Are You a Gardener?

Gardening is a mindset that doesn’t require soil or seeds to develop. Anyone who enjoys the exquisite taste of an heirloom tomato fresh from the garden has the innate ability to be a gardener. If you like to smell roses, or lilacs, or honeysuckle, you have the makings of a gardener. If you like vegetables of any kind, gardening may be in your blood. Even if you don’t like vegetables at all you are ripe for becoming a gardener. Essentially, gardening is for everyone.

Gardening is one of the few things in life where you have complete control over why you do it, when you do it, where you do it, and how you do it. And after you’ve done it you have something to show for your labors. Successful or not, you have accomplished something unique.

A giant pumpkin in the Galileo garden

At this point, many people counter with their lack of a green thumb or even the possession of a black one. My counterpoint is that I have killed more plants than many gardeners will ever grow. I gardened for decades before becoming a master gardener. At that point I learned of the many things I had done wrong for so long. But that hasn’t stopped the devastation. With increased confidence I planted, and killed, many more plants. I continue to make mistakes in gardening. It’s part of the process.
Sure, I would prefer to always be successful and never cause a plant pain or death, but gardening is not just about success. It is about partaking in an activity that has been proven to enhance the enjoyment of life and even prolong it. Gardening is good for you.

Too many people think that to be a gardener they must have a plot of land dedicated to a time-consuming activity. Nothing can be further from the truth. A single pot on your patio with a live plant in it makes you a gardener. If that single plant is a tomato or pepper, you are a vegetable gardener. If it is a marigold or daisy, you are a flower gardener. If it is basil or thyme, you are an herb gardener. If you have a plum tree in your yard and harvest the fruit, you have a mini orchard and are a fruit gardener.

Plums on my plum tree

Once you’ve acknowledged that you’re probably a gardener at heart, by thought or through demonstration of what you grow, you can begin to expand your gardening knowledge and think about adding more plants to your repertoire. If you already have that plot and are growing a vegetable, herb, or flower garden, think about what you can do to grow and experience more.

Winter is a great time to think about your gardening plans for the year. Consider adding another pot on your patio, or taking out some lawn and adding a vegetable bed, or venturing into the addition of fruit trees. Spend indoor time during the cold months researching and learning. Talk to the people you know who you consider to be gardeners and ask them for advice on how to begin.

When done with the foundation of a little knowledge, gardening takes less time than most of your everyday activities but can be far more rewarding. Extra time and effort can lead to ample enjoyment and satisfaction. And at the end of the day you can call yourself a gardener.

For the last two years I have been gardening on a full-time basis for a phenomenal school garden project. As a result, my blog postings have suffered. I plan to rectify that by sharing of our adventures in gardens that are planted by and for children. I call myself a gardener and am sharing that mindset with a new generation. I look forward to the days when these students call themselves gardeners.

Check out my extensive library of gardening videos to make you a better gardener:
https://www.youtube.com/gardenerscott

Gardening is a mindset that doesn’t require soil or seeds to develop. Anyone who enjoys the exquisite taste of an heirloom tomato fresh from the garden has the innate ability to be a gardener. If you like to smell roses, or lilacs, or honeysuckle, you have the makings of a gardener. If you like vegetables of any kind, gardening may be in your blood. Even if you don’t like vegetables at all you are ripe for becoming a gardener. Essentially, gardening is for everyone.

Gardening is one of the few things in life where you have complete control over why you do it, when you do it, where you do it, and how you do it. And after you’ve done it you have something to show for your labors. Successful or not, you have accomplished something unique.

A giant pumpkin in the Galileo garden

At this point, many people counter with their lack of a green thumb or even the possession of a black one. My counterpoint is that I have killed more plants than many gardeners will ever grow. I gardened for decades before becoming a master gardener. At that point I learned of the many things I had done wrong for so long. But that hasn’t stopped the devastation. With increased confidence I planted, and killed, many more plants. I continue to make mistakes in gardening. It’s part of the process.
Sure, I would prefer to always be successful and never cause a plant pain or death, but gardening is not just about success. It is about partaking in an activity that has been proven to enhance the enjoyment of life and even prolong it. Gardening is good for you.

Too many people think that to be a gardener they must have a plot of land dedicated to a time-consuming activity. Nothing can be further from the truth. A single pot on your patio with a live plant in it makes you a gardener. If that single plant is a tomato or pepper, you are a vegetable gardener. If it is a marigold or daisy, you are a flower gardener. If it is basil or thyme, you are an herb gardener. If you have a plum tree in your yard and harvest the fruit, you have a mini orchard and are a fruit gardener.

Plums on my plum tree

Once you’ve acknowledged that you’re probably a gardener at heart, by thought or through demonstration of what you grow, you can begin to expand your gardening knowledge and think about adding more plants to your repertoire. If you already have that plot and are growing a vegetable, herb, or flower garden, think about what you can do to grow and experience more.

Winter is a great time to think about your gardening plans for the year. Consider adding another pot on your patio, or taking out some lawn and adding a vegetable bed, or venturing into the addition of fruit trees. Spend indoor time during the cold months researching and learning. Talk to the people you know who you consider to be gardeners and ask them for advice on how to begin.

When done with the foundation of a little knowledge, gardening takes less time than most of your everyday activities but can be far more rewarding. Extra time and effort can lead to ample enjoyment and satisfaction. And at the end of the day you can call yourself a gardener.

For the last two years I have been gardening on a full-time basis for a phenomenal school garden project. As a result, my blog postings have suffered. I plan to rectify that by sharing of our adventures in gardens that are planted by and for children. I call myself a gardener and am sharing that mindset with a new generation. I look forward to the days when these students call themselves gardeners.

Check out my extensive library of gardening videos to make you a better gardener:
https://www.youtube.com/gardenerscott

Chicken Phrases in Our Speech

Chicken behavior permeates what we say and when we say it. I didn't fully appreciate how much chicken culture has influenced human culture until we began to raise hens this year. I found myself describing the behavior of the chickens by using literal phrases that I'd only used figuratively before.

Jo is our smallest hen. She was a straight-run chick so we had to wait until she began maturing before finding out whether she was a rooster or hen. A beautiful, multi-color, Easter-Egger, she began laying small white eggs and our questions ceased. After only a month of laying she suddenly stopped. That change coincided with the loss of some of her long, black tail feathers in a round patch on her back; it revealed bare skin and an apparent increase in her stress level.

Jo's feathers are beginning to grow back

I guessed that she got too close to the fence and a fox nipped her. That was until I saw Lucy, the big Rhode Island Red hen, pecking at the bare spot. It was instantly obvious that Jo was "henpecked".

I knew chickens establish a hierarchy of dominance, but wasn't aware of how it was functioning in our coop. Obviously, big, red Lucy "ruled the roost".

Lucy is the boss

This was confirmed later when I put some yellow squash from my garden into their chicken run. They all ran to the delicious vegetable, but only Lucy began pecking at it. When the other hens stuck their beaks in, Lucy pushed them away. There was a definite "pecking order" and Lucy was number one.

As the other chickens backed away quickly, frustrated and flustered, it was apparent that Lucy had "ruffled their feathers" and "got their hackles up".

Lucy gets first peck

Those chicken-based phrases are ones I've used and are commonly heard describing human interactions. A timid husband is henpecked because his wife rules the roost. When the kids go for a car ride the oldest gets shotgun because of their pecking order. If Aunt Helen gets stuck in the back it ruffles her feathers.

There are many other phrases we use to describe ourselves. Chickens prefer light spaces and familiar areas to sleep. When the sun goes down they’re “chicken” about the dark as they enter the coop and "come home to roost". That being said, they don't like being "cooped up" for long periods of time and often will "fly the coop" if given the chance.

The hens are anxious to get outside each day

The hens we have typically won't sit on eggs for long periods expecting them to hatch. After Jo's feathers grew back, she began laying eggs again. Unexpectedly one day she sat on her "nest egg" for nearly 30 hours straight. I couldn't get her out of the nest box. She "brooded over" that egg. It was almost as though she was acting like a "mother hen". My wife was finally able to coax her out with special chicken treats.

It wasn't long before her tail feathers began to disappear again along with a regular supply of little white eggs. We were left with an "empty nest" with those eggs gone.

No eggs in an empty nest

We have just a few hens and have had few problems when collecting eggs. We haven't worried about "putting all of our eggs in the same basket". We've never dropped an egg and haven't had to worry about "walking on eggshells". And of course we've never had "egg on our face".

All of these phrases have obvious origins. And their transference to human actions are easily understood. When you see the bare dirt of a chicken run it's easy to understand why bad handwriting looks like "chicken scratch". Chickens are relatively inexpensive to raise; after all, the cost of their food is just "chicken feed".

We don't have a rooster so we don't have to worry about "counting our chickens before they hatch". We use the eggs regularly so we know that "you have to break eggs to make an omelet". And we know that a "good egg" is home-raised.

Many other animal actions have factored into human speech, but I have to believe that chickens have had the most impact. I can think of no other animal that formed the basis of so many common English phrases. Obviously with that much influence, chickens "have something to crow about".

Chicken behavior permeates what we say and when we say it. I didn't fully appreciate how much chicken culture has influenced human culture until we began to raise hens this year. I found myself describing the behavior of the chickens by using literal phrases that I'd only used figuratively before.

Jo is our smallest hen. She was a straight-run chick so we had to wait until she began maturing before finding out whether she was a rooster or hen. A beautiful, multi-color, Easter-Egger, she began laying small white eggs and our questions ceased. After only a month of laying she suddenly stopped. That change coincided with the loss of some of her long, black tail feathers in a round patch on her back; it revealed bare skin and an apparent increase in her stress level.

Jo's feathers are beginning to grow back

I guessed that she got too close to the fence and a fox nipped her. That was until I saw Lucy, the big Rhode Island Red hen, pecking at the bare spot. It was instantly obvious that Jo was "henpecked".

I knew chickens establish a hierarchy of dominance, but wasn't aware of how it was functioning in our coop. Obviously, big, red Lucy "ruled the roost".

Lucy is the boss

This was confirmed later when I put some yellow squash from my garden into their chicken run. They all ran to the delicious vegetable, but only Lucy began pecking at it. When the other hens stuck their beaks in, Lucy pushed them away. There was a definite "pecking order" and Lucy was number one.

As the other chickens backed away quickly, frustrated and flustered, it was apparent that Lucy had "ruffled their feathers" and "got their hackles up".

Lucy gets first peck

Those chicken-based phrases are ones I've used and are commonly heard describing human interactions. A timid husband is henpecked because his wife rules the roost. When the kids go for a car ride the oldest gets shotgun because of their pecking order. If Aunt Helen gets stuck in the back it ruffles her feathers.

There are many other phrases we use to describe ourselves. Chickens prefer light spaces and familiar areas to sleep. When the sun goes down they’re “chicken” about the dark as they enter the coop and "come home to roost". That being said, they don't like being "cooped up" for long periods of time and often will "fly the coop" if given the chance.

The hens are anxious to get outside each day

The hens we have typically won't sit on eggs for long periods expecting them to hatch. After Jo's feathers grew back, she began laying eggs again. Unexpectedly one day she sat on her "nest egg" for nearly 30 hours straight. I couldn't get her out of the nest box. She "brooded over" that egg. It was almost as though she was acting like a "mother hen". My wife was finally able to coax her out with special chicken treats.

It wasn't long before her tail feathers began to disappear again along with a regular supply of little white eggs. We were left with an "empty nest" with those eggs gone.

No eggs in an empty nest

We have just a few hens and have had few problems when collecting eggs. We haven't worried about "putting all of our eggs in the same basket". We've never dropped an egg and haven't had to worry about "walking on eggshells". And of course we've never had "egg on our face".

All of these phrases have obvious origins. And their transference to human actions are easily understood. When you see the bare dirt of a chicken run it's easy to understand why bad handwriting looks like "chicken scratch". Chickens are relatively inexpensive to raise; after all, the cost of their food is just "chicken feed".

We don't have a rooster so we don't have to worry about "counting our chickens before they hatch". We use the eggs regularly so we know that "you have to break eggs to make an omelet". And we know that a "good egg" is home-raised.

