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Get a ballpark figure for the potential market value of what you can grow in the space available to you.    But keep in mind that some things like digging delicious winter carrots in December are just one of many gifts of gardening that are priceless.

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Another Urban Garden is a program that Loving Garland Green is currently developing to support our goal of increasing the number of urban gardens in Garland. Record-keeping is an important part of this program for a number of reasons:  First of all, by writing it down, the urban gardener can reflect better on what worked and what didn't in their garden.  Then next year, they can plan better.  I've found that what grows in a friend's garden who lives only a few houses away will not necessarily grow in my garden.  This is another reason why I value seed saving.  In my garden, this year's okra, marigolds, cantaloupe, and tomato seeds will all come from plants that I successfully grew in my garden in 2013.

HERE ARE THE STEPS TO IMPROVED GARDEN RECORD KEEPING

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Urban Gardens Stimulate Local Economies

Loving Garland Green continues to grow.  Last night we had a surprise visit from our mayor--Douglas Athas.  The Mayor has been very supportive of our group and its efforts to establish a community garden here in Garland.  Our goal is to encourage citizens of Garland to plant gardens in their yards and to grow gardens on their patios and windowsills.  

We are currently developing programs to assist in stimulating our local economy by increasing the number plant-based products created in our community.  For example, there is the potential that bamboo offers Garland.  You may not realize this, but we have large bamboo groves growing all along every creek within the 57 square miles that we call "Garland."

Last night we offered Mayor Athas a drink of iced bamboo tea which he enjoyed as did other members who also had their first taste of bamboo tea.

Imagine this:

Garland is not limited to bamboo as a source for plant-based products. Look at all the possibilities shown in the chart below.  Remember, these don't even include the potential revenue to be gained from cultivated urban crops.  The chart below represents the potential to be realized from food in our community that is currently not being fully used.  Over the coming year, Loving Garland Green hopes to rally local groups to join us in establishing some of these companies/cottage industries in our community.

 

 

Urban gardens save families hundreds even thousands of dollars annually.

As far as cultivated urban gardens are concerned, savings to people who grow at least some of their own food can be significant. In 2008, Rosalind Creasy, author of "Edible Landscaping" conducted an experiment in which she planted an organic garden in a space 5 x 10 feet (100 square feet).  

She kept close records of her harvest and found that from April to September of 2008 she produced $700 worth of food.  According to the Garden Writers Association, 84 million U.S. households gardened in 2009. Ms. Creasy reasoned that if just half of them (42 million) planted a 100-square-foot garden, 96,419 acres (about 150 square miles) would no longer be in lawns.  Thus there would be no need for the tremendous resources used in keeping them manicured. If folks got even one-half of the yields Ms. Creasy obtained, the national savings on groceries would be about $14.35 billion. [Source] 

Bringing those statistics on home to Garland

What if 50,000 5 x 20 foot gardens were established in Garland Texas that saved each person approximately $700 in groceries?     The total savings would be $35,000,000.00 in our economy.

Loving Garland Green's stated goal is to see that 50,000 urban gardens are planted in Garland by the end of 2015.  "Another Urban Garden" is a new program that we will be launching this spring to support us in meeting this goal.  In fact, we already have our first participant.

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From my Seed collection:  Okra, Marigold and  Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)

What are the best seeds you can possibly have?

Answer:  Seeds from healthy plants that you have grown because  you know they will thrive in your garden.  In terms of risk management for your crop yields, seeds from your own garden should be at the top of the list for next year's planting.

Here is an example of the Tropical Milkweed that I grew in my urban garden last year.  It bloomed from mid July until the end of October.  I made sure to save as many of the fluffy seeds of this annual as I could.  Not only do butterflies like it, bees adore it.  And, the blooms are lovely as  you can see from the photo below:

 

Still and yet. . . there are other good sources for seed as well

Native Seeds/S.E.A.R.C.H.

