garden, toads may come and take care of your pests.

I have learned the difference between a toad and a frog. The toads have stubby bodies with short hind legs and warty, dry skin. The frogs have 2 bulging eyes, and strong long webbed hind legs for leaping and swimming. And they have a smooth and slimy skin. Just in case you were wondering!

Planting in compost

Another organic gardening idea is sheet mulching, described in the book Gaia's garden, by Toby Hemenway. The idea is to compost with layers of organic matter, then plant vegies in it. This cuts down on weeding, as well as hauling and turning compost, which is hard work!

I have seen spontaneous squash occasionally sprout up in my compost pile, so I know seeds will spout in compost.

I created a small pile of leaves, weeds, spent plants and kitchen scraps a few months ago. I let it sit to break down a bit, with no turning. I did not make nice layers or sheets, I just made a compost pile.

After about 3 months, I created a hole in the pile, added some homemade compost soil, and planted an okra plant. It's July in Texas and okra likes the heat.

If I see a weed pop up, I'll just cover it with mulch and not disturb the soil. When the soil is not disturbed, an underground ecology develops, and good microbes and worms spring up.

The Gaia's Garden book says "A thousand species hive of interlinked subterranean activity erects its many pathways of decomposition and resurrection as sowbugs, worms, mites, amoebae, and fungi swarm in fertility-building concert. Plants tap into this seething stew and thrive. And all this is co-created by simple piling on a fat mattress of mulch" p. 87, Gaia's Garden

Learn more about permaculture here.

Your reward for organic gardening: a basket of superfoods!

Food for thought:

"Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts" --John Muir

"your heart knows a small step to take in this very moment. That's all you need" --Tama Kieves

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Learn more about organic food here.