Many other animal actions have factored into human speech, but I have to believe that chickens have had the most impact. I can think of no other animal that formed the basis of so many common English phrases. Obviously with that much influence, chickens "have something to crow about".

Gifts for Gardeners

Gardeners are pretty easy to please. We find enjoyment in getting our hands dirty and find that the simplicity of nature can be quite beautiful. While there will always be an expensive plant or tool that we drool over, inexpensive and thoughtful gifts are usually very welcome.

For those looking for a gift for a gardener friend or family member, the following suggestions should help you make a wise decision. Be aware that a good gift doesn't need to cost much and each gardener's personal tastes and gardening methods should be taken into consideration when choosing. There are some snobby gardeners out there, but most of us aren't.

At the top of my list is a good hat. Granted, we can be vain and picky about our wardrobe and selecting the perfect headgear is important, but if your gardener doesn't wear a hat they should. The sun can be very damaging and my own skin cancer attests to the worst-case scenario. A wide-brim hat needs to be on every gardener's head. A gifted hat can change the way they garden and could save their life.

My favorite gardening hat

On a lighter note, the gift I always look for in my Christmas stocking is a nice pair of leather gloves. While I enjoy the feel of warm soil on my fingers, I wear gloves for most of my gardening tasks. Digging, weeding, constructing, and clearing brush are all tasks that are made easier while wearing gloves. I will buy a three-pack of cheap cloth or cloth-leather gloves for a few bucks, but laying down a couple sawbucks for a nice leather pair doesn't happen often. When I have a good set I'll use them until they're worn out. That's why I hope for a new pair at Christmas each year.

These gloves have seen better days

My shed and garage are filled with garden tools, but most of them are still the ones I bought when I first began gardening years ago. And back then I didn't really know what I was doing so cheap tools seemed a good choice. I still make do with hand tools that have broken handles, bent spines, or dull edges. It makes sense to buy new ones, but that's too much effort. A gift isn't any effort at all.

Pruners are a good example of a tool that many gardeners need upgraded. There are many wonderful hand pruners that are ergonomically designed with cushioned handles. Deadheading and small pruning chores are easier when the tool is comfortable. A little information about a gardener's personal preference can help when choosing hand pruners. There are basically two kinds: bypass and anvil. While each type has its purpose and usefulness, some gardeners have a clear preference. For pruning live plants, I prefer bypass pruners because I think anvil pruners can damage plant stalks and stems. Luckily many stores sell hand pruners with both types packaged together.

Bypass pruners with uncomfortable handles

Trowels are another common gardening tool that may need an upgrade. A good quality hand trowel can last a lifetime, but few of us have one. I have different trowels and they all have problems. My favorite, with a nice, wide, padded handle, was discovered by Lily the Lab when she was a puppy; the handle is now chewed up. On another, the wood handle has separated from the metal blade and I spend as much time sticking the two pieces together as I do digging in the soil. A sturdy, ergonomic trowel would be nice to have. There are skinny trowels and wide trowels and they all have a use.

Trowels are a must have

I discovered a wonderful weeder years ago and remarkably I'm the only gardener I know who owns one. It's a stirrup hoe, also called a Hula Hoe. It's amazingly easy to use and removes small weeds below the soil surface. Every year I use it when weeds begin to sprout. It eliminates most of them before they become a problem. It's a tool I think every gardener should own.

A stirrup hoe is great

Another nice tool is a dandelion weeder. It has a forked tongue on a long, narrow spine designed to dig along the root of dandelions and pull out the entire plant. It works. You can find them with handles long enough to use while standing, but I prefer the hand-size ones. They are great for dandelions and many other long-rooted weeds. Every gardener should have one.

Dandelion weeders work well

Many other garden items are nice to have, but seldom purchased by the gardener. I'm always in need of plant markers. Galvanized metal ones with zinc or copper nameplates are very attractive, but I haven't purchased many because they're a bit extravagant. I own a few, but find myself using cheap aluminum or plastic ones. If I had more of the fancy ones I'd use them.

Cheap plant tags don't always look good

Plant ties are similar. A twist of twine is all that's needed to hold a plant to a stake, but I recently saw Velcro plant ties. They're reusable, strong, and a great idea. For a gardener who wants a fancier plant tie than twine, Velcro could be the answer.

The simplest items can be the most useful. I never seem to have enough staples in my garden. I'm talking about the galvanized metal staples that are six or eight inches long. I use them to hold bird netting, soaker hoses, and plastic row covers in place. By the end of the season many of them "just disappear." Very inexpensive, they're a wonderful stocking stuffer.

Good staples are hard to find

I tend to think that a gardener can't have too many bird feeders. While some gardeners don't want birds in their garden, I do. I have hummingbird feeders, and suet feeders, and seed feeders. Especially in winter, birds can use the thoughtfulness of a gardener who supplies free food. Bird feeders can be simple or fancy and in all cases can be a nice gift.

Decorative bird feeders look nice

I love garden art, and I do think that is one thing there can be too much of in a garden. But a few tasteful pieces can be fun and add character to a garden. Last year my wife got me a nice, welded iron, tricycle plant stand. It blends nicely with the other scattered pieces of art in my landscape and I think of her every time I see it.

A welcome gift

There are many catalogs and stores brimming over with wonderful gift ideas for gardeners, but it’s often hard to choose the right gift. The suggestions above are just some of the useful garden items that make my gardening experience better and can make your holiday shopping easier. Gardeners aren't hard to buy for and we'll accept anything useful in the garden.

Gardeners are pretty easy to please. We find enjoyment in getting our hands dirty and find that the simplicity of nature can be quite beautiful. While there will always be an expensive plant or tool that we drool over, inexpensive and thoughtful gifts are usually very welcome.

For those looking for a gift for a gardener friend or family member, the following suggestions should help you make a wise decision. Be aware that a good gift doesn't need to cost much and each gardener's personal tastes and gardening methods should be taken into consideration when choosing. There are some snobby gardeners out there, but most of us aren't.

At the top of my list is a good hat. Granted, we can be vain and picky about our wardrobe and selecting the perfect headgear is important, but if your gardener doesn't wear a hat they should. The sun can be very damaging and my own skin cancer attests to the worst-case scenario. A wide-brim hat needs to be on every gardener's head. A gifted hat can change the way they garden and could save their life.

My favorite gardening hat

On a lighter note, the gift I always look for in my Christmas stocking is a nice pair of leather gloves. While I enjoy the feel of warm soil on my fingers, I wear gloves for most of my gardening tasks. Digging, weeding, constructing, and clearing brush are all tasks that are made easier while wearing gloves. I will buy a three-pack of cheap cloth or cloth-leather gloves for a few bucks, but laying down a couple sawbucks for a nice leather pair doesn't happen often. When I have a good set I'll use them until they're worn out. That's why I hope for a new pair at Christmas each year.

These gloves have seen better days

My shed and garage are filled with garden tools, but most of them are still the ones I bought when I first began gardening years ago. And back then I didn't really know what I was doing so cheap tools seemed a good choice. I still make do with hand tools that have broken handles, bent spines, or dull edges. It makes sense to buy new ones, but that's too much effort. A gift isn't any effort at all.

Pruners are a good example of a tool that many gardeners need upgraded. There are many wonderful hand pruners that are ergonomically designed with cushioned handles. Deadheading and small pruning chores are easier when the tool is comfortable. A little information about a gardener's personal preference can help when choosing hand pruners. There are basically two kinds: bypass and anvil. While each type has its purpose and usefulness, some gardeners have a clear preference. For pruning live plants, I prefer bypass pruners because I think anvil pruners can damage plant stalks and stems. Luckily many stores sell hand pruners with both types packaged together.

Bypass pruners with uncomfortable handles

Trowels are another common gardening tool that may need an upgrade. A good quality hand trowel can last a lifetime, but few of us have one. I have different trowels and they all have problems. My favorite, with a nice, wide, padded handle, was discovered by Lily the Lab when she was a puppy; the handle is now chewed up. On another, the wood handle has separated from the metal blade and I spend as much time sticking the two pieces together as I do digging in the soil. A sturdy, ergonomic trowel would be nice to have. There are skinny trowels and wide trowels and they all have a use.

Trowels are a must have

I discovered a wonderful weeder years ago and remarkably I'm the only gardener I know who owns one. It's a stirrup hoe, also called a Hula Hoe. It's amazingly easy to use and removes small weeds below the soil surface. Every year I use it when weeds begin to sprout. It eliminates most of them before they become a problem. It's a tool I think every gardener should own.

A stirrup hoe is great

Another nice tool is a dandelion weeder. It has a forked tongue on a long, narrow spine designed to dig along the root of dandelions and pull out the entire plant. It works. You can find them with handles long enough to use while standing, but I prefer the hand-size ones. They are great for dandelions and many other long-rooted weeds. Every gardener should have one.

Dandelion weeders work well

Many other garden items are nice to have, but seldom purchased by the gardener. I'm always in need of plant markers. Galvanized metal ones with zinc or copper nameplates are very attractive, but I haven't purchased many because they're a bit extravagant. I own a few, but find myself using cheap aluminum or plastic ones. If I had more of the fancy ones I'd use them.

Cheap plant tags don't always look good

Plant ties are similar. A twist of twine is all that's needed to hold a plant to a stake, but I recently saw Velcro plant ties. They're reusable, strong, and a great idea. For a gardener who wants a fancier plant tie than twine, Velcro could be the answer.

The simplest items can be the most useful. I never seem to have enough staples in my garden. I'm talking about the galvanized metal staples that are six or eight inches long. I use them to hold bird netting, soaker hoses, and plastic row covers in place. By the end of the season many of them "just disappear." Very inexpensive, they're a wonderful stocking stuffer.

Good staples are hard to find

I tend to think that a gardener can't have too many bird feeders. While some gardeners don't want birds in their garden, I do. I have hummingbird feeders, and suet feeders, and seed feeders. Especially in winter, birds can use the thoughtfulness of a gardener who supplies free food. Bird feeders can be simple or fancy and in all cases can be a nice gift.

Decorative bird feeders look nice

I love garden art, and I do think that is one thing there can be too much of in a garden. But a few tasteful pieces can be fun and add character to a garden. Last year my wife got me a nice, welded iron, tricycle plant stand. It blends nicely with the other scattered pieces of art in my landscape and I think of her every time I see it.

A welcome gift

There are many catalogs and stores brimming over with wonderful gift ideas for gardeners, but it’s often hard to choose the right gift. The suggestions above are just some of the useful garden items that make my gardening experience better and can make your holiday shopping easier. Gardeners aren't hard to buy for and we'll accept anything useful in the garden.

Wildfire Mitigation for Homes

The enormous power of wildfires can be devastating. While much of the Rocky Mountain region confronts an historic fire season, tragic lessons are being learned. Many of us living in urban neighborhoods used to think we were safe when grasslands and forests burned near us, but the firestorm that engulfed West Colorado Springs proved those assumptions wrong.

Crack fire crews were ready, air tankers had dropped tons of fire retardant slurry, national experts put a good defensive plan in place, and sudden, erratic, unanticipated 65 mile per hour winds made all of that irrelevant. Entire neighborhoods were erased in minutes. A firestorm overwhelmed all preparations and incinerated hundreds of houses. These weren't houses sitting solitary in a forest. They were homes sitting side by side along wide streets with sidewalks, playgrounds, and fenced backyards.

I was in Colorado Springs the afternoon of June 26, 2012, and felt sickened by the sight of flames cresting the ridge line that was perceived by all of us as a critical border between the city and the threat beyond. I wasn't overly worried because I knew the fire crews were ready based on the many updates we were following on the news channels. Upon arriving home, 20 miles east of the danger, I told my wife the fire was worse. It was a sorrowful understatement.

The best-trained, professional, defensive fire teams in the world can be defeated when Mother Nature adds enormous destructive energy to an already devastating force of nature, but those events aren't common. The Colorado Springs fire is being described by career firefighters as"epic", with growth patterns and expansive actions previously unseen.

This tragedy has many of us reviewing our own homes and neighborhoods with an eye toward the threat of fire. The idea of "wildfire mitigation" was previously unknown or ignored by many homeowners, but now is the discussion topic at the dinner table.