This nonprofit organization aims to preserve native plant varieties from more tha 50 southwestern tribes.  I am particularly interested in the indigenous vegetables featured in their catalog.  Here is the PDF for their seed catalog.  http://www.nativeseeds.org/pdf/seedlistingcatalog.pdf   I plan to order some seeds from this in a few weeks.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Johnny's Selected Seeds are two other standbys for seeds--both of whom I've ordered seeds from before.  I can only personally recommend Johnny's as I've ordered buckwheat from them that grew like weeds last year.  Even you don't want to harvest the seed from the buckwheat, it still makes a great over-winter crop to turn under as it is high in nitrogen.  And, many people don't realize that the leaves of buckwheat are quite tasty and nutritious. They produce dainty little white flowers that are highly fragrant and loved by bees.  From August through September of 2013 I put buckwheat leaves and flowers in my salads.  Not only did the salads look prettier, they were more tasty with the addition of the nutty flavors of the buckwheat.   Many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, but it is actually a fruit seed that has been linked with all sorts of good things such as lowering blood pressure.  Its flavonoids protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C.  It is also said to lower the risk of diabetes and other diseases.

As for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, I didn't have much luck with their seeds.  However, in their defense, I am an amateur gardener and I ordered heirloom tomato seeds which are difficult even for an experienced gardener to grow.

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Now is the time for deciding what you are going to put in your Spring 2014 Urban Garden.  Planting time is almost upon us.  Already the garden stores have in their onion sets.  I bought a few yesterday along with some kale and Swiss Chard seed--all of which I'll put into a plot in Urban Garden One the first week of February.

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And why I've ordered this poster from the YES store.

Kale will be among those that will be featured at the Garland Community Garden which is being supported by Loving Garland Green--a nonprofit that you can join if you want to be part of a grand experiment to show the residents of Garland that adding urban gardens to your community will also add dollars to your local economy.

These eight lifestyles (not diets) are designed to prevent chronic health ailments and degenerative disease.  Guess what they all have in common?  Kale.  I've read many places on the Internet where kale is indeed a "super food."  

The diets shown are 1. Vegan  2. Traditional Asian  3.National Institutes of Health TLC diet  4. Raw Diet   5. Mediterranean Diet  6. Ancesteral Diet  7.Glycemic Index diet 8. Anti-inflammatory Diet

Visit Yes Magazine to order your copy of this poster and to read the entire article.

One Diet To Rule Them All Poster

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Some of us gather toilet paper rolls to make our own biodegradable planters*

Put rolls on cookie sheet.  Mark the roll with a sharpie as to what will be planted in it.  Fill the roll with soil.  Plant seed.  When seedling is ready to plant, dig a hole the size and depth of the cardboard roll and plant.  Make sure to thoroughly moisten the cardboard before planting.  Note:  Any small cardboard container can be used. 

*Permaculture Design Principle 6:  Produce no waste: By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.

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January, like December, is a fairly dead month for most gardeners.  Of course one can start seeds in containers and prepare outdoor beds and gaze starry-eyed at all the great seed catalogues.  

 

Seeds to be planted outdoors in February in North Texas

But the outdoor planting of vegetables in North Texas, according to guides provided by Texas A&M, begins in February.  Following is a list of vegetables that can be planted in February:

Onion plants - 02/01 to 02/20

Radishes 02/05 to 4/15   (Radishes grow like weeds in our area.  It only takes them 21-26 days from seed to radish.)

 

Onion seeds, English peas - 02/10 to 03/01

Asparagus, Cauliflower - 02/03 to 02/17

Cabbage, Collards, Swiss Chard, Lettuce -  02/10- 03/10

Parsley 02/10 to 02/25

Potatoes 02/10 to 02/25 (I'm going to try growing potatoes in a tower in my plot in the Garland Community Garden.)

Spinach 02/10 to 03/15

Turnip 02/10 to 02/10

For Kale, plant seeds at least a month before the last frost date.  For those who live in North Texas, this would be around the first of February.

Vegetables to start from seed indoors

For Okra:  I'm starting mine from seed indoors February 14 and transplanting to the garden around April 8.  May 11 is last spring planting recommended here in North Texas for okra.

For Pepper plants:  I'm starting mine from seed indoors in March and transplanting to the garden in late April.

For Tomatoes:  I'm starting mine from seed indoors in mid-March and transplanting to the garden in early May.

For Eggplant:  I'm starting mine from seed indoors mid-February and transplanting to the garden 

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Garland Officials take illegal dumping as a serious matter to be dealt with.

