tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301218712024-03-05T11:31:14.362-05:00Garden Girl TVThe Urban Sustainable Living Ezine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-85579213606640482702011-03-04T19:16:00.001-05:002011-03-04T19:16:36.699-05:00How To Make Seed Tape<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-w6JoJH4FPo?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-37970447723664200172011-03-04T19:16:00.000-05:002011-03-04T19:16:12.675-05:00Starting Seeds Using Toilet Paper Rolls<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/whDKOfgcQS8?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-50560246654456815092011-03-04T19:12:00.000-05:002011-03-04T19:12:55.670-05:00How to Make Seed Balls<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hSooimEQK7w?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-18835756439853226442011-02-22T14:00:00.000-05:002011-02-22T14:00:44.346-05:00Gardening: How to Start Seeds Indoors With A Hot House<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/25curpf_NfU?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-78939651956327312002011-02-18T12:37:00.001-05:002011-02-18T12:37:50.628-05:00Photo a Day - My Winter Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOBZkBX_nirPdcwOO3chZd7MpUZ5DLf_IJNQSexIahBEmPDCU_DSATcXVEzFY1GDxIpqCbXPTEiTZqbVrzUs1G1MtzGSvEYwqFSgWQYuXIxawR5UDwp3b6Q-MlOhnr-GIzd8/s1600/IMG_0897.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOBZkBX_nirPdcwOO3chZd7MpUZ5DLf_IJNQSexIahBEmPDCU_DSATcXVEzFY1GDxIpqCbXPTEiTZqbVrzUs1G1MtzGSvEYwqFSgWQYuXIxawR5UDwp3b6Q-MlOhnr-GIzd8/s400/IMG_0897.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575085159532821346" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-72553488392260859072011-02-09T11:25:00.002-05:002011-02-09T11:25:59.609-05:00Photo a Day - My Winter Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoxfM7oNQfBt3x4G8ibfDXslovcB1pVGUHXJmscMmOcAYtAjk7Q1fYAKj-N0IQSfehgJyj_iXEfYFxNkZGiMj4_YGDDSQcKPBcAUXLw1-1r1rrFRD0AReL5vKV-mdQI9WvxY/s1600/IMG_0808.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoxfM7oNQfBt3x4G8ibfDXslovcB1pVGUHXJmscMmOcAYtAjk7Q1fYAKj-N0IQSfehgJyj_iXEfYFxNkZGiMj4_YGDDSQcKPBcAUXLw1-1r1rrFRD0AReL5vKV-mdQI9WvxY/s400/IMG_0808.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571726831434649666" /></a><br /><br />Grape vines and iciclesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-26906727779459850352011-02-08T15:08:00.001-05:002011-02-08T15:09:45.764-05:00Photo a Day - My Winter Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPWfu5ho3n88fJ1mQ5B29n5_DkImEV-N-EtDXYF4OMe3VXDMpcxobZLWYmWCziKCN5OSzybGxzFUfonYT2hgR0YB6SMHKOLwKAkIui6BNgYmiLC-lRG9LmRxhdEQirKkS7YQ/s1600/IMG_0803.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPWfu5ho3n88fJ1mQ5B29n5_DkImEV-N-EtDXYF4OMe3VXDMpcxobZLWYmWCziKCN5OSzybGxzFUfonYT2hgR0YB6SMHKOLwKAkIui6BNgYmiLC-lRG9LmRxhdEQirKkS7YQ/s400/IMG_0803.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571413438785418482" /></a><br /><br />Here is a photo of my raised beds after the last snow storm. More to come!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-10118772620288652412011-02-04T10:40:00.001-05:002011-02-04T10:40:45.747-05:00How to Dehydrate Persimmons<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mOs71tJ1Sm0?fs=1" frameborder="0" height="344" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-89274060083381759732010-12-03T10:16:00.000-05:002010-12-03T10:16:09.034-05:00How To Build a Chicken Tractor (High Rez)<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WAzH5P7eKLQ?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-74155491292332418432010-11-27T10:17:00.000-05:002010-11-27T10:17:35.203-05:00Container Gardening-Growing an Olive Tree<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fXxlGD-y9sU?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-59403888782722750802010-11-25T09:25:00.000-05:002010-11-25T09:25:31.577-05:00Shaker Medicinal Herb Garden in HD<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-BknVfRlE-E?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-64894300128466803562010-11-23T11:29:00.000-05:002010-11-23T11:29:49.542-05:00How To Make Pear Preserves<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BNaFNoZOKvY?fs=1" frameborder="0"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-17466168433700139502009-10-09T06:38:00.002-04:002009-10-09T06:39:13.785-04:00September 2009<table style="width: 600px;" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding: 1px; background-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" align="left" bgcolor="#333333" valign="top"> <table style="background-color: rgb(62, 104, 61);" bgcolor="#3e683d" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="background-color: rgb(62, 104, 61);" class="TemplatePad" align="left" bgcolor="#3e683d" valign="top" width="100%"><table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left"> <p align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.825" alt="Urban Sustainable Living September" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/825.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 24pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 24pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:6;color:#fbee69;" ><i>September 2009</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table style="width: 600px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41);" align="left" bg valign="top" width="50%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c96e00;" ><b>IN THIS ISSUE</b> </span></td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK6" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Organic Weeding</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK7" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >New and Featured Video from the Web</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK9" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >William Moss</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK11" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >California In the House</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK13" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Meet Patti Moreno</span></a> </td></tr></tbody></table></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41);" align="left" bg valign="top" width="50%"> <table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK4" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c96e00;" ><b>SIgn Up for the Message Board</b></span></td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#fbee69;" > <div>Ask questions, post pictures, talk gardening! Please join by clicking below</div> <div><em>(no gmail accounts please they are automatically banned) <div> </div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fregister.php&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">REGISTER </a></div> <div> </div> <div>Follow me on Twitter!</div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FPattiMoreno&id=preview" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/PattiMoreno</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Garden Girl TV on Youtube<br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FGardenGirltv&id=preview" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/user/GardenGirltv</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Website</div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.gardengirltv.com</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Ezine Archives</div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustainableliving.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.urbansustainableliving.com</a></div></em></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="color:#ffffff;">Dear Patricia,</span></b> </span></span> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"> </span></div><br /><div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.818" alt="Patti in the Garden" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/818.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="381" width="252" /></span></a><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">This month we have on camera Garden hosts William Moss and Justin Cave contributing inspiring advice! I met both of them at this year's Independent Garden Center show and begged them to contribute.to the ezine. Read their articles below. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><span style="color:#ffffff;">We have the return of Annie, The Dirt Diva from her book writing sabatical. I can not wait to read her new books! </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><span style="color:#ffffff;">Lots of great new video for your enjoyment and don't forget to scroll down to the bottom and see a little micro website my daughter and I made! Let's hear it for Garden Kid TV. Show it to your tweeners! Hopefully they will be insipred to garden too. <div> </div> <div>Check out my Article at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2Fprofile%2FTheGardenGirl&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Vegetable Gardener on Composting</a>! </div></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">I am traveling what feels like non stop for the next two months so check out my schedule and come and visit if I am in your neck of the woods. <div> </div> <div>Volunteers Needed! </div>If there is anyone around this Monday or Tuesday Sept 21st & 22nd from 9am-5pm and can volunteer here at the farm, send me an <a href="mailto:info@gardengirltv.com" target="_blank">email</a> please! We'll be doing a variety of fall gardening tasks including harvesting, so you'll be able to go home with some fresh food from my farm, a dvd, and a nice medium impact workout. A light lunch will be provided! Come join me if you can.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">From the Sustainable Home Front!