A wildfire is an uncontrolled burning of grasslands and woodlands, or prairies and forests. The large majority of urban settings are still safe from wildfires, but houses and neighborhoods that border zones of bone-dry vegetation should be aware of practices to reduce the fire threat. Wildfire mitigation for a homeowner involves taking actions to lessen or eliminate the potential damage from a wildfire.

A primary factor in determining a home's ability to survive a wildfire is the "defensible space" around it. This defensible space is the area of vegetation around a building that can either hinder or fuel a fire. Gardeners are uniquely qualified in determining the appropriateness of such vegetation.

A house is more likely to resist a wildfire if overgrown grass, dried brush, and overhanging trees are thinned or removed from the immediate vicinity of the building. With no or little fuel, a wildfire's progress can be slowed when it approaches.

Extending a clear space around a structure provides firefighters room to work as they fight flames, keeping a structure fire or a wildfire from moving to other structures or to surrounding woodlands. Giving the trained defenders a defensible space can make the difference between success and failure.

When viewing the area around your home and analyzing the defensible space, think horizontally and vertically. The horizontal space runs across the ground and encompasses low vegetation that could be potential fire fuel. The vertical space runs from the ground to the top of bushes and trees that might ignite. Vegetation that provides both high horizontal and vertical fuel potential poses the biggest threat; thick stands of brush and tightly-packed trees can be hazardous.

Mitigation of wildfire for homes involves disrupting the natural continuity of these horizontal and vertical fuel sources. Thinning large shrubs and trees so there is at least 10 feet between crowns reduces the potential of wildfire moving from one plant to another. Removing low branches and smaller plants under a tree removes these "ladder fuels" that can transform a low, grass fire into a high, tree fire.

A few years ago I was fortunate to receive forestry training as part of our Master Gardener program. It included education on wildfire mitigation and creating defensible zones around houses. I garden using many of those concepts. I've worked to prune lower branches off trees near the house to a height of about 10 feet. I don't plant shrubs near trees. I keep the grass within 100 feet of the house no higher than six inches. Dead trees and branches are removed quickly. No logs or wood are stored within five feet of the house and nothing is stored under the deck.

Even with my education and awareness a wildfire mitigation analysis shows deficiencies and potential hazard zones in my landscape. I was aware of some of them, overlooked others, and discovered new concerns.

My gardening activities focused on my backyard. Many earlier problems with potential wildfire fuels were corrected. It now offers a substantial defensive space and is maintained well. Little needs to be done there.

Good defensible space in the back

The front of the house has the road and gravel driveway as fire barriers and the old Ponderosa Pine is pruned up to about 15 feet; it is not threatened by a slow-moving, low fire. But there are Aspens and shrubs that abut the exterior walls. They are thick and not pruned as well as they should be. We like the way they look but in a wildfire situation they pose a danger to our home. This is the first place in our landscape where a decision needs to be made between aesthetics and safety. It's difficult sacrificing landscape plants, but it may be necessary to mitigate fire danger.

Obvious fire mitigation concerns

A similar situation exists on the north side of our house. Open pasture leads to the lawn, a thick stand of Aspens grows about 20 feet from the structure, overgrown bushes rest against the house, and a lone Ponderosa Pine rises within 10 feet of the deck and house. Though the lower branches are removed, the tree poses a serious threat. If it were to catch fire from a wind-blown ember, it threatens both the wood deck and the house. It is now a priority for removal.

Close growth is the biggest issue

The worst situation is on the south side. Our neighbor's thick brush and numerous trees flow into a space filled with pine trees on our property that grow right up to the house. Their branches intermingle. There is nothing to stop flames from spreading between them and to our roof.

No defensible space and obstructed mitigation zones

The first defensible zone around a house should extend at least 15 feet around it. All flammable vegetation should be removed from this zone for maximum fire mitigation. The second zone extends to at least 75 feet. Within this zone the continuity and arrangement of vegetation should be adjusted to reduce fuel potential. The south side of my home breaks all the rules of creating a wildfire-defensible space.

Many people move to the country or into the forest because they enjoy the scenery and wish to be engulfed by the plants and trees. No one expects that their home will be annihilated by a wildfire. We are now confronted by this obvious possibility.

In the early days of the Waldo Canyon fire as it threatened Colorado Springs, news crews and commentators highlighted the structures that remained immune to the widening fire lines. These homes were in the heart of the forest but they had obvious tree-free zones extending well beyond their walls. The grasses caught fire as the onslought approached but they were easy to extinguish. These homeowners who practiced serious wildfire mitigation practices saw their houses spared.

Creating defensible zones as part of wildfire mitigation works. It needs to exist on a large scale to be most effective. And an entire neighborhood needs to be involved. You can do what you can to reduce fire threat in your landscape but a neighbor's recklessness can still spell disaster.

I'm working with our homeowner's association, of which I'm a board member, to address this issue in our community. Already we're discussing plans for teams to help neighbors remove dead trees and brush if they're not able to do it on their own.

Many fire stations offer help in fire mitigation. If they have the resources they'll be happy to examine your landscape and identify problems. Believe me, it is beneficial for them to have defensible space around the homes they protect.

Mother Nature always has the last word. Even the best-defended home can be lost in a firestorm, as we saw this week. In a typical wildfire, wise mitigation practices can prevent loss. Educating yourself becomes critical when confronted by sustained drought as much of the U.S. is facing. High winds  and catastrophic low humidity increase danger. When the fire approaches it is too late to prepare your landscape. Think and act in advance to protect your home.

For more information read these fact sheets from Colorado State University:

Creating Wildfire-Defensible Zones, no. 6.302
Fire-Resistant Landscaping, no. 6.303
Forest Home Fire Safety, no 6.304
Firewise Plant Materials, no. 6.305

The enormous power of wildfires can be devastating. While much of the Rocky Mountain region confronts an historic fire season, tragic lessons are being learned. Many of us living in urban neighborhoods used to think we were safe when grasslands and forests burned near us, but the firestorm that engulfed West Colorado Springs proved those assumptions wrong.

Crack fire crews were ready, air tankers had dropped tons of fire retardant slurry, national experts put a good defensive plan in place, and sudden, erratic, unanticipated 65 mile per hour winds made all of that irrelevant. Entire neighborhoods were erased in minutes. A firestorm overwhelmed all preparations and incinerated hundreds of houses. These weren't houses sitting solitary in a forest. They were homes sitting side by side along wide streets with sidewalks, playgrounds, and fenced backyards.

I was in Colorado Springs the afternoon of June 26, 2012, and felt sickened by the sight of flames cresting the ridge line that was perceived by all of us as a critical border between the city and the threat beyond. I wasn't overly worried because I knew the fire crews were ready based on the many updates we were following on the news channels. Upon arriving home, 20 miles east of the danger, I told my wife the fire was worse. It was a sorrowful understatement.

The best-trained, professional, defensive fire teams in the world can be defeated when Mother Nature adds enormous destructive energy to an already devastating force of nature, but those events aren't common. The Colorado Springs fire is being described by career firefighters as"epic", with growth patterns and expansive actions previously unseen.

This tragedy has many of us reviewing our own homes and neighborhoods with an eye toward the threat of fire. The idea of "wildfire mitigation" was previously unknown or ignored by many homeowners, but now is the discussion topic at the dinner table.

A wildfire is an uncontrolled burning of grasslands and woodlands, or prairies and forests. The large majority of urban settings are still safe from wildfires, but houses and neighborhoods that border zones of bone-dry vegetation should be aware of practices to reduce the fire threat. Wildfire mitigation for a homeowner involves taking actions to lessen or eliminate the potential damage from a wildfire.

A primary factor in determining a home's ability to survive a wildfire is the "defensible space" around it. This defensible space is the area of vegetation around a building that can either hinder or fuel a fire. Gardeners are uniquely qualified in determining the appropriateness of such vegetation.

A house is more likely to resist a wildfire if overgrown grass, dried brush, and overhanging trees are thinned or removed from the immediate vicinity of the building. With no or little fuel, a wildfire's progress can be slowed when it approaches.

Extending a clear space around a structure provides firefighters room to work as they fight flames, keeping a structure fire or a wildfire from moving to other structures or to surrounding woodlands. Giving the trained defenders a defensible space can make the difference between success and failure.

When viewing the area around your home and analyzing the defensible space, think horizontally and vertically. The horizontal space runs across the ground and encompasses low vegetation that could be potential fire fuel. The vertical space runs from the ground to the top of bushes and trees that might ignite. Vegetation that provides both high horizontal and vertical fuel potential poses the biggest threat; thick stands of brush and tightly-packed trees can be hazardous.

Mitigation of wildfire for homes involves disrupting the natural continuity of these horizontal and vertical fuel sources. Thinning large shrubs and trees so there is at least 10 feet between crowns reduces the potential of wildfire moving from one plant to another. Removing low branches and smaller plants under a tree removes these "ladder fuels" that can transform a low, grass fire into a high, tree fire.

A few years ago I was fortunate to receive forestry training as part of our Master Gardener program. It included education on wildfire mitigation and creating defensible zones around houses. I garden using many of those concepts. I've worked to prune lower branches off trees near the house to a height of about 10 feet. I don't plant shrubs near trees. I keep the grass within 100 feet of the house no higher than six inches. Dead trees and branches are removed quickly. No logs or wood are stored within five feet of the house and nothing is stored under the deck.

Even with my education and awareness a wildfire mitigation analysis shows deficiencies and potential hazard zones in my landscape. I was aware of some of them, overlooked others, and discovered new concerns.

My gardening activities focused on my backyard. Many earlier problems with potential wildfire fuels were corrected. It now offers a substantial defensive space and is maintained well. Little needs to be done there.

Good defensible space in the back

The front of the house has the road and gravel driveway as fire barriers and the old Ponderosa Pine is pruned up to about 15 feet; it is not threatened by a slow-moving, low fire. But there are Aspens and shrubs that abut the exterior walls. They are thick and not pruned as well as they should be. We like the way they look but in a wildfire situation they pose a danger to our home. This is the first place in our landscape where a decision needs to be made between aesthetics and safety. It's difficult sacrificing landscape plants, but it may be necessary to mitigate fire danger.

Obvious fire mitigation concerns

A similar situation exists on the north side of our house. Open pasture leads to the lawn, a thick stand of Aspens grows about 20 feet from the structure, overgrown bushes rest against the house, and a lone Ponderosa Pine rises within 10 feet of the deck and house. Though the lower branches are removed, the tree poses a serious threat. If it were to catch fire from a wind-blown ember, it threatens both the wood deck and the house. It is now a priority for removal.

Close growth is the biggest issue

The worst situation is on the south side. Our neighbor's thick brush and numerous trees flow into a space filled with pine trees on our property that grow right up to the house. Their branches intermingle. There is nothing to stop flames from spreading between them and to our roof.

No defensible space and obstructed mitigation zones

The first defensible zone around a house should extend at least 15 feet around it. All flammable vegetation should be removed from this zone for maximum fire mitigation. The second zone extends to at least 75 feet. Within this zone the continuity and arrangement of vegetation should be adjusted to reduce fuel potential. The south side of my home breaks all the rules of creating a wildfire-defensible space.

Many people move to the country or into the forest because they enjoy the scenery and wish to be engulfed by the plants and trees. No one expects that their home will be annihilated by a wildfire. We are now confronted by this obvious possibility.

In the early days of the Waldo Canyon fire as it threatened Colorado Springs, news crews and commentators highlighted the structures that remained immune to the widening fire lines. These homes were in the heart of the forest but they had obvious tree-free zones extending well beyond their walls. The grasses caught fire as the onslought approached but they were easy to extinguish. These homeowners who practiced serious wildfire mitigation practices saw their houses spared.

Creating defensible zones as part of wildfire mitigation works. It needs to exist on a large scale to be most effective. And an entire neighborhood needs to be involved. You can do what you can to reduce fire threat in your landscape but a neighbor's recklessness can still spell disaster.

I'm working with our homeowner's association, of which I'm a board member, to address this issue in our community. Already we're discussing plans for teams to help neighbors remove dead trees and brush if they're not able to do it on their own.