Doug Athas (mayor of Garland), members of our city council, our police department and the Garland Stormwater management team are addressing this incident in the most thorough and professional way.

I would like to report that Mayor Athas responded to my email almost immediately.  Then a member of our city council to whom I copied on my email to the mayor also called our Garland Police.  Within 24 hours I got a phone call from Lt. St. Clair of the Garland police department requesting details regarding the incident and also the names and contact information for the other four Garland residents who witnessed the dumping of 12 tires on the afternoon of December 31, 2013 into the creek that passes through the area at 4022 Naaman School Road.

Since his initial contact with us, Lt. St. Clair has contacted several of the witnesses with additional questions more than once. When I talked to him yesterday, the first workday after the incident, he informed me that members of the Garland Stormwater management team had already removed half of the illegally dumped tires from the creek.

Note:  Since these two men dumped material weighing more than 5 pounds into the creek, they committed a Class B Misdeameanor according to the law here in Texas.  A class B type of misdemeanor in Texas is an offense that is punishable by a fine that does not exceed  ($2000), confinement in a county jail for a specific term not exceeding 180 days or even both at the same time. Persons convicted under this type of crime may also be placed on probation instead of a jail time.

A Class A misdemeanor comes with a fine of up to $4,000 and up to a year in jail.  If a person has a prior conviction of a Class B misdemeanor for dumping and is caught again, the offense is automatically bumped up to a Class A offense.  All dumping offenses committed by a commerical entity begin as a Class A offense.

Your Community and Local Officials Depend on You to Care about What Happens Locally

Illegal dumping regulations must be enforced.  However, in order for them to be enforced, violations must be reported. The Dallas County Illegal Dumping Hotline (1-888-335-DUMP) is a 24-hour hotline for citizens to report illegal dumping in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwell, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties. Citizens are asked to leave as much information as possible, city and county of the incident, specific street location, license plate number and description of vehicle, personal description of violator, type of waste dumped, caller's name and telephone number, date of violation.

As an incentive to report illegal dumping, a $50 reward is given to reporting individuals if their information leads to an arrest (the City Web, 1998). Earthwater Stencils, Inc., supports stormwater pollution prevention by providing materials such as posters, stencils, and brochures to community-based storm drain stenciling and related programs in local watersheds. The (EarthWater-Stencils ) website offers information on how and where to stencil and how to obtain stenciling materials.

Here in Texas, we are governed by a law called the Texas Litter Abatement Act.  Under this law any illegal dumping of units less than 5 pounds is a Class C misdemeanor;  more than five pounds is a Class B misdemeanor; if person dumping has prior conviction for dumping, it is a Class A misdemeanor and for repeaters it becomes a felony.  However for any commerical entity it is classed as a felony here in Texas.

Frankly, I think we need initiate a public awareness campaign regarding illegal dumping as it is costly to the people who live in the community.  

Help Prevent Illegal Dumping in Dallas County!

Here is a link to a poster to share with your friends:http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhs/documents/IllegalDumpingFlier2011.pdf

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This is not what a creek next to a Community Garden should look like!  In fact, it's not what a creek anywhere in the USA should look like!  Photo showing eight of twelve tires dumped in the creek at 4022 Naaman School Road, December 31, 2013, mid-afternoon in full sight of five witnesses.

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Yesterday (New Year's Eve) was an eye-opener for me.  Several of us were at the site for the Garland Community Garden (4022 Naaman School Road) selling Texas native pecans.  Between two and three PM a large gray truck illegally pulled on to the city property entering down by the bridge where there is no road.

There were two men in the truck and a load of old tires in the back.  It was obvious to us they were heading for the creek to dump the tires.  One of the five citizen witnesses to this crime dialed 911 to report a crime in progress before the truck was even half way to its destination.  Another citizen took his truck and blocked the pathway so the criminals could not leave until the police arrived.  Both he and another citizen witnessed the men tossing the tires into the creek and told the police they would be willing to testify.  As the men were tossing the tires in the creek, on of the citizens commented that it was illegal to which the criminal replied:  "It's OK, the will float down to my house."

After the men finished dumping the tires and realized they were blocked in, they threatened to ram the truck of the Garland citizen.  He moved his truck.

The criminals exited the site via the only legal entrance.  They drove past no less than five witnesses who saw them and took pictures.  

