Awesome news, Christy

And Happy Spring!
finally.

Organic garden, that is great.
A good change that many can agree with.
Maybe that could have a web cam on the garden.

Whew — I could seriously use some spring. Don’t know about everyone else. *G*

I received my raised bed accoutrements yesterday, and am hoping to put together my garden box this weekend and get my soil mixed and ready for it. Maybe The Peanut and I will even get some onions, broccoli and lettuce in if the weather cooperates. Which is a big “if” these days, but I’m going ot be hopeful anyway just in case.

“Isn’t that lovely. You missed a spot.”

I think Michelle and I must be related. My mother says the same thing.

this is great on a number of other levels also;

the food industry has been lobying to make it illegal to require information telling us their product is genetically engineered, something like this garden is a shot across their bow, warning them “not on this watch”…anyway I hope that’s one of the messages

I would love it if obama re-installed those solar gatherers carter had up and reagan took down, another shot across the bow I would love watching happen

You should be composting. That is a great way to get the garden off to a great start. Plus there is less garbage at the end of the driveway.

We do — am planning to mix the compost in to the soil when I do the mix. Along with some peat moss and coarse vermiculite to help with water retention.

I’m sure the petro-chemical industry and lobby are outraged.

This will send Limpy Limbaugh into an amazing petulant frenzy.

I love my composter. I just drilled holes in a two plastic garbage pails and rotate between the two of them. Way cheaper then purchasing a real composter on the internet. I put everything in there.

ahh, good idea, a time lapse of the growing season would be fun to watch.

54 tomatoe plants have germinated and getting ready to set their first true leaves. 27 pepper plants are just beginning to germinate. Hoping for a bumper crop and enough pasta sauce to last the year.

We’re going to try the upside down tomato thing this year.

You know, my granny lived to her 90s, and worked in her garden and her flowers every single year until the last couple of her life — and only then because of broken hip and cancer issues. My whole family has gardened and put away the fruits of their labors for as long as I could remember — mainly because my older relatives lived through The Depression and heeded the warnings of their parents to put food by just in case.

I grew up doing the same with my parents, and have done at least a tiny kitchen garden every year I could. The last few years, I haven’t been able to because of lupus issues with my joints — but the new medication I’m on has made it possible for me to get out and work in the yard a bit easier this year, and I’m going to take advantage of it.

This should not be a political issues. It’s a self-sufficient issue that conservatives ought to be able to get on board with as much as liberals, especially at a time when so much of the country needs a hand and could use some fresh produce donations. I know I’m planning on taking any of our extras over to the local soup kitchen should we have some, and having The Peanut help me to see that we have a duty to help others if we have more. It’s a lesson well worth teaching our kids, and I’d love to see everyone get on board with that.

I’m just not holding my breath. *g*

Let us know how they work. An intriguing idea.

My tomato seedlings have been outside getting “hardened” all week and are almost ready to go into their larger pots. They’ve been taking the wind quite well, and their stems are getting stronger. So exciting!

Ooooh — let me know how that goes. I’ve been looking at those and find them fascinating. We’re going to do a vertical trellis for ours along with the cucumbers and pole beans, but my interest is piqued with those upside down things. Looks like picking them would be SO easy.

Can’t wait to hear how it works for you all.

My wife’s mom was a fanatic gardener and it trickled down. When I read Thom Hartmann’s work about the hunter-farmer continuum as it realtes to ADD it made total sense. I can do the tilling, build stuff but when it comes to the tedious, establishing a relationship with the plants, I’m gone.

Vertical gardening is growing.
http://vertigro.com/ you can grow much more in much less space.

We also hope it will keep the whistle pigs at bay!

Growing all heirloom tomatoes this year: Lillian’s Yellow, Purple Cherokee, Paul Robeson, Cosmonaut Volkov, Prudin’s Purple, and Brandywine. My Chile de Arbol actually survived the winter and is putting on leaves, so that should supply most of my pepper needs for the year. Am also growing cilantro, chives, shallots, and the Three Sisters combo of corn, beans and squash, all in containers.