Many fire stations offer help in fire mitigation. If they have the resources they'll be happy to examine your landscape and identify problems. Believe me, it is beneficial for them to have defensible space around the homes they protect.

Mother Nature always has the last word. Even the best-defended home can be lost in a firestorm, as we saw this week. In a typical wildfire, wise mitigation practices can prevent loss. Educating yourself becomes critical when confronted by sustained drought as much of the U.S. is facing. High winds  and catastrophic low humidity increase danger. When the fire approaches it is too late to prepare your landscape. Think and act in advance to protect your home.

For more information read these fact sheets from Colorado State University:

Creating Wildfire-Defensible Zones, no. 6.302
Fire-Resistant Landscaping, no. 6.303
Forest Home Fire Safety, no 6.304
Firewise Plant Materials, no. 6.305

Health Benefits of Gardening

Gardening is good for you. Many nontraditional approaches to gardening are improving the world around us. Hospitals and assisted care facilities use gardening in patient therapy programs. Schools are incorporating gardening programs into youth development classes. Communities are developing urban garden projects to aid the homeless. Wounded warriors are using gardening programs to heal their bodies and minds.

Those of us who live the life of a gardener know intrinsically that it makes us feel good and improves our well-being. I have some theories on why this is and have found sources that substantiate them medically. Gardening activities stimulate the release of brain chemicals that make us feel good.

This makes me feel good

I stumbled across an online article from Permaculture College Australia on "Why Gardening Makes You Happy and Cures Depression" (see link below). The article refers to research that getting our hands dirty literally brings us into contact with soil bacteria that stimulate the release of serotonin in our brains. According to WebMD, it is believed that serotonin deficiency plays a role in depression. While difficult to measure and quantify, increasing serotonin levels can make us feel better. I always wear gloves when I work with wood and wire, but when it comes to planting, the barehanded approach is the only way to go. Getting my hands dirty makes me feel good.

An article in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience on "How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs" (see link below) references studies that show that "serotonin may be associated with physical health as well as mood." They suggest that low serotonin levels may "predispose healthy individuals to suboptimal physical as well as mental functioning." In other words, you aren't performing as well as you should mentally and physically if your serotonin levels are low.

How do they recommend increasing serotonin? Bright light. Numerous studies show that exposure to light makes us feel better and helps us avoid depression. The article draws a correlation to our society's increasing depression problems when compared to generations past when we lived with agriculture as a bigger part of our lives. People who work outside in the sun tend to have fewer depression issues than people who are cooped up inside all day. Gardening is an ideal way to take advantage of the sun and its optical benefits. I definitely feel better when gardening in the sun.

Exercise also helps boost serotonin levels. Exercise can improve your mood. The Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience article introduces tryptophan as another chemical that acts as an antidepressant and "increases agreeableness, decreases quarrelsomeness and improves mood." Exercise, particularly exercise to fatigue, is associated with an increase of tryptophan in the blood. Gardening can certainly be a physically demanding activity and after a full day working outside my muscles and bones may ache, but I sure feel good about it.

Hard work but the results are seen in the first photo above

I've written many times about how good I feel when picking the ripe tomato, plump pumpkin, or juicy strawberry. Permaculture College Australia tells of research that they call the "Harvest High". There is a release of dopamine into the brain when we harvest our garden. Dopamine can trigger mild euphoria. In addition to the physical process of gathering our crops, the dopamine release can be triggered by sight or smell. That helps explain why I can't suppress a face-filling smile when I spot the perfect fruit ready for plucking.

How can you not enjoy this?

I've theorized that endorphins play a role in making me feel good when gardening. When you exert yourself your body produces endorphins. They make you feel really good, similar to morphine, and are commonly attributed to the euphoric feeling you get after a good workout or athletic performance; they produce the "runner's high". A WebMD article on "Exercise and Depression" specifically identifies gardening as a moderate exercise that can help depression. The blissful feeling after turning over the last shovel of soil when I stand erect and survey a prepared garden plot may be a quick rush of endorphins.

Then there are the emotional aspects of gardening that can't be easily studied or researched. There are some things about my passion that don't need to be explained medically or scientifically.

Digging in the soil, finding a few grubs, and feeding them to my chickens produces a wide range of brain chemicals at each step of the experience, but all I know is the chickens are as pleased as chickens can be and I like doing it.

Seeing the face of my grandson when he pulls a long, orange carrot from the soil and grins at his accomplishment is all about pleasure. His response might be explained by the dopamine in his body. But mine is more. It's about family, and love, and memories, and the joy of youth.

This makes me happy

When Carrie tells me she loves my blog and shares my gardening ideas and activities with her parents it brings forth feelings of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction. It feels good to know I'm making a difference, however small, in the happiness of someone else and it makes me want to do more.

The friends I have who are also gardeners are among my dearest. The love of gardening may have brought us together initially but we love each other for who we are. We are much more than gardeners, while gardening makes us better people.

Gardening makes me feel younger than I am. It brightens my day even when the sky is cloudy and a cold wind blows. Gardening helps take the physical pain of aging away by replacing it with a body ache that relishes to be repeated.

Science shows us there is a chemical reason why gardening makes us feel good physically and mentally. Experience shows us that gardening makes us feel good emotionally. With so many issues affecting our lives and so many activities vying for our precious time, it makes sense for gardening to find a place in our schedule. Gardening helps us put everything else in proper perspective.

I garden because I like to. It turns out that my body and brain substantiate the positive aspects every time I do it. When it comes to taking drugs, I'll keep pumping serotonin, tryptophan, dopamine, and endorphines into my body. I'll keep making a difference and keep making memories.

Gardening is good for me... what a great concept.

Links to:

Permaculture College Australia
How to increase serotonin without drugs
Exercise and Depression

 

Gardening is good for you. Many nontraditional approaches to gardening are improving the world around us. Hospitals and assisted care facilities use gardening in patient therapy programs. Schools are incorporating gardening programs into youth development classes. Communities are developing urban garden projects to aid the homeless. Wounded warriors are using gardening programs to heal their bodies and minds.

Those of us who live the life of a gardener know intrinsically that it makes us feel good and improves our well-being. I have some theories on why this is and have found sources that substantiate them medically. Gardening activities stimulate the release of brain chemicals that make us feel good.

This makes me feel good

I stumbled across an online article from Permaculture College Australia on "Why Gardening Makes You Happy and Cures Depression" (see link below). The article refers to research that getting our hands dirty literally brings us into contact with soil bacteria that stimulate the release of serotonin in our brains. According to WebMD, it is believed that serotonin deficiency plays a role in depression. While difficult to measure and quantify, increasing serotonin levels can make us feel better. I always wear gloves when I work with wood and wire, but when it comes to planting, the barehanded approach is the only way to go. Getting my hands dirty makes me feel good.

An article in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience on "How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs" (see link below) references studies that show that "serotonin may be associated with physical health as well as mood." They suggest that low serotonin levels may "predispose healthy individuals to suboptimal physical as well as mental functioning." In other words, you aren't performing as well as you should mentally and physically if your serotonin levels are low.

How do they recommend increasing serotonin? Bright light. Numerous studies show that exposure to light makes us feel better and helps us avoid depression. The article draws a correlation to our society's increasing depression problems when compared to generations past when we lived with agriculture as a bigger part of our lives. People who work outside in the sun tend to have fewer depression issues than people who are cooped up inside all day. Gardening is an ideal way to take advantage of the sun and its optical benefits. I definitely feel better when gardening in the sun.

Exercise also helps boost serotonin levels. Exercise can improve your mood. The Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience article introduces tryptophan as another chemical that acts as an antidepressant and "increases agreeableness, decreases quarrelsomeness and improves mood." Exercise, particularly exercise to fatigue, is associated with an increase of tryptophan in the blood. Gardening can certainly be a physically demanding activity and after a full day working outside my muscles and bones may ache, but I sure feel good about it.

Hard work but the results are seen in the first photo above

I've written many times about how good I feel when picking the ripe tomato, plump pumpkin, or juicy strawberry. Permaculture College Australia tells of research that they call the "Harvest High". There is a release of dopamine into the brain when we harvest our garden. Dopamine can trigger mild euphoria. In addition to the physical process of gathering our crops, the dopamine release can be triggered by sight or smell. That helps explain why I can't suppress a face-filling smile when I spot the perfect fruit ready for plucking.

How can you not enjoy this?

I've theorized that endorphins play a role in making me feel good when gardening. When you exert yourself your body produces endorphins. They make you feel really good, similar to morphine, and are commonly attributed to the euphoric feeling you get after a good workout or athletic performance; they produce the "runner's high". A WebMD article on "Exercise and Depression" specifically identifies gardening as a moderate exercise that can help depression. The blissful feeling after turning over the last shovel of soil when I stand erect and survey a prepared garden plot may be a quick rush of endorphins.

Then there are the emotional aspects of gardening that can't be easily studied or researched. There are some things about my passion that don't need to be explained medically or scientifically.

Digging in the soil, finding a few grubs, and feeding them to my chickens produces a wide range of brain chemicals at each step of the experience, but all I know is the chickens are as pleased as chickens can be and I like doing it.

Seeing the face of my grandson when he pulls a long, orange carrot from the soil and grins at his accomplishment is all about pleasure. His response might be explained by the dopamine in his body. But mine is more. It's about family, and love, and memories, and the joy of youth.

This makes me happy

When Carrie tells me she loves my blog and shares my gardening ideas and activities with her parents it brings forth feelings of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction. It feels good to know I'm making a difference, however small, in the happiness of someone else and it makes me want to do more.

The friends I have who are also gardeners are among my dearest. The love of gardening may have brought us together initially but we love each other for who we are. We are much more than gardeners, while gardening makes us better people.

Gardening makes me feel younger than I am. It brightens my day even when the sky is cloudy and a cold wind blows. Gardening helps take the physical pain of aging away by replacing it with a body ache that relishes to be repeated.

Science shows us there is a chemical reason why gardening makes us feel good physically and mentally. Experience shows us that gardening makes us feel good emotionally. With so many issues affecting our lives and so many activities vying for our precious time, it makes sense for gardening to find a place in our schedule. Gardening helps us put everything else in proper perspective.

I garden because I like to. It turns out that my body and brain substantiate the positive aspects every time I do it. When it comes to taking drugs, I'll keep pumping serotonin, tryptophan, dopamine, and endorphines into my body. I'll keep making a difference and keep making memories.

Gardening is good for me... what a great concept.

Links to:

Permaculture College Australia
How to increase serotonin without drugs
Exercise and Depression

 

A Gardener's Earth Day

Yesterday was Earth Day. Begun officially in 1970, Earth Day is an annual event designed to increase awareness and appreciation of our natural environment and is designated as April 22 every year. Many communities and volunteer groups use the day as an opportunity to improve and clean up their local landscapes. It often receives a marginal amount of publicity and press as it approaches and then, regretfully, is ceremoniously forgotten until the next April.

While millions of people need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively, gardeners are able to celebrate Earth Day on any day of the calendar. We live the environmental awareness and appreciation that Senator Gaylord Nelson envisioned when he proposed the concept in the late 1960s. For gardeners, nature and all it has to offer is in our blood and sweat.

My garden on Earth Day

This year I didn't do anything special for Earth Day, other than being a gardener. As I went about my day participating in typical gardening activities I was aware periodically that it was Earth Day, but there were no banners or balloons and no thought that my activities would only take place on this one day. I worked to improve my environment and prepared to increase awareness of it to others, but I do that almost every day. However, this year Earth Day did provide some personal milestones.

I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. Recent wet snow and warm temperatures seemed to increase the growth of the grass dramatically and it was long and shaggy in sections. Even with a mulching mower the grass clippings were too long to leave on the grass, a practice I highly recommend to return nutrients to the soil. So I bagged the clippings and added them to my compost piles to help kickstart them into action.

Fresh-mowed grass

Green grass is a great nitrogen source for compost piles and my piles were a little dry and brown after sitting through the winter. Leaving the grass clippings on top of the pile can lead to matting and isn't an efficient way to add them. I thoroughly turned the piles for the first time this season to incorporate the grass. My compost piles spent Earth Day waking up.