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When the police arrived, an officer told us that it was a Class C Misdemeanor and their "hands were tied" because they had not witnessed the crime.  He said they had to actually see the men tossing the tires into the creek.  I don't know about that part, but I do know the crime committed here was not a "Class C Misdemeanor".  According to the penalties under the Texas Litter Abatement Act, Class C Misdemeanors are those which involve five pounds or less of litter.  Twelve tires weigh a great deal more than five pounds.  At the least, these men committed a "Class B Misdemeanor."

These two men may in fact have been committing a "Class A Misdemeanor".  To quality for a Class A Misdemeanor, these men would need to have been acting on the behalf of a commercial entity.   If a person has been previously convicted of violating the Texas Litter Abatement Act, that person's punishment will be upgraded to the next highest category for any subsequent violation. For example, if a person has a prior conviction of a Class A Misdemeanor, that person's punishment will be bumped up to a third degree felony the next time he/she is convicted.  That's how the law is supposed to work.

 What is the Solution?

I don't know, but I do know this much:  The solution is not to ignore what happened yesterday and hope that it does not happen again.

I do know that I plan to attend the next city council meeting and present a formal report to the mayor and the council on this incident.  I already sent them an email on this topic today.

It is not OK with me for people to dump trash in our waterways and get away with it.  A friend of mine called my attention this morning to the fact that it is not OK with Homeland Security either so perhaps they should be notified as well.

 

 

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If you want to extend the boundaries of what you think you can do, then join a small group of people with a mission.  I know.  I just completed building the website for Loving Garland Green.  It is the first website I've ever built. 

Visit www.lovinggarlandgreen.org and see what you think.

If you like what you read and live in the DFW area, then join us!  We will be putting in our plant beds in January.

Why "Loving"?

We were inspired by the 2013 Garland Neighborhood summit that was hosted here in Garland by various city department employees.  Peter Kageyama, author of "for the LOVE of Cities", was the keynote speaker.  He spoke of the love affair between people and their places.  We are all familiar with such love of place.  Who among us does not have a special place we love to visit.  Perhaps the two most beloved cities on the planet (at least by their residents) are New York City and Paris France.  According to Kageyama, when we love anything, we cherish it and are also enabled to do extraordinary things for it.  When we are loved we flourish as people and are enabled to achieve great things.

The members of Loving Garland Green would like to inspire residents of Garland to fall in love with their place and do extraordinary things for Garland.  We believe that growing food is a direct path to the heart--not only for love, but for health as well.

Our core belief is that by increasing the number of urban gardens in our community, we will enrich and grow our local economy and increase the food security for all our residents.

According to statistics from Sustainable America, there are 10 million acres of front and back yards in the USA. That's enough to produce 43.5 million tons of food.  Our community of Garland has approximately 36,480 acres of land within its boundaries.  That's a lot of urban gardens.  Loving Garland Green hopes to ensure that we have 50,000 urban gardens growing edible plants within the boundaries of our city by the end of 2016. That's our mission.

Gardens Bring People Together

Those of you who read my posts know me as the woman who dug up half of her front yard this June of 2013 and planted vegetables and fruit trees in place of the lawn.  I've written of the magic of my urban garden in terms of attracting people.  Over 70 people driving by stopped to chat with me between June 12 and August 6.  Prior to that time, not one person in the eight years I've lived in Garland ever stopped to chat with me when I was out in my front yard.

I thought about that magic in the evening on Christmas Day.  In somewhat of a Grinch mood, I was creating a wish list of resources on our website that we need to get our garden started when a knock at the door interrupted my work.  Diane, a neighbor who lives about a block away from me on Kingsbridge, was standing there holding  a bag from Arbor Day--our first gift of a plant.  The bag contains two Crape Myrtles and six flowering trees.  We will plant these trees at the edge of the flood plain on the site.  No, they won't feed people, but they will feed the bees that we hope to eventually bring onto the property.  You can see a photo of Diane on the Loving Garland Green website under "Resources."  I only met her a few days prior when I was out going door-to-door selling pecans for Loving Garland Green. Again, without the magic of gardens, I likely would never know a lovely person like Diane.  Gardens can make neighborhoods more friendly and cities more beautiful and beloved.