</span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">Patti the Garden Girl <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.834" alt="William Weems" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/834.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />I am dedicating this issue to my Husbands friend William Weems a 9/11/2001 victim. We miss you Bill! Please Donate blood to your local red cross.</div><br /></span> </div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK6"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" tabindex="0" bg width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td><span style="color:#ffff66;"><span style="font-size:6;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sierraconsultingus.com%2Fabout-sierra-consulting%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.816" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/816.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="350" width="262" /></a>'Organic' weeding<br /></span>Getting rid of weeds the natural way!<br />By Justin Cave </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;">There's no doubt about it, organic is the way to go! Maybe you have heard terms such as "organic," "eco-friendly" or "earth conscious." So what does it mean to you, and where can you start? This summer, try an "organic" approach to weed control. Organic weed control is the process of ridding your garden of weeds with out the use of harsh chemicals. Weeds are simply plants that are considered undesirable, growing in places you don't want them to! Weeding doesn't always require hard, physical labor. There are lots of easy ways get rid of those pesky weeds in your garden. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;">To properly win the battle against weeds, it helps know who your foe is. Identifying weeds is one of the first steps you can take to protect all your hard work in the yard. Some types are incredibly invasive and fast-growing, and others can cause problems for humans if they get too close. Most of us have had the unfortunate encounter with the infamous poison ivy, oak or sumac. However, most common weeds are just a plain, old nuisance. These don't cause skin reactions or breathing difficulties, they just don't look good! </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;">It is just a fact of life that weeds exist in all gardens. Spread in a variety of ways by wind, water and animals, you can even introduce more weeds by the soil amendments that you use to help your garden grow. Greg Hamby of Seed N' Harvest, an Atlanta and Forsyth based company, says that there are a few important steps to take in an organic garden. "Prevention is one of the best tactics in battling weeds. That is why it is important to provide the best condition possible for the growth of desirable plants," he says. Issues like improper watering, insect damage and disease, and soil compaction are all allies to the development of weeds. Once you have begun to create a more nurturing environment in your yard, another step you can take is to remove all offending weeds by hand. Yes, the old-fashioned way. This way, you can eliminate the weed, roots and any seeds to ensure that they won't be back any time soon. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.373" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/373.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="200" width="400" />An organic garden and lawn requires healthy soil. It helps if beneficial organisms such as worms and other good bugs are alive in your garden. It is a fact that composting pays dividends. Remember, not all dirt is created equal. Specializing in organic vegetable gardening, Hamby urges, "Using good organic soil is essential to a healthy garden. Vegetables will grow and taste better, and you can have confidence in what you are eating." </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.811" alt="Beans" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/811.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="375" width="249" />Having your own compost bin is a great way to recycle and create rich soil amendments for your garden, not to mention prolonging the life of your local landfill. Organic waste that is commonly composted includes shredded brush, leaves, grass clippings and garden debris. Kitchen items such as coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable waste and even fireplace ashes work great. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;">The use of barriers in the garden is another popular weed deterrent. Lay down a plastic liner to help block weeds. An organic alternative to plastic is ordinary newspaper. This is a great way to reuse the excess paper that you have lying around. Use a layer about 1/4-inch thick, and lay the paper in the desired areas; then wet it down so it doesn't blow away. Since paper is organic, it can be turned into the soil next spring. Once it is in place, cover the newspaper with a layer of straw or organic mulch to give your garden a well-groomed, weed-free look. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.721" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/721.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="421" width="280" />Another effective tactic against weeds is mulching. Mulching is actually one of the most beneficial things you can do to prevent weeds, conserve water and encourage a healthy garden. A two- to four-inch layer of mulch will reduce the germination and growth of weeds-not to mention it will maintain soil moisture, which can minimize watering needs for plants in mulched beds. For this reason, mulch acts as Mother Nature's blanket. It keeps soils cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, protecting your plants year-round. Organic mulches include pine straw, hardwood and softwood bark, compost mixes, leaves and wood chips. As these mulches break down and decompose, they improve soil quality and fertility, so any landscape professional or arborist will tell you that this is a plus.<br />Weeds are sometimes just as noticeable in the lawn as they are in the veggie garden. Organic fertilizers and proper lawn care practices can subdue weeds in your turf. Hamby reiterates to "be careful with products that claim t</span><span style="color:#ffff66;">o be organic. Some products may be 15 percent organic and 85 percent synthetic." <div> </div><br />Products like corn husk and corn meal are good organic fertilizers. They don't work quite as fast as chemical fertilizers, but your lawn will thank you for it. The fact is that healthy turf grass won't give much room for weeds to grow. Seasonal aerations and mowing to the proper height-2 to 3 inches-will help your lawn. Cutting more than one-third of the total height can cause unnecessary stress. Besides, taller grass will choke out weeds. <div> </div><br />Whether you are planting a vegetable garden or tending to your lawn, the weeds have got to go! It is true that you will never be able to get rid of all weeds in your landscape. A healthy garden promotes biodiversity, and weeds are part of the cycle. And just like the change in the season, you can bet that the weeds will be back next spring. So do your part and be responsible by taking an organic approach. Combine organic ideologies with proper maintenance and you are on your way! </span> <div><span style="color:#ffff66;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff66;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sierraconsultingus.com%2Fabout-sierra-consulting%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Justin Cave of Atlanta is host of HGTV's "Ground Breakers" and principal of Sierra Consulting.</a><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:6;">Garden Girl TV Video Links<br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;">New Release</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Square Foot Gardening: <div>September Tips </div></span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeKMkuz5ibUk&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.810" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/810.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="272" width="400" /></a><br /></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial Narrow, Arial MT Condensed Light, sans-serif;">Saving the harvest! <br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">URL:<br /></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeKMkuz5ibUk&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKMkuz5ibUk</span></a></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><div> </div>Featured Video <div>A Trip to the Farm! </div></span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeuktaTpkcIg&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.821" alt="Garden Girl " src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/821.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="275" width="400" /></a><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoMCstzjx5rU&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"> </a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />URL: <br /></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeuktaTpkcIg&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euktaTpkcIg</span></a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /> <span style="font-size:130%;">A COMPOST RETAINING WALL</span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-YL2lHzWm7M&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.823" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/823.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="264" width="400" /></a> </span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">URL: </span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-YL2lHzWm7M&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YL2lHzWm7M</a> <div> </div></span> <br /></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Vegetable Gardening <div> Patti and Ale harvest from the Three Sisters Garden</div></span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJoENDCxWAd8&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.826" alt="Three Sisters" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/826.