I brought out plastic sheets and built hoophouses in my garden, but not because it was Earth Day. I'm about a month away from my last frost date but I want to get some tomatoes in the ground. The hoophouses will help warm the soil and in a week I'll bring out the season extenders, my Wall-o-Waters. Last year I had good success planting tomatoes a few weeks early and I'll do it again.

Future home of tomatoes

I finished the chicken run yesterday by attaching the last outside door latch and by building the ramp the chickens will take from their coop. There are a few clean-up items to accomplish but the chickens are in the coop and will soon be exploring their outdoor environment. In a few months we'll be collecting fresh eggs. This small effort at improving the sustainability of our plot of land has nothing to do with yesterday being Earth Day; it's just something we want to do.

The chicken ramp

I continued preparing some trees for planting. The Arbor Day Foundation send me 10 small trees after a recent donation; something I do regularly, not just on Earth Day. I've been hardening them off by putting them outside during the day so they aren't overly stressed when I plant. Yesterday was the last day of hardening off. I don't think all of the trees will survive my winter, but I've chosen good spots to give them the best chance. Even the success of one tree will improve the environment.

Yesterday was the first time I spotted new asparagus spears. I planted 20 crowns last year and they did well until the snows came. I've been a little worried that they didn't survive the winter, but they did and I can relax about their fate. They didn't know it was Earth Day; they emerged when they were ready.

New asparagus

Don't misconstrue my Earth Day attitude. Earth Day is a wonderful celebration. It brings environmental awareness to mind for many people who foolishly overlook it on a daily basis. It invigorates many groups, particularly youth, to make major improvements to city parks or blighted areas. In a few participants those activities might be a spark that ignites a desire to live a life dedicated to beneficial environmental knowledge and sustainability.

I call that mindset being a gardener. I think it would be great if everyone were a gardener, every day. That won't happen, but I can do my part by spreading the word and encouraging more people to become gardeners. Earth Day highlights the concept and shows what is possible when people devote time and attention to the idea.

To me the best way to celebrate Earth Day is to make it a continuous event. Treat every day you're in the garden as if it were special, one worthy of media attention. Strive to make others aware of your environmental activities and hope to ignite the gardening spark in just one other person; and then repeat that over and over.

Whether you mow your lawn, turn your compost pile, raise chickens, grow trees, worry about your plants' progress, or not, get involved in your environment. Get outside and live April 22 every time you get the opportunity.

Today I'll continue my work to gopher proof my garden; deer proofing comes next. Trees will be planted. Plants will be watered. Weeds will be dealt with. The list of gardening chores will get longer. And I'll finish this blog article.

Yesterday was Earth Day. Begun officially in 1970, Earth Day is an annual event designed to increase awareness and appreciation of our natural environment and is designated as April 22 every year. Many communities and volunteer groups use the day as an opportunity to improve and clean up their local landscapes. It often receives a marginal amount of publicity and press as it approaches and then, regretfully, is ceremoniously forgotten until the next April.

While millions of people need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively, gardeners are able to celebrate Earth Day on any day of the calendar. We live the environmental awareness and appreciation that Senator Gaylord Nelson envisioned when he proposed the concept in the late 1960s. For gardeners, nature and all it has to offer is in our blood and sweat.

My garden on Earth Day

This year I didn't do anything special for Earth Day, other than being a gardener. As I went about my day participating in typical gardening activities I was aware periodically that it was Earth Day, but there were no banners or balloons and no thought that my activities would only take place on this one day. I worked to improve my environment and prepared to increase awareness of it to others, but I do that almost every day. However, this year Earth Day did provide some personal milestones.

I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. Recent wet snow and warm temperatures seemed to increase the growth of the grass dramatically and it was long and shaggy in sections. Even with a mulching mower the grass clippings were too long to leave on the grass, a practice I highly recommend to return nutrients to the soil. So I bagged the clippings and added them to my compost piles to help kickstart them into action.

Fresh-mowed grass

Green grass is a great nitrogen source for compost piles and my piles were a little dry and brown after sitting through the winter. Leaving the grass clippings on top of the pile can lead to matting and isn't an efficient way to add them. I thoroughly turned the piles for the first time this season to incorporate the grass. My compost piles spent Earth Day waking up.

I brought out plastic sheets and built hoophouses in my garden, but not because it was Earth Day. I'm about a month away from my last frost date but I want to get some tomatoes in the ground. The hoophouses will help warm the soil and in a week I'll bring out the season extenders, my Wall-o-Waters. Last year I had good success planting tomatoes a few weeks early and I'll do it again.

Future home of tomatoes

I finished the chicken run yesterday by attaching the last outside door latch and by building the ramp the chickens will take from their coop. There are a few clean-up items to accomplish but the chickens are in the coop and will soon be exploring their outdoor environment. In a few months we'll be collecting fresh eggs. This small effort at improving the sustainability of our plot of land has nothing to do with yesterday being Earth Day; it's just something we want to do.

The chicken ramp

I continued preparing some trees for planting. The Arbor Day Foundation send me 10 small trees after a recent donation; something I do regularly, not just on Earth Day. I've been hardening them off by putting them outside during the day so they aren't overly stressed when I plant. Yesterday was the last day of hardening off. I don't think all of the trees will survive my winter, but I've chosen good spots to give them the best chance. Even the success of one tree will improve the environment.

Yesterday was the first time I spotted new asparagus spears. I planted 20 crowns last year and they did well until the snows came. I've been a little worried that they didn't survive the winter, but they did and I can relax about their fate. They didn't know it was Earth Day; they emerged when they were ready.

New asparagus

Don't misconstrue my Earth Day attitude. Earth Day is a wonderful celebration. It brings environmental awareness to mind for many people who foolishly overlook it on a daily basis. It invigorates many groups, particularly youth, to make major improvements to city parks or blighted areas. In a few participants those activities might be a spark that ignites a desire to live a life dedicated to beneficial environmental knowledge and sustainability.

I call that mindset being a gardener. I think it would be great if everyone were a gardener, every day. That won't happen, but I can do my part by spreading the word and encouraging more people to become gardeners. Earth Day highlights the concept and shows what is possible when people devote time and attention to the idea.

To me the best way to celebrate Earth Day is to make it a continuous event. Treat every day you're in the garden as if it were special, one worthy of media attention. Strive to make others aware of your environmental activities and hope to ignite the gardening spark in just one other person; and then repeat that over and over.

Whether you mow your lawn, turn your compost pile, raise chickens, grow trees, worry about your plants' progress, or not, get involved in your environment. Get outside and live April 22 every time you get the opportunity.

Today I'll continue my work to gopher proof my garden; deer proofing comes next. Trees will be planted. Plants will be watered. Weeds will be dealt with. The list of gardening chores will get longer. And I'll finish this blog article.

A Sure Sign of Spring -- Snakes in the Garden

I spied a Robin last week and again this morning. The plump, red-red bird bob-bobbing for worms along my garden path is often among the first indicators that spring has arrived, or at least uncommonly warm days that mimic spring. For me the best sign of spring's arrival is a sighting of my resident garter snakes. I saw one yesterday.

The first snake sighting of the year

I'm really not an "ophiophilist", a snake lover or someone with a special fondness for snakes. They always give me a start when I detect a slithering shadow at my feet. Jumping sideways or a few feet into the air is a common response. The idea of trying to pick one up doesn't enter my mind because I'm certain it will never happen. But I like having garter snakes in my garden.

There are two snakes that enjoy my planting spaces. One is substantially bigger than the other and is usually the one I spot first. He tends to hang out at a big rock I placed at the base of our deck stairs just for his benefit. It was the smaller one I saw yesterday.

The big snake under his rock

As a gardener, seeing snakes tells me that the ground is warming up and soil organisms are becoming active. Snakes are reptiles, cold-blooded creatures that slow their metabolism dramatically in winter and cold periods. Commonly thought of as hibernation, for them it is actually called "brumation".

To avoid freezing their slender bodies in our frigid winter conditions they find a deep spot below the frost line underground and wait for warm weather to return. My snakes live somewhere under my backyard sidewalk. I've seen both of them enter and exit at a spot close to the garage steps. I assume they found a route to the base of the house foundation possibly benefiting from some residual heat our home emits in winter. I've seen them curled up together near their rock so I also assume they brumate together, sharing their body warmth.

Slithering under the sidewalk

For months they don't eat. They enter brumation with an empty stomach so that any food in there won't spoil and rot when their metabolism slows down. At some point they detect warming conditions and venture out to eat. If the ground were still frozen, the worms and frogs that make up part of their diet would be absent so they only arrive when the food is present.

That's why I like knowing they're active again. The earthworms are moving through the soil. The presence of the snakes and the robins confirm this. When the soil is warm enough for the worms it's usually warm enough for plant roots. That means I can consider planting and sowing soon.

Of course there are other considerations for planting. Last frost date, soil temperatures for germination, length of daylight, snow possibility, and many other factors come into play before I put anything in the ground. One snake's appearance is not enough to override good gardening decision-making, but it is ample evidence for good things to come.

Spring is really here! It has been unseasonably warm, but I've been fooled by our finicky weather before. This time it looks like it's here to stay. Long-term weather forecasts confirm it (for now) and at least one snake is venturing out of his safe winter home to test the hypothesis.

There are still many chores and tasks to finish to fully prepare my garden for the season. Occasional cold days and nights are still ahead for the next five or six weeks. It's not clear sailing yet, but a little snake is enough to lighten my spirits and brighten my day.

I spied a Robin last week and again this morning. The plump, red-red bird bob-bobbing for worms along my garden path is often among the first indicators that spring has arrived, or at least uncommonly warm days that mimic spring. For me the best sign of spring's arrival is a sighting of my resident garter snakes. I saw one yesterday.

The first snake sighting of the year

I'm really not an "ophiophilist", a snake lover or someone with a special fondness for snakes. They always give me a start when I detect a slithering shadow at my feet. Jumping sideways or a few feet into the air is a common response. The idea of trying to pick one up doesn't enter my mind because I'm certain it will never happen. But I like having garter snakes in my garden.

There are two snakes that enjoy my planting spaces. One is substantially bigger than the other and is usually the one I spot first. He tends to hang out at a big rock I placed at the base of our deck stairs just for his benefit. It was the smaller one I saw yesterday.

The big snake under his rock

As a gardener, seeing snakes tells me that the ground is warming up and soil organisms are becoming active. Snakes are reptiles, cold-blooded creatures that slow their metabolism dramatically in winter and cold periods. Commonly thought of as hibernation, for them it is actually called "brumation".

To avoid freezing their slender bodies in our frigid winter conditions they find a deep spot below the frost line underground and wait for warm weather to return. My snakes live somewhere under my backyard sidewalk. I've seen both of them enter and exit at a spot close to the garage steps. I assume they found a route to the base of the house foundation possibly benefiting from some residual heat our home emits in winter. I've seen them curled up together near their rock so I also assume they brumate together, sharing their body warmth.

Slithering under the sidewalk

For months they don't eat. They enter brumation with an empty stomach so that any food in there won't spoil and rot when their metabolism slows down. At some point they detect warming conditions and venture out to eat. If the ground were still frozen, the worms and frogs that make up part of their diet would be absent so they only arrive when the food is present.

That's why I like knowing they're active again. The earthworms are moving through the soil. The presence of the snakes and the robins confirm this. When the soil is warm enough for the worms it's usually warm enough for plant roots. That means I can consider planting and sowing soon.

Of course there are other considerations for planting. Last frost date, soil temperatures for germination, length of daylight, snow possibility, and many other factors come into play before I put anything in the ground. One snake's appearance is not enough to override good gardening decision-making, but it is ample evidence for good things to come.

Spring is really here! It has been unseasonably warm, but I've been fooled by our finicky weather before. This time it looks like it's here to stay. Long-term weather forecasts confirm it (for now) and at least one snake is venturing out of his safe winter home to test the hypothesis.

There are still many chores and tasks to finish to fully prepare my garden for the season. Occasional cold days and nights are still ahead for the next five or six weeks. It's not clear sailing yet, but a little snake is enough to lighten my spirits and brighten my day.