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INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING ROSEMARY BUTTER

1. One small bowl

2. One slightly larger bowl for mixing (not shown)

3. Two sticks of butter (only one stick of butter shown)

4. Some rosemary twigs

5. Small coffee bean grinder

6. One small Elf

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1.  Have the small elf strip the rosemary leaves into the coffee grinder and grind them.  (Much faster than with scissors or knife.)

2. Put chopped rosemary into small mixing bowl

3. Chop up two sticks of butter into small mixing bowl.

4. Invite Grandpa to pose for a photo so he doesn't feel left out.

 

5. Put small little ELF in an awesome pose (LIKE THIS ONE).  [Note:  The Elf is assisting in the writing of this copy.]

6.  Elf mixes butter and rosemary.

7. Put rosemary butter in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator to harden.

8. Garnish top of plastic with a fresh sprig of Rosemary and Ribbon.

9. Be sure to inform recipient that the Elf washed his hands carefully before preparing the Rosemary butter.

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GIVE GIFTS FROM YOUR GARDEN

In addition to feeding your family, friends and hungry people in your community, you can give some of the bounty from your garden as holiday gifts too--saving you lots of money while making your friends happy at the same time.

Dried Tarragon On the Counter--ready for cutting and putting in jars

If you are not an urban gardener, here is a suggestion for next year. Become one!  Plant a bunch of tarragon.  It grows like a weed and I speak from experience.  It's a beautiful plant with delicate yellow flowers and a wonderful fragrance.  The bees love it and so do people.  Tarragon is a great spice for chicken and fish.  It can also be used to made infusions in vinegar and oil for salads.  Its fragrance is so great that it can be used in homemade soap, or simply in an open dish to refresh a room.  Some people even make sachet pillows of tarragon.

Just before the first frost this year I yanked up the tarragon by its roots from my garden and hung it in the kitchen. (I remembered reading somewhere that you hang them upside down and so I did.) Thus I got to enjoy the fragrance as it was drying, and it looks nice hanging in your kitchen if you appreciate an old world charm.  I let the plant dry for about 6 weeks.  Then I took it down, cut it up into small pieces and put into small jars. (The jars with their labels cost $8.00 for 12, but if you start saving small jars now, you can have free jars next December.)

 

One Bunch of Tarragon Drying in the Kitchen


Below is a photo of the finished product. Tarragon in the store can cost as much as $5 a jar and it's not nearly as fresh and pretty and there are certainly no blossoms in it as there are in these.  By the way, the blossoms are an added bonus.  You can tell the recipient of  your gift that if they rub the dried flower between their thumb and index finger they will have more than enough seeds to grow their own tarragon.

 

 MAKE LUMINARIOS OF USED TIN CANS

If you have no herbs, here is a gift that  you can make with children this weekend.  In fact, I'm doing it myself.

1. Wash a used tin can.  
 
2.  Use a Christmas cookie cutter and trace a star with a magic marker on the tin can.  
 
3.  Use a hammer and nail to punch holes using the outline of the star as a guide.
 
4. (optional) punch two holes near the top of the can that are directly across from each other.  
 
5. String wire through the holes and twist to make a handle.
 
6.  Put a candle in the bottom of the can.  (For little ones, use LED little candles.)  
 
Note:  For your garden you can use very large cans and put large citronella candles in them.   [Loving Garland Green will be making these in the spring and selling them for one of our fundraisers.  Again, we always strive to reuse resources and/or use renewable resources, thus following permaculture design principles.]

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CRACK NUTS WITH THE CHILDREN

 If you really want something fast and fun to do with children, call me at 972-571-4497.  Loving Garland Green (nonprofit) is selling one pound bags of pecans for $5.00 and we deliver to Garland residents--even in the rain.  These pecans are for cracking.  If you want to put a little bit of old-fashioned into your holiday, there is nothing like sitting down before the fire and cracking nuts with your children and grandchildren.  I daresay there are children today who don't even realize that nuts have shells or even where they come from. By the way, if you happen to be in one of our many Garland Parks this holiday season, take a close look at the trees.  There's a good chance that at least one of them is a Texas Native Pecan.  We have more than 8 pecan trees on the proposed site for our first Garland Community Garden at 4022 Naaman School Road.