that are. What are we doing to support the soil biology? Can we achieve the goal without using chemicals? How can we increase soil organic matter?”
community spotlight
Greener Communities Concerned citizens are asking local governments and school districts to eliminate chemical turf management protocols at parks and schools. Nonprofit campaigns such as Beyond Pesticides, Non Toxic Communities and Herbicide-Free Campus can sometimes send a spokesperson and provide ample data to overcome common objections. “We can show that organic is viable and economical. Organic systems end up reducing costs over time,” says Jay Feldman, who helps install community pilot sites. Transitioning to organic practices requires a focus on soil health, building up microbial life and organic matter, understanding the ecosystem and creating a balanced ecology. Once in place, it’s a functioning system that doesn’t need much management. “You can have a beautiful, organic, green lawn that’s safe for all living things,” says Carpinone. Julie Peterson writes about wellness and environmental issues from rural Wisconsin. Reach her at JuliePeterson2222@gmail.com.
Make a Difference Offset climate change and improve health for people and the planet by reaching out to the community or finding helpful experts to assist with local efforts. Non Toxic Communities (NonToxicCommunities.com) offers resources to create healthier schools, lawns and landscapes throughout the country. Beyond Pesticides (BeyondPesticides.org) has a database of pest management and lawn service companies that don’t use dangerous pesticides, lawn signs for the organic yard and a sign-up for The Action of the Week to contact elected officials about current issues. The Integrated Pest Management Institute of North America (ipminstitute.org) provides low-risk pest management solutions for farms, greenhouses, facilities and homes. Herbicide-Free Campus (HerbicideFreeCampus.org) is working to transition every campus in the country to organic. The Great Healthy Yard Project (tghyp.com/downloads) has downloads on how to grow without gunk and encouraging others to do the same.
Survival Gardening in Florida by David Goodman
D
espite the complaints about Florida being too hot and sandy, the Sunshine State is a great place to grow food during uncertain times. Decent rainfall and an almost tropical climate allows growing year-round if need be. Just avoid getting too fancy and plant the plants that love, or at least tolerate, the climate. First, don’t worry about building proper raised beds, just pick a spot and remove the grass and weeds, then loosen the soil. A spading fork is good for this, but we can also turn over shovelfuls of sand to get things loose and let moisture go deep. A good bed size is four feet wide and as long as desired. Two-foot pathways in-between beds allow a wheelbarrow through. If compost is available, dig it in. Just a quarter-inch to a half-inch or so on top of each bed, raked or dug in, is needed. Compost may be found in the woods under leaf litter. Other good amendments include wood ashes, coffee grounds, chicken or rabbit manure, alfalfa pellets or meal, or even some chicken feed or dog food. Just dig some into each bed. Otherwise take a drum or a few five-gallon buckets and stuff some weeds and grass in them, then top them off with water and let it rot down into a tea. Add a few quarts of urine per five-gallon bucket to provide nitrogen and other nutrients. A cup of Epsom salts, moringa leaves, alfalfa, fish guts, mimosa leaves and many other ingredients can also be added to this tea and will help feed the plants. Most cow or other ruminant manures are contaminated with long-term herbicides such as look up Aminopyralid used to control weeds; they will often kill a garden before it even gets a good start. Use the compost tea to feed plants. Dilute it at least half-and-half with water and don’t use it on maturing leaf crops like lettuce that will go immediately to the table. Urine is also usable diluted about six parts water to one part urine. Grow calorie crops first, then nutrition crops. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, true yams (Dioscorea spp.), beans, maize/grain corn, Seminole pumpkins, calabaza, sunflowers and turnips are highcalorie allies. After those, plant high-nutrition plants like moringa, July 2020
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