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="278" width="400" /></a></span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">URL: </span></span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJoENDCxWAd8&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoENDCxWAd8</a></span></span></p> <div align="center"> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">DRIP IRRIGATION</a></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"> </a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.814" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/814.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="278" width="400" /> </a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"> </a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">URL:</span></a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><br /></a><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScAfQKisLo</a></span><br /> </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;"> </span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;"><br /><strong><em><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:6;"> <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Visit WWW.OLIVEBARN.COM</a></span></em></strong></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;color:#b4d198;" align="left"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwemoss.org%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.828" alt="William Moss" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/828.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="224" width="299" /></a><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwemoss.org%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Moss In The City</a></span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Original Urban Gardener: Carl Walton<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Urban gardening and sustainability are hot and trendy within certain circles now. But we are well behind the curve. Some have been both urban and sustainable for decades. On the west side of Chicago lives one such pioneer. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Mr. Carl Walton planted his garden in 1970, soon after arriving from Mississippi. It is not expansive, but an average city lot of about half an acre including the house. For Mr. Walton being green or sustainable is just common sense. Sustainable gardening, which limits your inputs and outputs, is both productive and cost effective. His methods include:</span></span> <div><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div> <ul><li><br /><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">Collecting rainwater from gutters in trashcans. Once homemade cisterns are full, he redirects the gutters to water grape vines and peach trees.</span> </span></li><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;"><br />Composting with grass clippings, plant debris, food scraps, fish guts, etc.<br />Building and enriching the soil by tilling in leaves, hulls, and other plant waste in autumn</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;"><br />Using natural IPM methods, like a cat to protect the grapes and black pepper to deter rabbits.</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;"><br />Collecting, saving, and planting his seeds, even peaches and apples.</span></li></span></ul> <div><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="font-family:Garamond, Times New Roman, Times, serif;font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.827" alt="Walton Grandkids" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/827.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />Mr. Walton will be 90 years old on October 8th. You would never guess it. His warm face, encyclopedic memory, firm handshake, and fashionable leather sandals are more typical of a man decades younger. Gardening keeps him young. He states, "It's my daily exercise. That's why I am still here. Most people my age are gone, either dead or in a nursing home." He also credits daily doses of a homemade concoction of pokeweed, mint, sage, garlic, and honey for keeping him vigorous. I'll have to trust him on that one.</span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">From the street the modest front yard with arborvitaes, sunflowers, and impatiens conceals a productive urban farm. The speckled butter beans were seven feet high. Even though Mr. Walton had just harvested them all, the vines were still strong and green. As they fade, he will pull the beans down, till them into the soil, and sow more collards for autumn harvest. He keeps his garden at peak production throughout the season.<br />Extra produce is given to the community. A stack of giveaway bags and rubber bands are a testament to his garden's bounty. My wife and I were not allowed to leave without taking a couple bags of food. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.829" alt="Walton Pear" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/829.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />The number of fruits and vegetables in his small lot is expansive and surprising. There are several varieties of tomatoes, beans, celery, eggplant, cucumber, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, onions, garlic, pokeweed, sage, mint, pear tree, peach trees, apple trees, grape vines, strawberries, a walnut sapling, and a thin-shelled pecan sapling.<br />The yard is packed. There is just enough room to maneuver through the rows of beans, tomatoes, pokeweed, and cucumbers. You have to squeeze under the grape vines to get to the rear section of the garden. There, mustard and turnip seedlings are emerging near an apple tree. The only down time is middle of winter and even then he can harvest onions.<br />But he is not just limited to produce. He has a love for flowers. And it was obvious from the bursts of color throughout the garden and front yard. A magnolia tree, canna, hardy hibiscus, cosmos, sedum, rose bushes, tiger lilies, ferns, datura, hollyhock, violas, and bleeding heart were some of the ornamentals I noticed. He says I have to return in spring to admire all the early bloomers.</span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.830" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/830.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />But make no mistakes, this is a garden is about producing food. Mr. Walton is nearly self-sufficient. He buys meat, sugar, cooking oil, and a few other necessities; but his garden supplies all his produce. He freezes and stores the summer's excess for the long Chicago winters. His garden also indirectly helps him get animal protein. Like most old-school gardeners, Mr. Walton seems to be a jack-of-all-trades, and that includes fishing and inventing. His homemade electric probe is used to shock worms from the wet ground. He takes those worms to Lake Michigan and other local fishing holes in search of bluegill, crappie, and catfish. I learned of another skill, when he showed me his grape harvest.</span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">In a barrel near the pear tree most of the harvest was fermenting into wine. Truly, a man after my own heart! I could only smile at this Chicagoan making Concord grape wine (on top of everything else) from his little urban plot. The only wine-making secrets he revealed were yeast, sugar, and a wooden masher. But later he slyly took me inside and gave me a bottle of last year's brew, when my wife was not looking. I tried it when I got home and it was good. A little too sweet for me, so I cut it with equal parts chardonnay and sat on my rooftop contemplating this man's accomplishments.</span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.812" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/812.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="395" width="262" />Mr. Walton makes me reluctant to call myself an expert. He has practicing sustainable gardening longer than my mother has been alive. Before I was born, he was already an accomplished urban gardener on the west side of Chicago. In these odd times, what's old is new again. Resource conserving methods that date back to 19th century Mississippi are in vogue. I feel honored to have been welcomed into his garden, and hope to eventually follow in his footsteps. </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Mr. Walton is a living testament to the benefits of urban gardening. Actual proof that urbanites can live sustainably. But he would not call it sustainability, permaculture, environmentalism, or any other trendy name. It is simply the best way to garden. Saving seeds, collecting rainwater, composting, crop rotation with legumes, and enriching the soil are all examples of top-notch horticulture and they save money. Meeting him has made me re-evaluate my gardening practices. <div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.813" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/813.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />If a 90 year old man with a quarter acre of growing space can feed himself and his wife, then what am I doing? As food prices continue to increase along with the demand for fresh, local, nutritious produce, Mr. Walton's lifestyle will become more valued and hopefully emulated. He proves that even urbanites can sustain themselves with a little land and a lot of effort.<br />But when you watch Mr. Walton it doesn't look like work. He is having fun in his garden and he is proud of it. And that's the key. Sustainability is not a task to check off on your list, it's a lifestyle to live and celebrate. So here's to you, Mr. Walton, cheers.