Our Mission:

Our Mission: To enable individuals and communities to take an active part in the cultivation of systems that provide the highest quality fruits, vegetables, herbs and other yields, in a way that benefits themselves, cares for the land and environment, and provides a surplus to use, share and reinvest into the system.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Spring is here ...and World Water Day

Spring is Here!

Spring has been teasing us for some time here in Central Iowa and it has finally arrived.
The crocuses are blooming under our peach and apples trees.  The tulips are racing to catch up!
 

The returning Canadian Geese are pairing up, some deciding they'll skip the rest of the trip and become "locals."
 

 
Last week I thinned my tomatoes and peppers in their starting trays, maybe a little later than I could have. 
And now they have been transplanted into pots that I hope will give them room to grow until the soil warms enough. 

 
(For more on these frugal pots click here)
 
Once the ground is above 50° I will move them out.  Any before this and their growth can slow enough that they won't grow as fast as they would've had I just waited a few more days.
 
Now is also a good time to plant most greens.  I planted a couple varieties of spinach but didn't get to the Parris Island Cos lettuce, my favorite tasting.  Maybe this week yet...
We also planted a couple rows of peas, Little Marvels and Mammoth Sugar Snap.  Very few of these make the trip from garden to kitchen last year :)
 

World Water Day  

March 22nd has been designated World Water Day. You can learn more about World Water Day, and how you can help others around the world through these following organizations.
    
World Water Day homepage
 
 
 
We often don't think about lack of water here beyond a droughts effect on local agriculture or our lawns.  But we have had some dry years lately and there are things we can do to conserve water right here in our own landscapes.
 
Increasing your soil organic matter by only 1% can hold more than 20,000 gallons of additional water in the ground.  This increased water holding capacity can help your grass, plants or crops survive longer dry spells with less stress.  Drought stress can cause lawns to go dormant and brown, flowers and gardens to wilt and crops will lose yield.
 
You can learn more about saving rain water in barrels and more in my post from last July.
 
Have a great week!
Jeff
 

No comments:

Post a Comment