save them both

SAVE THEM BOTH

the monarch butterfly numbers are dropping here in the united
states and in their final resting place in mexico
last year their numbers in mexico was the lowest ever recorded

here in the united states their major host plant the milkweed
is declining in numbers thanks to
things like decreasing habitat for breeding wintering and migrating
habitat loss

thats us in the united states especially texas is the loss of
migrating habitat loss

(the larva or caterpillar only eats milkweed and no other plant
except maybe the butterfly bush)











another is herbicide use and the use of genetically modified corn
and soybeans that have the herbicide and insecticides built in
seems wrong to me
seems its like the superbugs weve created from overuse of antibiotics
we are creating a super weed problem
and along the way killing off good insects like the monarch butterflies

even those of us who try to plant plants that the monarch like
may be harming them if we are not careful what we plant
and where we get them from
apparently many of the nursery plants are treated heavily with
insecticides which harm the monarch

this year at my wife shes school they have planted a lot of native
plants some of which the monarchs apparently love
as they are all covered with monarchs as they go south to mexico
it takes energy found in flower nectar
you know to travel that far for these delicate
beautiful insects

click on this link to look at my wife shes garden in the foreground
of one of the pictures and then the large group of monarchs on
the native flowers and a close up of a monarch
(note there is on the left upper side of the web page a slide show
of pictures
wait patiently and watch for the monarch pictures)

so how can we do our part to save the monarch
avoid insecticides in the landscape
yes go organic
be careful of the plants you buy that may have insecticides on them
plant several milkweeds in your landscape
and another host plant the butterfly bush

so lets save them and plant some host plants for them
milkweed available at all nurseries
and maybe a butterfly bush

heres a link to texas gardeners seeds on monarchs and another
link on monarchs

in your yard also plant fruit trees and lots of flowers especially native
wildflowers which provide the nectar like you see in my wife
shes schools garden for the trip home to mexico
each fall for the monarch butterflies

yes we can all do our part to save these beautiful insects

then

in austin boggy creek farms and other urban farms are being
threatened by new regulations
these small farms are organic and have been around for several years
providing fresh vegetables and eggs for local restaurants
and for the residents of austin and surrounding areas
its not unusual to see chefs from the best restaurants in town
at their farm stand

they also have been for me and hundreds of other organic gardeners
a great source of educational information on raising organic produce
and for carol ann at boggy creek farm for telling us in great seminars
on how to raise backyard chickens

ive based on what i grow in my garden each season on what carol ann
grows in her boggy creek farm by buying their produce and talking
to her about what they plant and when

here is a link to a video on carol anns boggy creek farm and her
feelings on the new regulations

speaking of our government over regulating things

wonder if its because these farms are sitting on great land
for development in east austin

lets save our urban farms and save carol anns boggy creek farm

so
yes lets save them both
the monarchs and the urban farms

the organicgreen doctor

summer soltice, chickener, lebron

SUMMER SOLSTICE
today is summer solstice
the first day of summer
the days start to get shorter starting today
thank goodness

we wish we were in santa barbara for their summer solstice celebration
they have every year
think mini mardi gras celebration
last year we were getting ready for our older sons wedding there
and got to go to the solstice parade

when we were touring the anasazi indian ruins we came upon
a anasazi calender laid out on the top of a hill
and one of the markers marked the summer solstice

the indians knew then about the solstice
our friend db has been to the site on summer solstice and has
verified that the marker is accurate with an archaeologist

lets celebrate summer solstice even if you cant be in santa
barbara today because
here come the dog days of summer in texas

CHICKENER
i am a chickener
if you are a chickener you know it
if you would like to be a chickener and live in central texas
i suggest you go to this talk on raising chickens by carol ann
from boggy creek farms this weekend at the natural gardener

here is a blog she wrote on the lecture
read it
she is a witty writer as well as an excellent organic gardener and
chickener

join the chickener movement

LEBRON
lebron jamess performance last night reminded me of michael jordans
performance that time when he was ill with high fever but still
had a fantastic game

near the end of the game lebron overcome with leg cramps went
back in the game and scored a three point shot that may have
helped seal the game for the heat

ive seen athletes with severe leg cramps
heck i get them all the time especially at night
as they are a side effect of the aricept (donepezil) that im on
i cant imagine playing basketball with one of those things
my leg feels like someone beat it with a baseball bat the
next day

he should have been drinking gatorade to stay hydrated
hope he recovers enough to play tomorrow night
as he desires this nba championship
maybe the naysayers will quit whining about him now

severe dehydration that causes muscle cramps has the possibility
to cause a rise in muscle enzymes from damaged muscles which
can overload the kidneys as they try to filter out those enzymes
the athlete can get kidney failure from this
the secret is to stay hydrated before and after games

bet he got ivs last night
good luck on recovery today

the organicgreen doctor

harvest time, urban farms

HARVEST TIME
one of the fun part of gardening is harvesting time
especially when the tomatoes start producing well

here is a picture of a sample of what we recently harvested
from our garden here at the country n

recently dug up our potatoes
we should have about 10 gallons of red potatoes
which we will store and eat on a regular basis until
sometime in the late fall

we also harvested a large bed of onions
those of you who saw the video from the
alzheimers research center
its the bed i was messing with in the video
we take all those onions and hang them in panty
hose on the rafters of a shed and cut them down
as we need them

the harvest was limited this year because i put
hairy vetch on my beds to act as a green manure
the problem was they over grew my onions and
the tops fell to the ground
this limited the onions growth
overall though we got a good harvest and should
have onions through the fall also
sure are good fresh

we are just now getting the beginnings of our tomato
crops
our vines are full of maters
some never make it to the house as i eat them right
off the vine

for memorial day meal we will have fresh potatoes from
the garden with fresh green beans from the garden

we also picked our peaches yesterday and got
4  5 gallon buckets

thats as much as we need
we will freeze them and use them in my wifes shes
peach cobbler
she promises one for the memorial day meal
they also are used to make a drink called the peach fuzz
it makes you feel fuzzy when you drink it

we planted also this year the three sisters
corn rattlesnake green beans and miniature pumpkins
which we will eat like a winter squash
the pumpkins shade the garden beds
the green beans grow up the corn stalks and fix
nitrogen into the soils
the corn grows up for the support of the beans
we get three veggies in one garden bed
those indians were smart werent they

after we harvested the onions and potatoes i overseeded the
beds with black eyed peas which we will eat from all summer
the peas also fix nitrogen in the soil
this fall ill turn the peas into the soil and they will act
like a green manure

this is so much fun
you should try it if you are not already

start with a square foot garden preferably a keyhole garden
good luck

URBAN FARMS
if you live in the austin area you are probably familiar with some of
its urban farms
theres several but the two weve visited more than once are
the boggy creek farm and the springdale farm
they ink out a living farming in town
great places to visit

all around texas people have ag exemptions which give you a break on
your property taxes if you have farms
heck we all know people who have bent the rules a lot and get
a big break on their taxes
two goats on a small acreage area and they are ag exempted

thank goodness those urban farmers get a tax break since we all
know what how high those taxes are in town
(my taxes are a fourth of what they were in town for the same
property value)

think again
those guys dont get an ag exemption
teach them to try to farm inside the city limits
the law was passed to help prevent urban sprawl from wiping out
farm land
so now heres a farm in the city that could be wiped out because of
the rising land values and taxes

now that just aint right is it

im on the urban farmers side of this arent you
hopefully the press coverage of this will help get something done
sure would hate to lose those urban farms
thery are a special feature to austin
helps keep it weird or at least different

the organicgreen doctor