I still say the taxing of the bonuses isn’t unconstitutional

I ordered a 3′X3′ “Grow Bed” from Gardener’s Supply recently that doesn’t involve using wood…there are four plastic panels with interlocking corners with pins that secure the corners. Haven’t taken it out of the box yet; basically dreading the expense of purchased soil to fill it. *g* When you garden in a location where there is NO soil…only sand…there aren’t really any other options. Note: one person doesn’t generate enough compost to be of much use. Also ordered two things called “Smart Pots” which are made of something that looks like heavy-duty weed cloth. They fold up for storage and I’m trying potatoes for the first time in them. Plus bought a bushel basket yesterday to grow some potatoes in….will make for a good comparison of container gardening for the same vegetable.

.. and I duno from nuthin’ about gardens. But I’m glad te Obama’s are doing it./ Sounds good.

Here’s a trick with potatoes that makes it much easier to harvest at the back end: they don’t need a whole lot of soil to grow. So you can do a small layer at the bottom of the box for the roots to use for feeding, but the bulk of the top layer can just be straw. The potatoes will thrive so long as you water and they are in a sunny location. But when you have to harvest, all you have to do is lift off the straw and your potatoes will be right there near the top of the soil.

You just lay the seed potatoes on top of the soil — no need to even really bury them — and pop the straw on top. They do all the work, and it’s really easy to harvest. Voila!

Old trick I learned form a great uncle. There you go…

The groundhogs would love that! :)

At a time when a lot of folks are hurting financially, having the Obamas do this makes it less stigmatizing in those folks minds, I think, for them to grow a little kitchen garden in their yard, too. If they haven’t grown up in a family where folks gardened, then for some reason I don’t understand a lot of people think “this is only for poor people, I’d be too embarrassed.”

I don’t get that because I’ve always gardened, but there you are.

We live in the middle of town — not out in the country — but I’ve tucked veggies in and among my perennial flowers for ages. This year, I’m taking it back up to the next level and doing a dedicated garden space for veggies and herbs.

Yeah, they would, wouldn’t they? Come to think of it, my great uncle always had an outdoor kitty…

Watching the grass grow!

Next we’ll be able to watch submarine races.

The rest of the WH lawns & gardens, manicured as they are, much be a pretty strong brew of “cides.” The organic garden might be contaminated by treatment of nearby areas.

America’s dependence on corporate delivery of “”goods”" is our enslavement, should we permit. Just go shopping was never and now more than ever, not an option for millions of people. However, every American “requires” energy to fuel our liberties, to go shopping…….

America’s agricultural power is underutilized, again by design The money saved by those who grow their own produce, is liberty gained. In addition to foodstuff, I would suggest growing industrial grade hemp and using same as a biofuel, hempoline, to replace home heating oil and run agri-equipment.

Yes it is the year 2009 and rather than enslaving America, free America from the clutches of corporate and political schemers reaching into your pockets and extracting vast some of liberty from the yet unborn children of your great grandchildren, to protect their vested interests……………

American farmers sowed and reaped “industrial grade hemp” to support the the war effort when Japan embargoed exporting hemp to America.

Liberty realized starts with simple things like gardens. Great symbolism, by the first Lady.

It’s funny how the Villagers have to get in their little digs re: arugula in both the WaPo and NY Times stories. One track minds.

That actually wouldn’t be a bad idea. It would be handy for security reasons, that’s for sure!

Maybe heirloom products in the garden.

Good point. One hopes that they’ve taken that into consideration — and/or are taking the whole lawn (or at least the area around the garden) organic. I suspect that with beehives around, they will be cutting back on the chemicals in any event.

Do pardon me while I’m running around here straightening the house a bit. It’s The Peanut’s 6th birthday today and we’re having family and friends over to celebrate this evening. Have to clear off my stacks of DOJ and AIG paperwork from the week to make room for pizza and cake. *G*

Yup. Trying to talk the spouse into upside-down ‘mater containers, but he’s rightly worried about them falling off the balcony.