<br /><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:6;color:#000000;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">VISIT OUR MESSAGEBOARD</a></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK11"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.835" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/835.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="212" width="320" /><span style="font-size:6;">Petaluma Bounty: Send me the Food Posse!</span> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dirtdiva.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Dirt diva </a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >September 2009 </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />It's always mystified me that people who can afford health insurance and can shop at Whole Foods have access to safe and healthy food, while the ones who can't afford a doctor's visit are left to buy cheap processed food, lacking any nutritional value, and increasing their chances of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and a plethora of other debilitating diseases. What dimwit created this unjust food system? That guy is SO FIRED! </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.836" alt="Flowers" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/836.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="320" width="212" />Then one rainy day, Lisa Ludwigsen, resource development coordinator of 'Petaluma Bounty' took me on a private tour of a new organic farm/community garden Petaluma, California. Petaluma Bounty is a nonprofit organization working to address hunger and improve local food options. Not only do they grow fresh food on their two-acre farm in downtown Petaluma, but they also redistribute surplus food and provide affordable fresh, organic food to low income families, schools and seniors. "Our mission is to provide a healthier food system in Petaluma," says Grayson James, executive director of the organization. A growing number of seniors in Petaluma live on fixed incomes and are unable to afford healthy, fresh food, while almost 1 in 3 children in Petaluma City Schools live in families that cannot afford to put healthy food on the table on a daily basis. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div></div> <p><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span></span></p> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.837" alt="Petuluma County" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/837.jpg?a=1102716780644" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="212" width="320" />The farm received the initial seed funding from the Hub of Petaluma Foundation. Elim Lutheran Church is the fiscal sponsor. "I gave a presentation at the church a few years ago," says James. "After the meeting, the daughter of Mr. Stonitsch, a longtime Petaluma resident, graciously convinced her dad to let us use his property on Shasta Road to grow this community farm." Gottfried Stonitsch is generously leasing the land where he raised his family, to Bounty Farm for five years. Along with support from Clover Stornetta Farms, North Bay Construction, Whole Foods, Green Waster Recovery, Exchange Bank and Kaiser Permanente the vision soon became a reality. "We envisioned this as the visual focal point for a healthy Petaluma food system. People can come here and experience food growing in the ground, look at it, taste it, get their hands dirty and learn. This is an educational forum," says James. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />"The property was once a thriving lumber yard. I can't thank the volunteers enough," says farm manager Amy Rice-Jones. "They've done the cleaning and preparing of the land, and recently 25 brave, strong volunteers built a large greenhouse on the property in practically one day. The community support has just been incredible."<br />Fields of cover crops of vetch, fava beans, peas and oats are all thriving happily on the day I visit. In the spring they'll be chopped down and worked into the soil as a nutritious fertilizer and amendment before the flower and vegetable seedlings growing in the new greenhouse, are planted in the ground. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />"During the summer months, I bring Mr. Stonitsch a flower bouquet every week. He lives here on the property. Periodically he'll come around. He's a big fan of the flower garden," says Jones. "Numerous restaurants in Petaluma cook with our crops; CafÈ Zazzle, Dempsey's, The Tea Room CafÈ and Central Market are a few. Our produce and flowers are also available at the local Farmer's Market. In the growing season, we have a flower subscription business where local businesses can sign up to purchase a fresh weekly bouquet of locally grown, organic flowers." </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />"Amy showed up here and just plugged into this and started growing flowers. This program is bringing so many people together, thanks to her," says Ludwigsen. "The volunteers are instrumental. Every bit of Petaluma Bounty is volunteers. We have kids from age 3 to age 80 coming here to help out!" </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.838" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/838.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="360" width="480" /> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />Besides the 2-acre farm, Petaluma Bounty has 3 other remarkable programs: </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />1. Bounty Hunters collect surplus fruits and vegetables from the local community. All those peaches you left sitting on the ground inviting pests and fungus, because you're busy tweeting on Twitter, can now be doing what they're supposed to being doing, feeding people. There's even a 'food posse' who will be sent to pick up food at your home if you're unable to drop it off at one of the Bounty Hunter's collection sites. These brave bounty hunters have collected 90,00 pounds of surplus food since August 2006! </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />2. The Bounty Box Food Club delivers a weekly box of healthy, fresh produce to low-income households at wholesale prices (subsidized by retail Bounty Box sales and corporate sponsorships). </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />3. Petaluma Bounty has also created community gardens at McDowell Elementary School and McKinley Elementary school and a third garden is located close to Petaluma's historic downtown. Many families who live in apartments now have a place to grow their own food. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />"Our mission is to make healthy food available to everyone in Petaluma. To change a food system, it can't be done with just one program. You have to take a broader view. We're connecting with others locally to see how we can all team together so we can really start to shift an entire system," says Grayson James. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />To volunteer time or equipment or to make financial donations, contact Amy or Grayson at www.petalumabounty.org or call 707-775-3663.<br />Visit annie@dirtdiva.com<br /><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;"><span style="color:#000000;">VISIT THE NEW MICRO SITE GARDEN KID TV!</span></span></p> <div> <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardenkidtv.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.839" alt="Apple" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/839.jpg?a=1102716780644" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="315" width="584" /></a></div> <p align="center"> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK13"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK13" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;color:#b4d198;" align="left"> <div><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-size:180%;"> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;">MEET PATTI MORENO <div> </div></span></div></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong>SEPTEMBER</strong><br /></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-size:100%;"><em> <div> </div></em></span></div> <div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Boston, MA-September 23rd</em><br />Garden Girl Farm<br />Tour my farm as part of the Natural Products Expo East Trade Show at the Boston Convention Center. </span></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expoeast.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">www.expoeast.com</span></a><br /></div> <div><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">Nashville, TN--September 27th--Time TBD<br />Green Power Day--More info to come </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthmattersnetworks.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">www.EarthMattersNetWorks.com</span></a></div> <div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:130%;">OCTOBER</span><br /></span></span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>St. Louis, MO--October 11th--1pm<br /></em>Saint Louis Science Center<br />SCI FEST '09--I'll be there on October 10th & speaking on Sun Oct 11th. </span></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slsc.org%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">www.slsc.org</span></a></div> <div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Houston, TX--October 18th--Time TBD</em><br />Olive Barn--Stop by for a great time in Houston! </span></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">www.olivebarn.com</span></a><br /></div> <div><span style="font-size:100%;"> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>DECEMBER<br /></strong></span>Boston, MA--December 16th Time TBD<br />Boston Architectural College--Urban Sustainable Living Lecture </span></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-bac.edu%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffffff;">www.the-bac.edu/</span></a></div> <div><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">To book Patti Moreno for an event contact the Lavin Agency at </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelavinagency.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">www.thelavinagency.com</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK22" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >Please support my efforts of providing you with free content by purchasing my dvd and other products at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=edqvq4cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.OliveBarn.com</a>. Thank You</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="10" valign="top" width="100%"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-15657192530511498262009-09-15T16:37:00.000-04:002009-09-15T16:38:13.974-04:00July 2009 Urban Sustainable Liniving Magazine<table style="background-color: rgb(62, 104, 61);" bgcolor="#3e683d" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody> <tr> <td style="background-color: rgb(62, 104, 61);" class="TemplatePad" align="left" bgcolor="#3e683d" valign="top" width="100%"><table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left"> <p align="center"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustainableliving.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.763" alt="Joe Gardener USL August 2009" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/763.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 24pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 24pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:6;color:#fbee69;" ><i>AUGUST 2009</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table style="width: 600px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41);" align="left" bg valign="top" width="50%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c96e00;" ><b>IN THIS ISSUE</b> </span></td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK9" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Turning Junk Mail into Gardener's Gold</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK15" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >New and Featured Video from the Web</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK11" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >The Best little Horehound in Texas</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK13" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >The Remarkable and Necessary Honey Bee</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK16" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Making A Difference In The Life of a Child With a Garden</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK18" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Meet Patti Moreno</span></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td align="middle"><a style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;" href="#LETTER.BLOCK19" shape="rect"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(194, 197, 91); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c2c55b;" >Container Gardening Inspiration</span></a> </td></tr></tbody></table></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41);" align="left" bg valign="top" width="50%"> <table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(201, 110, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#c96e00;" ><b>SIgn Up for the Message Board</b></span></td></tr> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 10pt;" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#fbee69;" > <div>Ask questions, post pictures, talk gardening! Please join by clicking below</div> <div><em>(no gmail accounts please they are automatically banned) <div> </div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fregister.php&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">REGISTER </a></div> <div> </div> <div>Follow me on Twitter!</div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FPattiMoreno&id=preview" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/PattiMoreno</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Garden Girl TV on Youtube<br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FGardenGirltv&id=preview" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/user/GardenGirltv</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Website</div> <div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.gardengirltv.com</a></div></em></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><b>Dear Patricia,</b><br /><br /><div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.799" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/799.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="157" width="280" />I hope all of you have had a wonderful summer so far. This August, I've been harvesting and eating from the garden. After years of doing it, I'm still thrilled when my meals are entirely from my garden. </div> <div> </div> <div>I had a wonderful event here last Thursday. My friend and neighbor Chef Nadine made a fabulous meal for around 50 guests. It was called Under the Roxbury Sun. Thanks to everyone that came. Chef Nadine out did herself and thank god there were leftovers. Special thanks to Philip for the fantasic wine selection, Alex the sous chef and for my husband Rob on the drum grill. There will be one more harvest event this Fall, October 3rd. <strong>Mark it on your calendar!</strong> More information to come.</div> <div> </div> <div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.792" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/792.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="157" width="280" />August also brought me back to Chicago for the Independent Garden Center Show. I loved seeing the Mahoney Family that run Mahoney's Garden Center. Their garden centers have such a wide variety of fantastic plants. They are the go to place for me when I need something special. I also saw Jon Pinkus, Leslie, and Niki from North Haven Gardens in Dallas Texas. Their garden center is a resource for gardeners who want to do things organically and with little impact on the environment. The staff is like a family and they are incredibally knowledgeable. I also bumped into Maggie from Thayer Nurseries. A great resource in our community with an eye on design. I can always find things to complete my garden.</div> <div> </div> <div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.798" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/798.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="112" width="200" />I also met some people who have inspired me and taught me alot about gardening along the way. Of course Mel Bartholomew was there. We recently made some new videos together that I can't wait to show you. I'll give you a little hint on what we did...Mel planted a garden with me! I also met Rebecca from Rebecca's Garden in the flesh William Moss of Rally Round the House, as well as Justin Cave from Ground Breakers, Shirley Bovshow from Garden Police and last but not least, Shawna Coronado, the Casual Gardener and Joe Gardener from Garden Smart (This month's cover guy). Of course I have video which I will release in an up coming email blast.</div> <div> </div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.797" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/797.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="90" width="160" /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.793" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/793.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="90" width="160" /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.796" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/796.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="90" width="160" /></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Joe Gardener: The Twenty-Five Dollar Victory Garden Episode #1</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAy2TUQzxvqk&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.764" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/764.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="150" width="225" /></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >This is the first video where I reveal what I've done so far. Just got my video camera, so come along for the ride as I document my efforts to feed my family of four, all summer, from my home vegetable garden on a total budget of twenty-five dollars! Can I do it? Just watch these videos to find out!</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAy2TUQzxvqk&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2TUQzxvqk</a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"> <div> </div>The Casual Gardener: Plant a Green Container Garden</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAy2TUQzxvqk&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.767" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/767.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="146" width="225" /></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >Shawna Coronado from <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardeningnude.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">www.gardeningnude.com </a>shows you how to plant a green and conservation centered flowerpot</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dea_IUaivwcw&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_IUaivwcw</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div>Package Bee video from Fred Dunn</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >Package bees, are honey bees purchased by the pound. These bees come from Georgia and the queen is an Italian. I had a complete loss of my honey bees when it suddenly <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.774" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/774.