A Gardener's Equinox and Equilux

Forget March 20th, today is my spring, or vernal, equinox. More accurately it's my vernal "equilux". On the equilux, day equals night, sunrise and sunset are exactly 12 hours apart. Technically the equinox is the point in time when the sun is directly above the equator. It's commonly associated with the solstice and we recognize the day as the beginning of spring; on the calendar that will be March 20. Specific equiluxes around the world vary from that day depending on latitude.

Daffodils and tulips will be here soon

While many gardeners look forward to the equinox or solstice or beginning of spring as a transition day, to me the equilux is more exciting.  This is the day I've been looking for as I note the sunrise and sunset times in the local paper. I don't have to wait four more days to celebrate the season. Starting tomorrow the sun stays up longer each day. The soil will warm, the buds will break, green will pop forth throughout the landscape. Spring is definitely in the air.

Life has begun and will continue to explode around me. It's a tad ironic that the day began with a woodpecker tap-tapping on the outside wall above our headboard. 

The thought that for the next six months I'll have more time to enjoy the sun is warming. I love gardening throughout the year, but I tend to like it more when I don't have to put a coat on. A hot sun and warm soil work well together. Symbolically, today is when it begins to happen for me.

There will be more time for gardening each day. More time to get my fingers dirty. More time to sow, plant, water, weed, prune, and harvest. More time to do what I love to do.

Mentally a threshold has been crossed. The chains of winter have been broken. My equilux is today and the growing season begins. Warm and productive days await. It helps that we're expected to set a record high temperature this afternoon.

I'm headed outside to do some of the garden clean up that seemed like a chore when the skies were grey and the wind was chilled. Now the same task seems more like easy preparation for the seeds and transplants that will follow soon.

I'm enthusiastic. There is so much to do and already there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done. But I'm more than willing to make it all happen and enjoy myself in the process. What a difference a day makes.

Forget March 20th, today is my spring, or vernal, equinox. More accurately it's my vernal "equilux". On the equilux, day equals night, sunrise and sunset are exactly 12 hours apart. Technically the equinox is the point in time when the sun is directly above the equator. It's commonly associated with the solstice and we recognize the day as the beginning of spring; on the calendar that will be March 20. Specific equiluxes around the world vary from that day depending on latitude.

Daffodils and tulips will be here soon

While many gardeners look forward to the equinox or solstice or beginning of spring as a transition day, to me the equilux is more exciting.  This is the day I've been looking for as I note the sunrise and sunset times in the local paper. I don't have to wait four more days to celebrate the season. Starting tomorrow the sun stays up longer each day. The soil will warm, the buds will break, green will pop forth throughout the landscape. Spring is definitely in the air.

Life has begun and will continue to explode around me. It's a tad ironic that the day began with a woodpecker tap-tapping on the outside wall above our headboard. 

The thought that for the next six months I'll have more time to enjoy the sun is warming. I love gardening throughout the year, but I tend to like it more when I don't have to put a coat on. A hot sun and warm soil work well together. Symbolically, today is when it begins to happen for me.

There will be more time for gardening each day. More time to get my fingers dirty. More time to sow, plant, water, weed, prune, and harvest. More time to do what I love to do.

Mentally a threshold has been crossed. The chains of winter have been broken. My equilux is today and the growing season begins. Warm and productive days await. It helps that we're expected to set a record high temperature this afternoon.

I'm headed outside to do some of the garden clean up that seemed like a chore when the skies were grey and the wind was chilled. Now the same task seems more like easy preparation for the seeds and transplants that will follow soon.

I'm enthusiastic. There is so much to do and already there doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done. But I'm more than willing to make it all happen and enjoy myself in the process. What a difference a day makes.

Leap Day -- A Gardener's Wish Come True

Gardeners are active people. Our gardening tasks are part of our daily chores throughout the year. We're most visible in the summer sun toiling in the warm soil and squatting among brilliant flowers. At the end of the growing season as the last blooms fade and the unpicked fruit freezes on the vine, there is always work left undone. Weeds, tools, hoses, and withered plants all need to be dealt with. Like many others I murmur to myself, I wish I had one more day.

Today is that day.

Leap years give us a leap day and it makes our gardening year just a little bit longer. For all gardeners who have wished for one more day to finish gardening chores, relish the gift on the calendar.

Gardeners in the southern hemisphere receive the day at an optimum time, as the prime gardening season draws to a close. Autumn is still about three weeks away but leap day extends its arrival by a precious 24 hours.

In the northern hemisphere spring arrives on March 20. That holds true this year and next, and the next, and so on, regardless of leap year status. It's a nice quirk of our Gregorian calendar. While leap day adds one day to winter, a thought that some may find a bit depressing, it also gives us extra time for gardening planning and preparation.

I'm a firm believer in proper garden planning and preparation. One day spent wisely can save many days of wasted labor and effort. Leap day is a free day and if used well it can avoid squandered time.

Almost everyone will look at today as Wednesday, just another day of the week. We'll go about our day doing what we normally do on Wednesday. Leap Year Babies, those who are born on February 29, will celebrate being one-quarter the age of the rest of us, but leap day is little more than a nice conversation starter for the majority.

I propose that gardeners use leap day as the extra gardening day we wish we had every year.

Use leap day for gardening. It may be a cold day with snow on the ground, but think gardening. The ground may be frozen and you're weeks away from planting, but think gardening. You may be mired in mud, but think gardening.

If you haven't ordered seeds for spring sowing, do it today. If you haven't started plants inside and you're about six weeks from the last frost, start seeds in pots today. If you plan to enlarge your garden but haven't put your ideas on paper, draw a rough plan today. If your tools are still in a pile from the end of last year, organize and clean them today. If you have a major garden project in mind, start it today.

Focus on improving your gardening life. It's easy to become a slave to daily winter habit patterns which ignore gardening thoughts and actions too often. Change that and take action today.

Many home gardeners don't have the privilege of enjoying a free day in the middle of the week, but thinking about gardening isn't limited by the calendar. You may not have the free time to spend hours on gardening chores today but you can plan your gardening activities and anticipate them soon. Look at this leap day gift as a part of a special week, a leap week if you will, and when your day off arrives treat it as leap day, your extra gardening day.

During leap years we may complain about the extra day of winter and the delay of spring's arrival. When we're sweating in the garden in the summer and early fall we will forget these thoughts and still pine for extra time to enjoy the season. Rather than complain twice about lost opportunity, take advantage of leap day. Take a task that a prime spring day might normally consume and do it on your leap day.

It's cold and windy here but warm weather is on the way and I want to be outside when it arrives. Rather than waste a sunny day doing inside gardening tasks I'll do some of those inside chores today. I'll get a head start on spring gardening.

Today I'll make more seed bombs. I'll order from favorite catalogs. I'll organize my workbench to prepare for making birdhouses. I'll begin writing down my plan for which plants will go where in my vegetable garden.

It's not a lot, only a few hours of activity, but it's free time on a free day. It's a day I didn't have last year and a day I won't have next year. I'm a gardener and I'm taking advantage of extra gardening time. It's an opportunity too dear to pass up.

It's leap day. How will you use it?

Gardeners are active people. Our gardening tasks are part of our daily chores throughout the year. We're most visible in the summer sun toiling in the warm soil and squatting among brilliant flowers. At the end of the growing season as the last blooms fade and the unpicked fruit freezes on the vine, there is always work left undone. Weeds, tools, hoses, and withered plants all need to be dealt with. Like many others I murmur to myself, I wish I had one more day.

Today is that day.

Leap years give us a leap day and it makes our gardening year just a little bit longer. For all gardeners who have wished for one more day to finish gardening chores, relish the gift on the calendar.

Gardeners in the southern hemisphere receive the day at an optimum time, as the prime gardening season draws to a close. Autumn is still about three weeks away but leap day extends its arrival by a precious 24 hours.

In the northern hemisphere spring arrives on March 20. That holds true this year and next, and the next, and so on, regardless of leap year status. It's a nice quirk of our Gregorian calendar. While leap day adds one day to winter, a thought that some may find a bit depressing, it also gives us extra time for gardening planning and preparation.

I'm a firm believer in proper garden planning and preparation. One day spent wisely can save many days of wasted labor and effort. Leap day is a free day and if used well it can avoid squandered time.

Almost everyone will look at today as Wednesday, just another day of the week. We'll go about our day doing what we normally do on Wednesday. Leap Year Babies, those who are born on February 29, will celebrate being one-quarter the age of the rest of us, but leap day is little more than a nice conversation starter for the majority.

I propose that gardeners use leap day as the extra gardening day we wish we had every year.

Use leap day for gardening. It may be a cold day with snow on the ground, but think gardening. The ground may be frozen and you're weeks away from planting, but think gardening. You may be mired in mud, but think gardening.

If you haven't ordered seeds for spring sowing, do it today. If you haven't started plants inside and you're about six weeks from the last frost, start seeds in pots today. If you plan to enlarge your garden but haven't put your ideas on paper, draw a rough plan today. If your tools are still in a pile from the end of last year, organize and clean them today. If you have a major garden project in mind, start it today.

Focus on improving your gardening life. It's easy to become a slave to daily winter habit patterns which ignore gardening thoughts and actions too often. Change that and take action today.

Many home gardeners don't have the privilege of enjoying a free day in the middle of the week, but thinking about gardening isn't limited by the calendar. You may not have the free time to spend hours on gardening chores today but you can plan your gardening activities and anticipate them soon. Look at this leap day gift as a part of a special week, a leap week if you will, and when your day off arrives treat it as leap day, your extra gardening day.

During leap years we may complain about the extra day of winter and the delay of spring's arrival. When we're sweating in the garden in the summer and early fall we will forget these thoughts and still pine for extra time to enjoy the season. Rather than complain twice about lost opportunity, take advantage of leap day. Take a task that a prime spring day might normally consume and do it on your leap day.

It's cold and windy here but warm weather is on the way and I want to be outside when it arrives. Rather than waste a sunny day doing inside gardening tasks I'll do some of those inside chores today. I'll get a head start on spring gardening.

Today I'll make more seed bombs. I'll order from favorite catalogs. I'll organize my workbench to prepare for making birdhouses. I'll begin writing down my plan for which plants will go where in my vegetable garden.

It's not a lot, only a few hours of activity, but it's free time on a free day. It's a day I didn't have last year and a day I won't have next year. I'm a gardener and I'm taking advantage of extra gardening time. It's an opportunity too dear to pass up.

It's leap day. How will you use it?

Wasting a Harvest

For avid vegetable gardeners, bringing in the harvest is the highlight of the season. It's the culmination of effective planning, hard work, and a series of inevitable, unexpected setbacks that must be overcome. The colors, tastes, and textures of fresh fruit and vegetables are unrivaled by pale and pasty retail offerings and a successful harvest helps to accent those differences.

I am certainly a gardener who strives toward a good harvest and revels in botanical successes, even the small ones. You see my photos and read my stories as I share the accomplishments. Regretfully, painfully, I also share the failures.

Gardening failures encompass many subject areas and are often quite personal. One gardener's brilliant, blooming rose is another's failed experimental hybrid. A perceived poor harvest in one garden may far exceed the results in a neighbor's plot. It's all relative. For me, today, the failure comes not in the actual harvest but in how it was used, or rather how it wasn't.

Beets were the most successful crop in my garden last summer. They exceeded all my expectations and I harvested many, many pounds. I documented some of that success in my article "How to Pickle Beets" (Aug. 27, 2011). I'm a food preserver and pickling is one of many ways I save the harvest for later use.

This year, the first I grew beets, I saved many of them after the harvest with the intent of eating beets through the winter. Roasted beets, boiled beets, baked beets, and fried beets. I've never really eaten beets before, but now I had the opportunity to try them in every incarnation.

I painstakingly layered the purple bulbs in alternating rows on straw and stored them in a cool, dark spot in my garage. And forgot about them.

Saving the beets

Sure, every now and then, late at night, I'd have a passing thought about the beets and how I needed to add a few to our diet. Those thoughts would be resurrected occasionally in similar circumstances, always at a time or place when actually retrieving a few beets was impractical. Beets never seemed to enter my thought process when I was standing in the kitchen staring into the refrigerator trying to conjure up ideas for dinner.