Good Morning Christy and Puppies.

Awwwww. You just KNEW you’d rope me in with this delightful post.

Michelle Obama is going to go down as a truly classic original among great First Ladies.

p.s., message from a true-blue organic gardener here: FGS! Lighten up, eCAHN (##29, 30 + dog knows what else…). ENOUGH already! We’re dodging enough stink bombs these days as it is. Go have a cup of green tea and a lie down. Do you know where the sea salt mix comes from that you so carefully grind/sprinkle on your vittles? If not, hush, already. that is, if you wish to. it’s a free country and i guess you’re allowed to grump your way through every dang thing that passes by yer nose if you wish. have a nice day.
Some of the rest of us are deeply depressed much of the time these days also, but we try not to be toxic waste fields infecting all we touch.
pardon the scold. i was overdue for one. so there it is. make my day.

I loved that one of the carpenters who works at the WH is also a beekeeper on the side and will be helping with that. We knew beekeeper when I was growing up and we used to buy all our honey from him — he worked with my dad at the plant, but did his beekeeping on the side, too.

They’re using raised beds, so hopefully there won’t be any contamination:

The plots will be in raised beds fertilized with White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Ladybugs and praying mantises will help control harmful bugs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03…..eb.html?em

Deep breath, hon — it wasn’t that big a deal.

I’m familiar with the problem because my house is in an area of commercial apple orchards, which spray about 20x/year (or so I was told many years ago). Someone who lives on the border of an orchard told me her trees were never infected with anything, just from the airborn spray. But other chemicals migrate too.

Upside down tomatoes.
http://www.instructables.com/i…..-tomatoes/

May Peanut and her family have a glorious 6th Birthday celebration! ;->

Yup. A few of those and a small wind turbine on top of the White House would be nice; the southeast part of the US is not so good for wind, but the tall-buildings ban in DC makes it easier to harvest what wind there is.

There are ferrell cats cats in the huge kudzu arryo below out house but they don’t seem to make a dent in the whistle pigs. The piggies are hilarious this time of year when they are mating. Once the kudzu comes up they seem to just lay on their backs and eat until winter.

I used the square foot garden mix last year and it really worked well. Easy to work and kept moist. 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 coarse vermiculite and 1/3 compost.

Some of the comments I read in the wapoo article were way past “little digs”…but perfectly representative of the “dirt” *g* level mentality of the right wingers who responded.

Raised beds should help isolate from chemicals that migrate thru the ground.

you’re my horse if you never win a race! Fie on dem grumps!

Happy birthday Peanut! Don’t eat all the cake now!

sure. just gets to grating when it’s constant. dang.

The FIL had his birthday on Wednesday and The Peanut had her birthday party with her class yesterday — so it’s been cake-o-rama here. With another on the way today. Oy…

Kudzu great basket making material

If you all click through to the article, you get to see how the WH chefs got to help pick the fruits and veggies to be grown and are planning the summer menus around them. Nice!

There are worse things than cake-o-rama! HB to Peanuts & FIL.

good morning christy et al.
thanks for this post. hopeful news is always welcome.
the convention that we’re at is napnap, pediatric nurses and man are they a great group of women. i had a nice long conversation with two gals who are from south africa but work at a hospital in the united emerate. got a nice outside perspective on obama and the usa’s reputation in general. lovely ladies.

The End
A. A. Milne

Listen

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six now for ever and ever.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT

It’s unreal stuff, we’ve been here 10 years and if I mow every week it stays back, if only they could hybrid it with, oh I don’t know, some glaucoma medicine.

Thanks….have read and been told that by a number of people…one of the advantages of trying the potatoes is the limited use of soil. Thank goodness I bought the seed potatoes before leaving the mountains because they seem to be sold out on the coast in the places that carry them. Also read not to bother using grocery spuds because they’ve been treated to reduce sprouting……which is exactly what a gardener wants them to do. *G*

Reminds me. A friend & I were going to visit the local organic commercial farm this spring. Organic heirloom tomatoes in every available color. Time to make the arrangements.