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="154" width="225" />warmed up in PA during winter months. One February day, temps went to the 60's and workers flew out... the temperature suddenly dropped, preventing their return. The bees remaining in the hive were not able to maintain adequate heat and could not reach the stored honey. These package bees are replacements for those lost bees. Backyard honey bee yards have declined 12% in the last 10 years. My studies involve the use of "survivor" colonies, bees that make it without the use of chemical treatments. By continuing with stock from survivor colonies, we will, in theory, end up with naturally resistent honey bees. If you're interested in reading about our environment as impacted by synthetic chemical treatments, I recommend a book published back in 1959 titled Silent Spring. She could have written that very book today, regarding the honey bee. </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DF33-fbeammU&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F33-fbeammU</a></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"> <p align="center"><span style="color:#b4d198;"><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:180%;">Reader Pics</span> </span></p> <div align="center"><span style="color:#b4d198;"> </span></div> <div align="center"><span style="color:#b4d198;">Here are a few from my garden. From: Shelby in Denver, CO<br /></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="color:#b4d198;">Happy harvesting, Patti! Love watching all of it grow~</span></div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.775" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/775.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="281" width="375" /></div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.776" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/776.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="281" width="375" /></div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.777" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/777.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="281" width="375" /></div> <div align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.778" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/778.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="281" width="375" /> </div> <div><br /></div> <div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span> </span><div style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:6;">Turning Junk Mail into Gardener's Gold</span> </span></i></b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"> by Joe Gardener <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fjoegardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">http://joegardener.com/</a></span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />My home office shredder gets used a lot! I shred everything and derive great pleasure from doing so. If you think that sounds a little odd, just know that my kids argue over who gets to shred the next stack. </span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.786" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/786.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="336" width="225" />The point is so much that makes its way into our homes in the form of paper is fair game for the shredder. As long as there is junk mail, schoolwork, bills or anything else printed, there will always be and endless source of compostable material from inside the house. And while we're having some good clean family fun reducing unwanted paper to confetti, I am creating a wonderful carbon-rich addition for the compost pile and ultimately the best soil amendment in the world! </span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />With the help of a good shredder, you can make great composting ingredients quickly and easily and finally put those papers in their proper place! Shredders are readily available today from many sources; drug stores, office supply stores and the big warehouse clubs all sell them. I use a high quality, home office version that I purchased for about $150. It can take about 15 sheets at a time, cuts paper into confetti and handles a large volume, all without removing a single staple or paperclip. It can even cut through CDs, DVDs and credit cards. However, knowing that everything I shred is destined for the compost pile, I don't include these. </span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and so it is with shredders too. I've had the small and inexpensive trash can size in the past but to me, they're more trouble than they're worth. The small cans fill up too quickly for all the trash I have. On my current model, I even enjoy hauling out the container of confetti paper to dump into the compost pile. It's quite attractive actually. In short order, all the different colors from the confetti are soon reduced to the same unrecognizable common denominator of finished compost. </span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Even if someday we do actually become a 'paperless' society, I can't imagine junk mail ever going away. And as long as there is junk mail, there will an endless source of compostable material from inside the house...meaning there will always be an endless source! Besides the true pleasure I get in reducing these offensive mailings to confetti, I must say, I am amazed at how quickly that volume of paper adds up, not to mention that for much of my life, I was contributing so much unnecessary waste to the landfill. </span></i></b></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(251, 238, 105); font-size: 14pt;font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#fbee69;" ><b><i><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Now, with the affordability of quality shredders for the home, I encourage you to get one and start using it right away, especially since there's not much else going on the compost pile this time of year. Although the extra compost you'll make is the direct benefit, keeping all that paper out of the landfill is a simple and significant way to do something good for our planet too.</span></i></b></span></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK15"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK15" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:6;">Garden Girl TV Video Links<br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;">New Release</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Square Foot Gardening: How to Install Drip Irrigation <div> </div></span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.802" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/802.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="272" width="375" /><br /></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >The key to my success in the vegetable garden this year has been my new drip irrigation system. In this video I install one in my raised beds. Please watch the video and rate and comment. Then go to dripworks.com and start planning your water saving drip irrigation system.<br /> <br />URL: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeScAfQKisLo&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScAfQKisLo</a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Featured Video</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Container Gardening: Bare Root Cherry Tree </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoMCstzjx5rU&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"> <div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.765" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/765.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="273" width="375" /></a> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />URL: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoMCstzjx5rU&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMCstzjx5rU</a></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /> <span style="font-size:130%;">Container Gardening: Drainage Holes </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKDB07Ptj70o&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.766" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/766.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="271" width="375" /></a> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />URL: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKDB07Ptj70o&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDB07Ptj70o</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">This month's videos: <div><br /></div></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Square Foot Gardening Tips: August <div> </div></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.800" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/800.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="258" width="375" /></span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />URL: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dldg2RZz-YfY&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldg2RZz-YfY</a> </span></p> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grubbin' in the Garden: The Edible Landscape </span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.801" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/801.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="226" width="330" /></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >URL: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPdv-wpG75FU&id=preview" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdv-wpG75FU</a></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;"> <div><span style="font-family:Arial Black, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><em>READER PICS </em></span></div><em> <div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.773" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/773.