Notes from Donna’s Garden

Non GMO Shopping Guide

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:17:55 -0500

It has come to my attention that our Government has just this year given corporate goliath Monsanto the go ahead to genetically modify Alfalfa.
While this may not seem important, let me enlighten you. Alfalfa is a perennial forage crop used mostly to feed cattle, and is the 4th largest crop in the US.
Alfalfa is very disease and pest resistant, and 95 percent of the crop is healthy, requiring no pesticides. This may lead you to wonder why they need to genetically modify this crop at all. Monsanto wants to make this “Round-up Ready”, which is a slick way of saying that they are actually artificially adding the chemical glyphosate to the actual genome of the alfalfa plant. This allows agribusinesses to spray herbicides to kill the weeds, but it won’t kill the GMO alfalfa.
This practice ultimately turns the whole crop toxic, as through pollination, the bees carry the tainted genes to all the surrounding non-gmo crops planted in a 5 mile radius and henceforth, this toxic gene pool proliferates. It is estimated that within 7 years, this crop will be totally GMO simply through pollination.
This is a diabolical and calculated attempt by Monsanto to pollute the alfalfa gene pool, and our government has given them the green light.
What this means for you is that even organic meats will become GMO by ingesting this forage. The potential negative ramifications to plants, beneficial insects, animals and human health are unknowns. This has to stop!
Please take some time to learn more about this, and download the Non-Gmo Shopping guide, which tells you which foods are most likely GMO so you can choose NOT to buy them. Right now, in this country, food companies aren’t even required to tell us which foods are GMO.
Vote with your dollars, and let your congressperson know that you are against genetically modified food, and demand truth in labeling. We can make a difference if enough of us care to spread the word and teach others about how dangerous an experiment this is. Once we let this devil out of the box, there’s no getting it back in, ever.

Free Spirited Gardens

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:50:48 -0400

British Designer Peter Coats said that the most attractive gardens are those on the verge of being out of control.
I would heartily agree with that statement. Sometimes you come across a garden that’s a little too perfect. Too controlled. Somehow, it just doesn’t make you feel as full of wonder as a garden that’s a little hairy around the edges with a little bit of whimsy spilled here and there in the form of volunteer seedlings popping up in unexpected places.
Nature doesn’t think in terms of edging, and straight lines. A truly beautiful garden makes you feel free.

Collards, anyone?

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:36:14 -0400

After tomatoes, I think the most asked for veggie to plant during the winter is Collards. Collards are big leafy greens in the Cabbage Family, otherwise known as the famous Cruciferae Family of vegetables. Other illustrious members are Kale, Broccoli, Rappini, Cauliflower, Mustard, Turnip, and Radish, as well as many kinds of cabbage (sauerkraut, kimchi).
I speak with this family of plants with reverence, as they are truly life savers. It is well documented that eating these plants in abundance, is one of the best ways we have to ward off cancers.
Not only are they powerfully nutritious, but they are also one of the most unassuming characters in the vegetable garden. They don’t bat an eyelash at the bad nematodes that plague the plants in the Tomato (Solanaceae) family, and if planted during the fall, winter and early spring, will reward your smallest of efforts handsomely.
Of course, a little pampering never hurt anybody, and why do we always seem to take for granted, that which is easy?
I confess that I am a bit of a philosopher; and lately, I find that everything I know, I learned from my garden.
Don’t take Collards for granted. For the price of a $2.00 pack of seeds, you will have more plants than you know what to do with! Now is the time to plant them, then transplant the seedlings into your raised beds, pots or plots in a few weeks, when the weather has cooled down some.
Click on the link in the title for a super easy recipe that everyone will love.

Sexing Papayas

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:10:33 -0400

If you are planting Papaya from seed, which is quite simply done with those found right inside your fruit, then you need a quick lesson on telling the boys from the girls, as only the female flowers will become fruits.
When I became of an appropriate age, my mother gave me a book about “the birds and the bees.” Looking back, and especially as a horticulturist, I now see the analogy very clearly! At age 11, not so much!
You see, there are some plants that have either female flowers, with an ovary, which is what becomes the fruit, or male flowers, which carry the pollen (sperm, if you will).
The birds and the bees, are the vehicles which carry the pollen, or male DNA to the female flowers, thus pollinating/fertilizing the flower, which now has both parents showing up, in order to produce a viable fruit.
And there you have it; the proverbial “Birds and Bees”.
Here’s where it gets tricky: Papayas vary in whether they carry female or male flowers on the same plant, or female or male only.
OK. How can you tell? Take a look at the picture at the top of this page. See how the flower is directly in contact with the stalk/stem? This is a female flower. If you look really closely, you will also notice it has no pollen parts, only pistil or ovary.
If this were a male flower, it would have a long stalk, about 4 inches or more extending outwards from the center stem, with the pollen carrying flower at the end of it. If you think of it in human terms, it’s pretty easy to remember. I will say no more....
If you have a papaya that stubbornly refuses to set fruit, you may have yourself a boy. Only one male plant is needed for several females, so if you need the space, cull out some of the males. (Sorry, guys!)
Papaya is a fantastic fruit to grow here in South Florida. Quick growing, small enough for even the smallest garden and producing abundant fruits.
This easy to grow plant is one no home should ever be without. Check out the link above for some excellent planting information from the University of Florida.

Dwarf Powderpuff

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:51:02 -0400

This lovely shrub is the perfect addition to any home landscape. It’s a magnet for beneficial insects such as butterflies, honeybees, and our native solitary bees.
It blooms literally every day of the year, and grows very moderately, never overtaking other neighboring shrubs and can be planted near to your house or patio.
Dwarf Powderpuff needs to be watered only as needed once established, as it is quite drought tolerant.
A DONNA’S BEST PICK.