Water-wise Gardening

One of the main reasons I developed the Grow Y'own Raised

Bed gardening system with covers, was to reduce the need

for using excessive amounts of water to grow food. The

covers keep the soil from drying out so rapidly, and the

whole environment works like a terrarium- once you deliver

water to the system, it stays in the bed, condensing upwards

to the inside of the covers, and dropping, over and over.

The need for watering is highly limited. We water most

beds 5-10 minutes a day, with 6" spaced 1/4" laser lines.

These emit very slowly, drop by drop. In the Winter, we

water about once a month- only several gallons at a

time for a 4x8 bed.

   Here in the Southwest, water is everything. Collecting

it is vital, and should be done whenever possible. And,

the Grow Y'own system is the best way to use less, and

grow more!

Bees

Bulbs will be coming up here in Santa Fe this week. Time to start

thinking about what you're going to plant this Spring and Summer.

Don't forget the bees!! Bees need flowers for sustenance, and

flowers need bees for pollination, as well as your vegies and

fruit trees. Here are some tips for attracting more bees to your

home and garden...

1) Plant native flowers

2) Select single flower types for more nectar

3) Set up a 'bee bath' for drinking water... a shallow

    pan with pebbles to land on

4) Use only natural pesticides and fertilizers...PLEASE!!

5) Bees are attracted most to the colors blue, violet,

    purple, white, and yellow

6) Bees feast on bee balm, cosmos, echinacea, snap

    dragons, foxgloves, and hosta in the Summer

7) Best herbs to plant are chives, thyme, mint, oregano,

    rosemary, sage, lavender, and basil

8) Plant edible flowers, for yourself AND the bees...

    violas, violets, nasturtiums, bachelor buttons, johnny

    jump ups, and more.

Ask Bob and his great staff at Agua Fria Nursery in Santa

Fe about more info on bee-utiful ways to attract our most

important pollinators!

The Organic Path

Whenever you choose the organic path, you're supporting a system of

agriculture that provides for the health of the soil, water, air, farm

workers and farm families, communities where farms are, and the

health of the planet. 7 reasons to go organic, and grow your own

food supply year round:

1) Organic fruits and vegies are nutritionally rich

2) Organic agriculture reduces our exposure to harmful pesticides

3) Organic meat and dairy may contain more healthy fats

4) Organic farming protects the environment

5) Organic products are processed without hormones or antibiotics

6) Organic foods don't contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

7) Organic practices support animal welfare

So go organic. Stop the carbon footprint of shipping foods thousands

of miles. Know your food supply- how it was grown, tended, watered,

and harvested. Give the gift of food to others. Grow Y'own!!

Winter startup

Its February. This morning it was 18 degrees here in Galisteo outside of

Santa Fe. The nighttime temps ae slowly warming up, meaning that

new starts and wintered over plants will have a better shot at taking

off. Its definitely not too early to get some greens in the ground-

tatsoi, pac choi, kale, chard, lettuces, spinach, arugula, claytonia,

mesclun and sassy salad mixes, to name a few. You can get all

these and more at Agua Fria Nursery in Santa Fe. And be sure

to start 'airing out' your beds on these warm days in the 50's and

60's. Better ventilation will help control those unwanted early

aphids, and will give the birds something to feast on!