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="200" width="267" />Hi Patti,<br />We as a family, watch your you-tube videos and enjoy them tremendously, we took to heart some of the techniques you have shown and I thought I would share some of the results in progress! In this photo you'll see two raised bed gardens. each has a small variety of squash, one houses some potatoes and the other some tomatoes. I have these beds set up all over the garden with trellis like supports located in the center of each bed, running the length. I can access the center of each bed from each of the long sides, and the trellis as well. <div><br />Keep up the great work, and happy gardening!<br />Melissa and Family<br /><br /></div></em></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK11"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:6;">The Best little Horehound in Texas.... by Dana Wright</span><br /><em>Marrubium vulgare Lamiaceae</em></span> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.783" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/783.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="128" width="150" />Many will probably remember the days of a most popular candy. Old fashioned horehound candy and with autumn fast upon us, it is also time to start thinking about the dreaded coughs and colds that inevitably come with the colder time of the year. Sipping on warm herbal infusions does a lot for the symptoms, if not the soul, when one is in the deepest cavity of misery but there is more that can be done by the frugal self sustaining home gardener. Horehound has been used since early Egyptian times for bronchial afflictions and coughs and even today is popular in over-the-counter cough medicines. A single cup of horehound tea can have profound impacts on accumulated mucus in the respiratory passages, reducing phlegm and easing the gloom of illness. Use for bronchitis, flu, colds, and sinus infections. Have a sweetener on hand, horehound has a bitter taste! <div><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.784" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/784.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="225" width="300" />Not only is it useful for coughs but it is also an attractive plant with densely clustered small, white, pleasantly fragrant flowers that bloom during the summer and downy grayish foliage which is the part harvested. It has been used as a grasshopper repellant with some success for as long as it has been used as a cold remedy. Another benefit is that it is a good companion to tomatoes and peppers attracting beneficial wasps and flies to the garden. </div></span> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <div> </div>Sow seeds about 1/8 of an inch deep, either in containers or in ground, in spring after all danger of frost as past in full sun, soil temps should be holding at around 50 <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.782" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/782.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />degrees. The seeds need warm weather to germinate. It is hardy to zone 4 and it is not terribly picky about soil as long as it is not too heavy or too wet. It does well in dry rocky areas, needing only 12 inches of water per year to survive. If you have a place in your garden where nothing else will grow, horehound can probably make it and thrive. It will reach about 2 to 3 feet as a full grown plant so one plant will be enough for a family to use. Horehound will bloom in the second year, once you see the flowers, cut them before they have a chance to dry and go to seed to keep the population of this herb in check as it is member of the mint family so it does have a tendency to seed readily and it will take over if you're not watching! </span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.781" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/781.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="93" width="86" />With all herbs, it is important to be safe. Horehound can adversely affect someone with heart conditions, low blood pressure, or anyone taking any type of insulin because horehound can lower blood sugar levels. Never take horehound while pregnant or nursing. <div><br /></div></span> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.780" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/780.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />Horehound Drops</span><br />published on alt.folklore.herbs 1995<br />4 ounces of fresh horehound leaves<br />1/2 tsp crushed aniseed,<br />3 crushed cardamon seed<br />2 1/2 c of water, simmer this for 20 minutes then strain<br />Dissolve 2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 c of brown sugar in the tea liquid. Boil until reaches hard crack stage pour into oiled try. Score when partially cooled. These can be wrapped in wax paper and then dropped in a zip lock. They will store for a long time but mine have never lasted long enough for me to test the length of time they will keep. This is a pretty easy thing to do especially if you've ever made your own candy before. It takes a little time but the effort is worth it.<br />Horehound Cough Syrup<br />from: Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Herbs<br />1 ounce fresh horehound<br />1 pint boiling water<br /><br />Add herb to boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Strain well, you don't want particles left in the liquid. Measure the remaining liquid and then add to that twice the amount of honey. Mix well and bottle. To soothe cough, take 1 teaspoon 4 times a day. </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Falotgreener.blogspot.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">http://alotgreener.blogspot.com/</a></span></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41); margin-bottom: 7px;" bgcolor="#243f29" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK13"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#ffffff;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK13" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;">The Remarkable and Necessary Honey Bee by Frederick J. Dunn <br /></span> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"><strong>Consider owning and managing your own Apiary<br />Rearing your own colony of bees a.k.a. Apis Mellifera Domestic Honey Bee<br /></strong></span> </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.785" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/785.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="155" width="368" />About four years ago... I became keenly aware, that my property in northwestern Pennsylvania was absolutely void of honey bees. Dandelions as far as the eye could see in the spring sunshine, and not a single buzzing honey bee! I soon became familiar with the term CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder... </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;">At that very moment I resolved to bring in my own bees and manage them... what better way to learn about their order? I sought out experts via the Department of Agriculture and soon was on my first field trip, camera in hand, with the Bee Inspector.</span> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;">I quickly located and procured my bee keeping supplies... a complete beginner bee keeping setup. There are several sources for equipment, but I honed my search down to a company called Betterbee, Inc. On the advice of the bee inspector, I decided to start several hives/colonies so I would be able to make comparisons as to their general health and progress. A complete 10 frame starter kit $259.95 plus shipping, completely assembled, but un-painted. I was so excited! Bee helmet, veil, gloves, smoker, pierco frames... telescoping cover, screen base with landing platform. And of course I special ordered my white bee keeper jumper with a special zipper around the neck to accommodate the veil. I was so excited when our UPS driver delivered the kit and hives. </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;">I located my hive bodies on a southern exposure, out of strong wind and in a spot that would receive shade in summer and sun in winter... you may see a video of my hive set up at: <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DF33-fbeammU&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F33-fbeammU</a> in this video short, I show the hives and how to install package bees which may be purchased via the U.S. Mail.<br />Once you are properly set up, equipment wise, you'll have to procure honey bees. I recommend joining a bee keeper association, I belong to the NW PA Bee Keeper's Association. This way you will become aware of issues with honey bees in your area and which type of domesticated honey bee will be most hearty in your climate. Expect to shell out $85.00 for 3 pounds of honey bees and a queen. This is enough to get a single colony going. You may purchase package bees... honey bees sold by the pound and shipped with a mated queen of your choice. Or, you may purchase nucs, (nucleus bees), which are honey bees purchased with their drawn comb and brood, this is the quickest start for a colony. Nucs are generally picked up and not shipped through the mail.</span> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.779" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/779.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="190" width="320" />If you have a worker colony and want a specific type of queen bee, you may order her separately via overnight mail. I have purchased queens via overnight mail before and they came in a Fedex envelope.. the delivery guy couldn't believe what he had been carrying. I was happy to introduce him to the queens as I had to open the package to verify live delivery. Worker bees are also inside the queen cage, as they must attend the queen during her transit. Always something new at Fred's Fine Fowl.. he gets a laugh out of me.</span> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;color:#000000;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="color:#000000;">Next month, I'll write about honey and how I go about collecting it from the hives.