Last week as I was carrying in logs for the woodstove, stumbling around the cardboard box for the umpteenth time, it was finally time to deal with the beets.

Beets should be stored in cool, humid conditions. My garage supplied the cool part easily, but there are few locations in Colorado that remotely venture into a humid environment. I knew that when I laid the beets on the moist straw back in September, but proceeded nonetheless. Even in ideal conditions beets are only expected to store well for two to five months and I was certainly at the back end of that range when I finally took action.

As you've probably guessed, they were no longer usable. I peered into the box to see the little cadavers appearing to be laid out for a mass burial. They gave their lives for a cause that in the end was wasted. An unceremonial dumping on the compost pile punctuated the failed experiment.

I was only marginally more successful, or less of a failure, in my use of parsnips. Parsnips can overwinter fairly well in many gardens and I left many in the bed to see how they'll do in my location; we'll know when the ground thaws. I harvested a good sampling of big healthy roots, washed them, and stored them in a plastic bag in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.

Parsnips at harvest

Stored like that they should last about two weeks. Within a couple days I used one nice firm parsnip in a blend with potatoes for dinner. Three months later the rest were still resting at the bottom of the drawer staring up at me every time I stood with the refrigerator door open contemplating the evening's menu. They ended up in the compost pile too.

I always feel a pang of guilt when the compost pile grows at the expense of potentially beneficial produce that I failed to use appropriately. There are people who could have benefited from a donation or contribution of my harvest. I had sincere intentions when planning storage for my own use, but realistically, and in hindsight, giving away my gardening success would have been a better solution.

Growing a garden is only part of the journey. Harvesting should be part of the plan too. If you do as good a job with your garden as you hope, what will you do when you succeed? Many gardeners plant and grow much more than they can possible use for themselves. I strongly advocate food preservation for much of the excess. Pickling, freezing, drying, and canning can all provide food for months after the harvest. But if you don't plan on preserving or if you have leftovers after preserving, try to avoid waste.

Let someone else enjoy fresh produce. A neighbor, a friend, a stranger, a food bank. Every community has people who need healthy additions to their diets. You can make a difference.

Those of us who act selfishly often err in those actions. We want the best for ourselves. By saving the good stuff for our personal use, some times no one enjoys anything. I like to think that I learned a valuable lesson with the loss of my beets and parsnips.

This year donating a portion of my harvest is part of my garden planning. I suggest other gardeners who aren't already sharing their bounty consider the same. Let's hope that next year we have fewer stories of failure to share.

Read "How to Pickle Beets."

For avid vegetable gardeners, bringing in the harvest is the highlight of the season. It's the culmination of effective planning, hard work, and a series of inevitable, unexpected setbacks that must be overcome. The colors, tastes, and textures of fresh fruit and vegetables are unrivaled by pale and pasty retail offerings and a successful harvest helps to accent those differences.

I am certainly a gardener who strives toward a good harvest and revels in botanical successes, even the small ones. You see my photos and read my stories as I share the accomplishments. Regretfully, painfully, I also share the failures.

Gardening failures encompass many subject areas and are often quite personal. One gardener's brilliant, blooming rose is another's failed experimental hybrid. A perceived poor harvest in one garden may far exceed the results in a neighbor's plot. It's all relative. For me, today, the failure comes not in the actual harvest but in how it was used, or rather how it wasn't.

Beets were the most successful crop in my garden last summer. They exceeded all my expectations and I harvested many, many pounds. I documented some of that success in my article "How to Pickle Beets" (Aug. 27, 2011). I'm a food preserver and pickling is one of many ways I save the harvest for later use.

This year, the first I grew beets, I saved many of them after the harvest with the intent of eating beets through the winter. Roasted beets, boiled beets, baked beets, and fried beets. I've never really eaten beets before, but now I had the opportunity to try them in every incarnation.

I painstakingly layered the purple bulbs in alternating rows on straw and stored them in a cool, dark spot in my garage. And forgot about them.

Saving the beets

Sure, every now and then, late at night, I'd have a passing thought about the beets and how I needed to add a few to our diet. Those thoughts would be resurrected occasionally in similar circumstances, always at a time or place when actually retrieving a few beets was impractical. Beets never seemed to enter my thought process when I was standing in the kitchen staring into the refrigerator trying to conjure up ideas for dinner.

Last week as I was carrying in logs for the woodstove, stumbling around the cardboard box for the umpteenth time, it was finally time to deal with the beets.

Beets should be stored in cool, humid conditions. My garage supplied the cool part easily, but there are few locations in Colorado that remotely venture into a humid environment. I knew that when I laid the beets on the moist straw back in September, but proceeded nonetheless. Even in ideal conditions beets are only expected to store well for two to five months and I was certainly at the back end of that range when I finally took action.

As you've probably guessed, they were no longer usable. I peered into the box to see the little cadavers appearing to be laid out for a mass burial. They gave their lives for a cause that in the end was wasted. An unceremonial dumping on the compost pile punctuated the failed experiment.

I was only marginally more successful, or less of a failure, in my use of parsnips. Parsnips can overwinter fairly well in many gardens and I left many in the bed to see how they'll do in my location; we'll know when the ground thaws. I harvested a good sampling of big healthy roots, washed them, and stored them in a plastic bag in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.

Parsnips at harvest

Stored like that they should last about two weeks. Within a couple days I used one nice firm parsnip in a blend with potatoes for dinner. Three months later the rest were still resting at the bottom of the drawer staring up at me every time I stood with the refrigerator door open contemplating the evening's menu. They ended up in the compost pile too.

I always feel a pang of guilt when the compost pile grows at the expense of potentially beneficial produce that I failed to use appropriately. There are people who could have benefited from a donation or contribution of my harvest. I had sincere intentions when planning storage for my own use, but realistically, and in hindsight, giving away my gardening success would have been a better solution.

Growing a garden is only part of the journey. Harvesting should be part of the plan too. If you do as good a job with your garden as you hope, what will you do when you succeed? Many gardeners plant and grow much more than they can possible use for themselves. I strongly advocate food preservation for much of the excess. Pickling, freezing, drying, and canning can all provide food for months after the harvest. But if you don't plan on preserving or if you have leftovers after preserving, try to avoid waste.

Let someone else enjoy fresh produce. A neighbor, a friend, a stranger, a food bank. Every community has people who need healthy additions to their diets. You can make a difference.

Those of us who act selfishly often err in those actions. We want the best for ourselves. By saving the good stuff for our personal use, some times no one enjoys anything. I like to think that I learned a valuable lesson with the loss of my beets and parsnips.

This year donating a portion of my harvest is part of my garden planning. I suggest other gardeners who aren't already sharing their bounty consider the same. Let's hope that next year we have fewer stories of failure to share.

Read "How to Pickle Beets."

Comparing Gardening Catalogs

Twenty-five. I've received seed, bulb, and gardening catalogs from 25 different companies in the last month. A few of them want my business so much that they sent me more than one copy. While receiving colorful catalogs almost daily and enjoying the radiant pictures of spring and summer growth are wonderful activities during the cold, heart of winter, it can be daunting to actually begin the process of ordering garden products.

A sampling of my catalogs

There was a time when only a few gardening catalogs would arrive in my mail. It was relatively easy to pick a few seeds to try and then place a small order. As both my garden and gardening knowledge expanded, so did the amount of the purchases. As the purchases increased, so did the interest in me by the gardening companies. They had a fish on the line and didn't want to lose it.

I don't know the percentage of how many catalogs sent to an average household actually result in a seed or plant purchase, but I imagine it's low. I can't possibly order from all 25 companies. I'll probably stick with four that I have experience with and maybe try a new one. That means for me, a good customer, 80 percent of the catalogs are wasted paper.

So how does one choose which catalogs are worth the time and effort? Much of it is trial and error. If you receive many seed catalogs you can place them side by side and compare what they offer. If you're lucky you have someone who can make a recommendation. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference.

Many years ago I only received one or two catalogs each year. Typically they were from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. or Burgess Seed & Plant Co. The first hails from Indiana, the second from Illinois. From the many catalogs I received from them over the years I gather that they are very big operations with a very large budget for mass mailings. They are low budget providers of gardening products. Naturally I ordered from both because I had few other choices.

Gurney's has a good selection of many different seeds. I've ordered bare-root fruit trees from them on different occasions and have had relatively good results. Last year one of the fruit trees I ordered failed to awaken from dormancy. Whether it was dead on arrival or succumbed from my cold weather, Gurney's faithfully agreed to replace it in this year's shipment.

I no longer order from Burgess because of a very bad experience. Virtually an entire order of live plants was wasted. Poor packaging and shipping methods delivered me many damaged, dead, or dying plant specimens in my first order. Thankfully I didn't pay much for the experience, but I haven't ordered anything from them since. That hasn't stopped them from sending four or five catalogs every year. I had a similar experience with K. Van Bourgondien & Sons, a bulb company that I no longer order from either.

On the other end of the spectrum, High Country Gardens gave me one of the best mail order experiences I've had. Their innovative packaging system virtually ensures that every live plant arrives in the best possible condition. The higher price reflects the extra attention, but it is worth it to get a plant that may not be available at a local nursery. They take pride in their products and it shows. I've visited their nursery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and it was a great gardener's adventure. Interestingly, some of their plants can only be obtained through the catalog.

Last year I did a lot of my seed ordering with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Territorial Seed Company. Baker Creek has my favorite catalog, true gardening porn. The pictures explode with color and life and the book format would brighten up any coffee table. Their selection of seeds is incredible and I was very satisfied with what I received.  Territorial Seed has a much simpler catalog, but no less incredible offerings. Both catalogs do a great job describing the plants that the seeds produce. Between the two I prefer Territorial's seed packets; they are more specialized and do a better job explaining proper planting methods.

A few of last year's seed packets

I also ordered a number of seeds from Burpee last year. Burpee is a big, famous seed company with great selection and good prices. They also sell in many retail locations, but I've found the online prices are much better than the cardboard displays in big box stores. Their catalog is big and glossy, but nothing special.

This year some new catalogs caught my eye and interest. R.H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide offers black and white pencil drawings that hearken back to a simpler time in gardening. Similarly, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds also bypasses stock garden photos for pencil art in a sage green shade. Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply offers pencil drawings that are colored in to display the vegetable or flower in true form. They all have unique offerings and good descriptions of the plants. I admit I prefer an artistic catalog to ones with amateurish photos. I may have to place small orders with these companies to see how good the seed packets are.

For most of us seed and plant selection comes down to price. The fanciful artwork or glossy format of the catalog may grab our attention, but the price is what tempts us to buy in the absence of any other knowledge or experience. So how do different catalogs compare?

Let's begin with sweet corn:

Gurney's offers a packet (250 seeds, about 2 ozs) of "Kandy Korn" for $4.99
Jung Seeds & Plants offers a packet (1 oz) of "Kandy Korn" for $2.35
R.H. Shumway's offers a packet (1 oz) of "Kandy Korn" for $2.35
Territorial Seed Company offers a packet (2 ozs) of "Kandy Korn" for $4.00

So let's analyze the data. An ounce of sweet corn provides about 125 seeds and each company is relatively close in price. In order of value per ounce are: Territorial ($2.00), R.H. Shumway ($2.35), Jung ($2.35), and Gurney's ($2.50). Maybe Gurney's costs more to pay for the many catalogs they distribute. Smaller, more specialized seed companies tend to offer better value in my experience.

Let's look at tomato seeds:

Baker Creek offers a packet (25 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $2.25
Burpee offers a packet (50 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $3.95
Gurney's offers a packet (30 seeds) of "Brandywine for $2.49
Territorial offers a packet (40 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $3.05
Totally Tomatoes offers a packet (30 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $2.10

The order of value for these seeds is: Totally Tomatoes, Territorial, Burpee, Gurney's, Baker Creek. It's not a great surprise that the company that specializes in tomato seeds has the best price for a packet of tomato seeds or that the company with the flashiest catalog is the most expensive. Ultimately they're all within a penny of cost per seed. As you might expect, companies that offer seed in bulk can provide bigger savings. Totally Tomatoes offers "Brandywine" for less than three cents per seed if you want a few hundred of them and Territorial cuts that price almost in half for bulk purchase.