Raven @ 59 -

Have you ever tried kuduz jelly? Keep meaning to buy a jar just to see how it tastes……

Great to hear about the garden at the White House. Truly a teaching moment.

Big gardener myself. Sold at the farmers market for years. Actually beets are one of my favorite vegetables (also the favorite of deer) Time is coming up for the chard, kale, collard greens, spinach. to be planted..yum yum. Put so much basil in that we can eat pesto and dried tomatoes (from the garden) all winter.

Christy so many of my friends have lost their hives…me too (5) due to the mite. No some folks who have had good luck with putting hives next to mint fields.

My problem is poison ivy, which also stays away thru mowing, but is all over the place where it isn’t mown. For years I’ve been hoping that the cure for cancer will involve poison ivy.

Just be certain you get straw and not hay with a lot of seeds in it — or you’ll get lord knows what else growing with your taters. *G*

I was reading an article yesterday that was talking about dusting the bees with powdered sugar helping to get rid of the mites. Might want to google it and see — can’t remember where I saw it, but apparently it doesn’t harm the bees at all but smothers the mites.

Wheat straw so I’ve been told….wonder whether one could use pine straw or too acidic?

I wouldn’t use pine straw — I think potatoes need things a little more alkaline.

The bane of my outdoor existence….OTOH, I’m great to walk the woods with…..can spot the stuff from 50 yards.

Ta…..off on a soil-buying trip; love the gardening posts when they appear. *smooch*

i did a program on them last year for garden club.

theere is a new purchased kind that now has three holes, and has a new stand that comes with it….not offered by all of the places that offer them…comes with a free strawberry planter.
https://www.topsytree.com/flare/next?tag=os%7Caf
i don’t know if i would put three tomato plants in it, but you could put a pepper and a small cucumber and a tomato all in one container.

i’ve been eyeing them, saw it on tv, then couldn’t find the stand on the web. finally did. thinking about getting one for my mom and dad.

========
also found it on this guy’s site…….the coolest site ever……but his link doesn’t have the free strawberry planter……
http://www.thegreenhead.com/20…..o-tree.php

other sites offer two for one one-hole topsyturvy planters for a less-expensive price. if you have a place to hang one, these would be ok….but i know of many who had great results with the 5-gallon bucket homemade version…..you can even hang them high and set up a piece of hose with a quick-connect on it to water them.

the regular ones, i don’t have anywhere to hang it, i don’t want to install a 4×4 for it. so the stand looks like a good idea to me.
==========

white house garden–are the secret service going to guard the veggies?

how about looking at the garden as a nice gesture, some positive activity for the local children.

In a perfectly logical world, you could argue there would be no place, none at all for “safe” gardens in any of our cities or ‘burbs that spray for mosquitoes, allow runoff into streams from golf courses, host golfers who carry home on their clothing residue from the notoriously deadly pesticides used on the greens.

Much of the bulk compost one buys these days, if made from dairy cow manure, harbors persistent chemicals used for controlling weeds in the alfalfa fields from which the cows’ food is harvested. Those chemicals travel straight through the cow and out with the manure, thence into the compost and on to the vegetable garden, to stunt the growth of any crops not compatible with alfalfa.

yadda yadda yadda.

I kid you not. See? I can be a concern troll just like anyone else.

Instead, I will leave such thoughts, filed appropriately, and recognize the delightful First Family’s vegetable garden as the beautiful, compassionate and educational symbol it is meant to be.

Michele is a master teacher, if people will listen. Her husband and beautiful children, and most certainly her mother, aren’t half bad either. I am cheered to have them gracing the people’s White House.

They are a gift to the nation, arrived just in time.

Over the past many years, we have steadily added more and more pollinator-friendly plants. Our little corner of the world was absolutely a-buzz with honeybees, as well as many other species of bumblebees, butterflies (Monarch, numerous spp. Swallowtails), and moths (Luna! Imperial! Hawkmoth!) all season long. Go figure.