This raises the important issue of seed quantity. Though Burpee offers a better price per seed than Baker Creek in the example above, you may not need 50 seeds. For most home gardeners 25 tomato seeds is more than enough and Totally Tomatoes' bargain per-seed price, and lowest packet price, is even more of an incentive to order from them. The same with the first example. Territorial offers the best value for sweet corn seeds, but do you really need 500 seeds? Buying one of the $2.35 packets may make more sense.

So why pay more? I chose the examples above because they represent common, popular seed choices. For many gardeners, myself included, buying unique or special seeds trumps price and many catalogs specialize in being unique and special. In some cases you may be able to find a specific seed in only one catalog.

R.H Shumway offers "Luffa Sponge" seeds; I haven't noticed them any place else. Baker Creek sells squash seeds for fruit that looks like it came from another planet. They only sell heirloom seeds too; that means you can save the seeds from any of the plants you grow and replicate the same plant year after year. Seeds of Change sells 100% organic seeds, including purple tomatillos.

Finding a special seed that interests you may make a catalog your new favorite. Ordering just one packet is hard to do, so adding extra packets of seeds helps fill out an order. That may explain why some of the specialty catalogs above charge a little bit more for common seeds. They hook you with the unique offering and soak your wallet for stuff you can get elsewhere for less. You pay for the convenience of a single purchase.

If you're only interested in common seeds compare prices and order appropriately. For the most part, a "Brandywine" seed should produce the same plant regardless of the source company. Live plants are a little different. Receiving the plant in good condition should be more important than saving a few pennies.

Look for coupons and gifts too. Gurney's is notorious (or famous) for offering up to 50 percent off the price if you order early. Many companies will throw in an extra plant or seed packet with orders. With these extras a higher price per seed packet can quickly be a better value overall. If you become a customer, some companies will give you a code or coupon for savings next year; they want you to come back.

I recommend placing orders from at least one catalog that you haven't used before. You may be very pleased with the results. At the least you'll get placed on a list that should guarantee a five-fold increase in the number of catalogs you receive next year.

Nothing beats walking through a nursery and experiencing live plants. If you can, buy your plants this way. Not only does it support local business, but it helps you see what you're buying. Even the best nurseries have few choices beyond favorite and common plants, so for better selection and for cost savings consider buying from catalogs.

When you find a company you like, keep buying and spread the good news. For me, Territorial Seed is the best overall. Great price, great selection, and superior planting information. They're also one of the simplest and plain catalogs. I'll keep buying from them.

That's not to say they get all of my business. As good as they are, they don't carry every seed I'm interested in. So I'll order from other companies as needed. And I'll keep getting catalogs to wile away the winter day.

I must point out that I've received no payment, fee or reward from any of the companies mentioned in this article. All of this information is from my own experience.

Use these links to order a catalog:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds                  www.rareseeds.com
Burpee                                                     www.burpee.com
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.                 www.gurneys.com
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds   www.kitchengardenseeds.com
Jung Seeds & Plants                                www.jungseed.com
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply  www.groworganic.com
R.H. Shumway's                                      www.rhshumway.com
Seeds of Change                                      www.seedsofchange.com
Territorial Seed Company                       www.territorialseed.com
Totally Tomatoes                                     www.totallytomato.com


  

Twenty-five. I've received seed, bulb, and gardening catalogs from 25 different companies in the last month. A few of them want my business so much that they sent me more than one copy. While receiving colorful catalogs almost daily and enjoying the radiant pictures of spring and summer growth are wonderful activities during the cold, heart of winter, it can be daunting to actually begin the process of ordering garden products.

A sampling of my catalogs

There was a time when only a few gardening catalogs would arrive in my mail. It was relatively easy to pick a few seeds to try and then place a small order. As both my garden and gardening knowledge expanded, so did the amount of the purchases. As the purchases increased, so did the interest in me by the gardening companies. They had a fish on the line and didn't want to lose it.

I don't know the percentage of how many catalogs sent to an average household actually result in a seed or plant purchase, but I imagine it's low. I can't possibly order from all 25 companies. I'll probably stick with four that I have experience with and maybe try a new one. That means for me, a good customer, 80 percent of the catalogs are wasted paper.

So how does one choose which catalogs are worth the time and effort? Much of it is trial and error. If you receive many seed catalogs you can place them side by side and compare what they offer. If you're lucky you have someone who can make a recommendation. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference.

Many years ago I only received one or two catalogs each year. Typically they were from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. or Burgess Seed & Plant Co. The first hails from Indiana, the second from Illinois. From the many catalogs I received from them over the years I gather that they are very big operations with a very large budget for mass mailings. They are low budget providers of gardening products. Naturally I ordered from both because I had few other choices.

Gurney's has a good selection of many different seeds. I've ordered bare-root fruit trees from them on different occasions and have had relatively good results. Last year one of the fruit trees I ordered failed to awaken from dormancy. Whether it was dead on arrival or succumbed from my cold weather, Gurney's faithfully agreed to replace it in this year's shipment.

I no longer order from Burgess because of a very bad experience. Virtually an entire order of live plants was wasted. Poor packaging and shipping methods delivered me many damaged, dead, or dying plant specimens in my first order. Thankfully I didn't pay much for the experience, but I haven't ordered anything from them since. That hasn't stopped them from sending four or five catalogs every year. I had a similar experience with K. Van Bourgondien & Sons, a bulb company that I no longer order from either.

On the other end of the spectrum, High Country Gardens gave me one of the best mail order experiences I've had. Their innovative packaging system virtually ensures that every live plant arrives in the best possible condition. The higher price reflects the extra attention, but it is worth it to get a plant that may not be available at a local nursery. They take pride in their products and it shows. I've visited their nursery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and it was a great gardener's adventure. Interestingly, some of their plants can only be obtained through the catalog.

Last year I did a lot of my seed ordering with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Territorial Seed Company. Baker Creek has my favorite catalog, true gardening porn. The pictures explode with color and life and the book format would brighten up any coffee table. Their selection of seeds is incredible and I was very satisfied with what I received.  Territorial Seed has a much simpler catalog, but no less incredible offerings. Both catalogs do a great job describing the plants that the seeds produce. Between the two I prefer Territorial's seed packets; they are more specialized and do a better job explaining proper planting methods.

A few of last year's seed packets

I also ordered a number of seeds from Burpee last year. Burpee is a big, famous seed company with great selection and good prices. They also sell in many retail locations, but I've found the online prices are much better than the cardboard displays in big box stores. Their catalog is big and glossy, but nothing special.

This year some new catalogs caught my eye and interest. R.H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide offers black and white pencil drawings that hearken back to a simpler time in gardening. Similarly, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds also bypasses stock garden photos for pencil art in a sage green shade. Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply offers pencil drawings that are colored in to display the vegetable or flower in true form. They all have unique offerings and good descriptions of the plants. I admit I prefer an artistic catalog to ones with amateurish photos. I may have to place small orders with these companies to see how good the seed packets are.

For most of us seed and plant selection comes down to price. The fanciful artwork or glossy format of the catalog may grab our attention, but the price is what tempts us to buy in the absence of any other knowledge or experience. So how do different catalogs compare?

Let's begin with sweet corn:

Gurney's offers a packet (250 seeds, about 2 ozs) of "Kandy Korn" for $4.99
Jung Seeds & Plants offers a packet (1 oz) of "Kandy Korn" for $2.35
R.H. Shumway's offers a packet (1 oz) of "Kandy Korn" for $2.35
Territorial Seed Company offers a packet (2 ozs) of "Kandy Korn" for $4.00

So let's analyze the data. An ounce of sweet corn provides about 125 seeds and each company is relatively close in price. In order of value per ounce are: Territorial ($2.00), R.H. Shumway ($2.35), Jung ($2.35), and Gurney's ($2.50). Maybe Gurney's costs more to pay for the many catalogs they distribute. Smaller, more specialized seed companies tend to offer better value in my experience.

Let's look at tomato seeds:

Baker Creek offers a packet (25 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $2.25
Burpee offers a packet (50 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $3.95
Gurney's offers a packet (30 seeds) of "Brandywine for $2.49
Territorial offers a packet (40 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $3.05
Totally Tomatoes offers a packet (30 seeds) of "Brandywine" for $2.10

The order of value for these seeds is: Totally Tomatoes, Territorial, Burpee, Gurney's, Baker Creek. It's not a great surprise that the company that specializes in tomato seeds has the best price for a packet of tomato seeds or that the company with the flashiest catalog is the most expensive. Ultimately they're all within a penny of cost per seed. As you might expect, companies that offer seed in bulk can provide bigger savings. Totally Tomatoes offers "Brandywine" for less than three cents per seed if you want a few hundred of them and Territorial cuts that price almost in half for bulk purchase.

This raises the important issue of seed quantity. Though Burpee offers a better price per seed than Baker Creek in the example above, you may not need 50 seeds. For most home gardeners 25 tomato seeds is more than enough and Totally Tomatoes' bargain per-seed price, and lowest packet price, is even more of an incentive to order from them. The same with the first example. Territorial offers the best value for sweet corn seeds, but do you really need 500 seeds? Buying one of the $2.35 packets may make more sense.

So why pay more? I chose the examples above because they represent common, popular seed choices. For many gardeners, myself included, buying unique or special seeds trumps price and many catalogs specialize in being unique and special. In some cases you may be able to find a specific seed in only one catalog.

R.H Shumway offers "Luffa Sponge" seeds; I haven't noticed them any place else. Baker Creek sells squash seeds for fruit that looks like it came from another planet. They only sell heirloom seeds too; that means you can save the seeds from any of the plants you grow and replicate the same plant year after year. Seeds of Change sells 100% organic seeds, including purple tomatillos.

Finding a special seed that interests you may make a catalog your new favorite. Ordering just one packet is hard to do, so adding extra packets of seeds helps fill out an order. That may explain why some of the specialty catalogs above charge a little bit more for common seeds. They hook you with the unique offering and soak your wallet for stuff you can get elsewhere for less. You pay for the convenience of a single purchase.

If you're only interested in common seeds compare prices and order appropriately. For the most part, a "Brandywine" seed should produce the same plant regardless of the source company. Live plants are a little different. Receiving the plant in good condition should be more important than saving a few pennies.

Look for coupons and gifts too. Gurney's is notorious (or famous) for offering up to 50 percent off the price if you order early. Many companies will throw in an extra plant or seed packet with orders. With these extras a higher price per seed packet can quickly be a better value overall. If you become a customer, some companies will give you a code or coupon for savings next year; they want you to come back.

I recommend placing orders from at least one catalog that you haven't used before. You may be very pleased with the results. At the least you'll get placed on a list that should guarantee a five-fold increase in the number of catalogs you receive next year.

Nothing beats walking through a nursery and experiencing live plants. If you can, buy your plants this way. Not only does it support local business, but it helps you see what you're buying. Even the best nurseries have few choices beyond favorite and common plants, so for better selection and for cost savings consider buying from catalogs.

When you find a company you like, keep buying and spread the good news. For me, Territorial Seed is the best overall. Great price, great selection, and superior planting information. They're also one of the simplest and plain catalogs. I'll keep buying from them.

That's not to say they get all of my business. As good as they are, they don't carry every seed I'm interested in. So I'll order from other companies as needed. And I'll keep getting catalogs to wile away the winter day.

I must point out that I've received no payment, fee or reward from any of the companies mentioned in this article. All of this information is from my own experience.

Use these links to order a catalog:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds                  www.rareseeds.com
Burpee                                                     www.burpee.com
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.                 www.gurneys.com
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds   www.kitchengardenseeds.com
Jung Seeds & Plants                                www.jungseed.com
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply  www.groworganic.com
R.H. Shumway's                                      www.rhshumway.com
Seeds of Change                                      www.seedsofchange.com
Territorial Seed Company                       www.territorialseed.com
Totally Tomatoes                                     www.totallytomato.com