You invite graciously, and they will come.

you can also use this method using a chicken-wire/mesh wire circle, just add as the plants grow.

and tires work, too. just add a tire as you go.
i guess you could use fence posts to support a wall of anything, i would poke a few holes to let water drain through it if your ground isn’t that good. anything you have around that would work. could do a rectangle row or a circle. plenty of sites on the web with ideas.

i did chicken wire once and tires once. both worked really well.

both methods are easy-harvest. but you have to keep an eye on the plants to make sure they are getting enough moisture and to make sure to add packed straw at the right time.

Do you have to hang upside down from the swing-set to harvest? *g*

fwiw, we do a lot of mulching directly as we weed, using the weeds themselves. most won’t cause trouble if you snuggle them up against the crops, but with their roots out of contact with the ground.

when we had chickens, we also fed them weeds from the garden. most beautiful eggs and chicken meat we ever saw. all that greenery, when pesticide-free, should not go to waste. feed it, eat it (depending), dig it into the soil to enrich next year’s crop and beyond.

suggest you be very very careful around vermiculite. Starting several years ago, it’s not recommended for home gardeners, because much of that mined is contaminated with asbestos. Very nasty.

interesting…by the time friends had read about luck some folks were having with hives near mint the bees in my hives were long gone.

Will read about the sugar efforts…thanks

this is ot but hearing still going on today having to do with AIG , failing banks etc.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Vice Chairman Martin Greuenberg (sp) just had his say. This man was clear and concise. we have found “criminal activity in these failed institutions”

Talked a fair amount about holding criminals accountable

This is a great panel
http://www.cspan.org/Watch/C-SPAN_wm.aspx

cool site ecahn!!!!

they sell all kinds of good things!
they have recipes, too……yum.

Raven–

When some entrepreneur finds a tremendous commercial use for kudzu (or poison ivy, for that matter)–whether it be a cure for the common cold, cancer treatment, or petro-substitute–the aggressive ‘crop’ will lose its vigor, and it will dry up and blow away. Till then . . . it remains a southern WEED, astonishing northern immigrants with its speedy and prolific growth.

those are really cool, you can stack many on top of the other, much more growing space than the topsy turvy.

thanks.

that would be great ..poison ivy cures cancer.

I have friends who eat a small piece of poison ivy in the spring as a way to inoculate themselves ( I have not and probably will not ever try this) But that homeopathic idea of like qualities can immunize you from the same plant.

I have used Rhus tox in the spring…seems to work
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/homeopathic.html

But really believe in washing immediately with Fels Neptha. after you think you come into contact with poison ivy Also rubbing the area that has come into contact with the ivy with the juicy stems of Jewel weed…really seems to work

Jewelweed
http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm

knew I had read somewhere about medical uses for Kudzu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu

The Harvard Medical School is studying kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug.[5] The mechanism for this is not yet established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain.

Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent), daidzin (a cancer preventive) and genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headache.[6] It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea.[7]

Research in mice models suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type II.[8]

In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as gé gēn (Chinese: 葛根), kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei syndrome (superficial heat close to the surface).[citation need

o.k I know I am persistent (sometimes is a blessing sometimes a curse)

But

I sure hope some of the big brains here at FDL come to this live hearing that I believe was just announced recently. Talkin accountability fines arrest in the financial sector,

FDIC investigations etc
http://www.cspan.org/Watch/C-SPAN_wm.aspx

If the Congress passes HR 875 there won’t be any more organic farms and gardens. Watch “Criminalizing Organic Farming” on youtube. Monsanto has been harassing organic farmers for a while and it is worsening with the help of Congress. Rosa DeLauro(D) from Connecticut sponsored this bill. Mrs. DeLauro’s husband does business with Monsanto. To find out more about the activities of Monsanto go to http://www.organicconsumers.org and read Millions Against Monsanto. This corporation is an abomination.

Thanks Christy.

digg is open.

Christy,

Forgive me if someone else has linked to this wonderful article from the New York Times by Michael Pollan. This garden is what he was writing about last October.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10…..038;st=cse

This is a wonderful story–thank you Christy. I am in the planting groove–I started all sorts of seeds under lights last weekend, sitting outside in my garden shed in the pouring rain! The Genovese basil and San Marzano tomatoes are already germinated!

If we get a break in the rainy weather, I will put in an early salad greens and peas bed under plastic!

Poison Ivy is for the birds, and deer, and maybe mice? For us, not so nice.

The fruit ripens in late summer through late fall, and at about the same time the leaves turn bright red, providing a cue to the many birds that feed on the fruits.

snip

The thing that makes poison ivy so famous is the presence of a pale yellow oil called urushiol. This oil is present within all parts of the plant, but is not found on the surface unless the plant is damaged or bruised. The plant is somewhat fragile, however, and the majority of specimens are damaged in some way. Furthermore, urushiol can take many years to break down, particularly in cool and dry conditions, so it is also present in dead plants.

Urushiol is sticky, and is easily transferred to anything that touches it. And, as it is a stable compound, once it’s on something (like your clothes, tools, or pets), at least some of it will stay there for quite a while unless it’s washed off. When poison ivy is burned, the urushiol is carried on particles of soot and dust in the smoke.

Urushiol itself is not poisonous. However, urushiol which remains on your skin for more than five minutes or so will begin to be absorbed and metabolized.

The metabolites bind with skin proteins, forming new structures. In about 85% of the human population, the immune system sees these structures as foreign and attacks them. It is this immune response, or allergic reaction, which causes the itching, inflammation, and blistering of the skin. These symptoms generally appear after half a day to two days. After a few more days, when all of the alien structures have been destroyed (along with much of the surrounding tissue), the rash begins to heal…

The average person doesn’t have a reaction the first time they’re exposed, and if they do, it’s usually delayed by seven to ten days. It takes some time for your body to produce the appropriate T-cells. Sensitivity also varies among individuals, and usually decreases with age. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, where the skin is thicker, are generally immune.

Severe cases, especially those involving mucous membranes (eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, etc.) require medical attention. Hydrocortisone preparations or, in really severe cases, steroids, are generally given to reduce the immune response. As with many allergens, a severe reaction can be fatal if left untreated.

The best way to avoid getting “poison ivy” is to not get urushiol on your skin. Know what the plant looks like and avoid it. If you can’t avoid it, wear protective clothing. Wash anything that may have come in contact with the plant before it touches your skin, including your dog. Never ever ever burn poison ivy. Stay away from forest fires (unless you’re a firefighter, then wear protective gear). There are also barrier creams that are commercially available.

[my emphasis]

Love it or hate it, just don’t smoke it. ;->

p.s., I appreciate your persistence, as do many others, I’m sure. ;->

I think this is a good personal choice by the Obama family, and a good example for the rest of the nation to follow. Hopefully this will promote hobby farming and all the organic farms that are in the minority in America’s Heartland.

I totally support this effort by Michelle. But I would guess from shaking her hand twice (in D.C. and Athens Ohio) that she has not used a shovel or planted a tomato herself in a long time (if ever). Her hand was as soft as a baby’s ass. I mean really soft.

You do not have to be a gardener to support organic gardening

Thank you for this comment. Deep thanks more than you can imagine. I myself have hardened, serious gardener’s hands. The personal “doing” of a physical task is not as important, in Michelle’s role as First Lady, as is her support and dedication.

Her dedication to public service and independence comes through loud and clear. Others may pick and snicker all they want, but her focus and desire to foster good works cheers my soul. I hope others can see that side of her also.

No ONE person can do every thing, but their support is all the more impressive when it reaches beyond their own personal advancement.

Maybe she wears gloves. Some gardeners do.

Her hands were too soft for even wearing gloves. (babies butt soft)..but it really does not matter whether she has ever gardened or not. She is supporting the effort and setting an example…Wonderful