<br />Here are some other sources for honey bees and supplies:<br />www.dadant.com www.beeweaver.com www.beesource.com I recommend that you look for survivor colonies... those which make it without medications and synthetic disease controls.<br /><div> </div>Until next time,<br />Fred<br /><div> </div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fredsfinefowl.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">www.FredsFineFowl.com </a><br /></span><br /></span></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#243f29;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color:#b4d198;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.768" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/768.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="112" width="150" />Hi, I thought I would send photos of the raised garden I did this year. Although I live on 5 acres, I love having this right outside my kitchen door. I was very much inspired by your videos and e-zine. I planted 7 tomato plants, 6 cucumber plants, 3 zucchini, 1 Roma Grape tomato and 6 bell pepper plants. Mary <div align="center"> <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.769" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/769.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="112" width="150" /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.771" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/771.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="112" width="150" /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.772" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/772.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="112" width="150" /></div></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK16"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-family:Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Making A Difference In The Life of a Child With a Garden <div> by Shawna Lee Coronado</div></span></span></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.803" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/803.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="134" width="179" /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.803" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/803.jpg?a=1102678772951" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="33734.4" width="44979.2" />Indeed, this type of energy is the type of energy we want our children to have instead of caffeine- or sugar-generated. It is longer lasting, healthier, and stimulates lasting memories. Bottom line; gardening and being outdoors in nature is fun and makes kids and adults alike feel happy. Testimony to this claim is the sunflower garden adventure my youngest daughter and I had together. One afternoon I dumped a handful of sunflower seeds in my hand and said, "Will you look at that!"<br />"What?" said my youngest, leaning low to my hand so she could get a close-up view of the seeds.<br />"That!" I smile, "This is a sunflower!"<br />"MOMMMMM, it is not, it's too little!" she answered incredulously.<br />"It will be in a few months," I said. "Let's go outside and plant them." We got our old shoes on, grabbed a shovel, some popsicle sticks, and a watering can and headed out behind the fence.<br />Grinning, my girl and I set about digging up the ground. We laughed with each other and she asked a lot of questions about how little seeds can grow. Of course, half way through she found a few worms and I lost my digging mate, but she gained much from that experience as she sat and played on the sidewalk with the worms while I finished digging.<br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.805" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/805.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="135" width="180" />Finally she came and helped me plant the little seeds in the ground, placing a popsicle stick next to each seed so we would know where to water in the coming weeks.<br />Every other day or so we would get out in nature and spend some time talking about those seeds. We always had smiles on our face when we went out to water the little babies. Our experience together, being out in nature, was awesome for both of us.<br />One lazy summer day, my little one came screaming into the house, grabbed me by the hand, and dragged me tooth and nail out to the sunflowers shouting I had to see something. When we got out to the garden, the flowers towered over twelve feet high; their heads enormous. Neither of us could believe how big they were.<br />"I can't believe it!" she said.<br />"Pretty big aren't they?" I replied.<br />"HUUUGGGEE Mom! They're just HUGE! Bigger'n Dad! Bigger'n a tree! I think they might be bigger'n our garage! And this big, giant flower came from our little-bitty seed, right?"<br />"Right!"<br />"The worms are in the ground around the seeds, so they helped too, right?"<br />"Right!"<br />"Let's get the camera!"<br /><div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.804" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/804.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />There we were out in nature, gardening, laughing, taking photos of the biggest darned flowers we had ever seen. Neighbors from our community were walking by and hugging their congratulations with us on the marvelous accomplishment of those glorious flowers. I remember every day we watered and the great feeling it gave both of us to be outside together. I remember seeing the sunflower grow inch by inch every day of the summer. And I remember the joy in the heart of my little girl when she realized how nature works together and how we helped it along. I cannot wait to do it again next year.<br />This is the gift we should be giving every child - the gift of understanding the connection between good health, community, and the natural world. Remember that life is what you make it - make it about being out in nature with your children! <div> </div></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><em>Shawna Lee Coronado is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, energetic speaker, and environmental and health correspondent. As a greening expert, she is focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. <div> </div>To learn more about Shawna visit <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecasualgardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">www.thecasualgardener.com</a> <div> </div>or either of her blogs - green blog - <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardeningnude.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">www.gardeningnude.com</a> <div> </div>or garden blog - <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fthecasualgardener.blogspot.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com</a><br /></em></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="background-color: rgb(36, 63, 41); margin-bottom: 7px;" bgcolor="#243f29" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="1"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK18"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK18" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-size:180%;">MEET PATTI MORENO</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>SEPTEMBER</strong><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>New York City, NY--September 12th & 13th--12pm<br /></em>New York Botanical Gardens<br />Visit their edible garden exhibit and join me for Home Gardening Demonstration. <br /></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nybg.org%2Fedible_garden%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.nybg.org/edible_garden/</span></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>Winchester, MA-September 19th Time TBD<br /></em>Mahoney's Garden Center<br />Workshop: Composting, Fall Plantings, Getting your garden ready for winter<br /><br /><em>Falmouth, MA-September 20th Time TBD</em><br />Mahoney's Garden Center<br />Workshop: Composting, Fall Plantings, Getting your garden ready for winter<br /></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mahoneysgarden.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.mahoneysgarden.com </span></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>Boston, MA-September 23rd</em><br />Garden Girl Farm<br />Tour my farm as part of the Natural Products Expo East Trade Show at the Boston Convention Center. </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.expoeast.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.expoeast.com</span></a><br /></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Nashville, TN--September 27th--Time TBD<br />Green Power Day--More info to come </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthmattersnetworks.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.EarthMattersNetWorks.com</span></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">OCTOBER</span><br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>St. Louis, MO--October 11th--1pm<br /></em>Saint Louis Science Center<br />SCI FEST '09--I'll be there on October 10th & speaking on Sun Oct 11th. </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slsc.org%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.slsc.org</span></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>Houston, TX--October 18th--Time TBD</em><br />Olive Barn--Stop by for a great time in Houston! </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.olivebarn.com</span></a><br /></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"> <div> </div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>DECEMBER<br /></strong></span>Boston, MA--December 16th Time TBD<br />Boston Architectural College--Urban Sustainable Living Lecture </span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-bac.edu%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.the-bac.edu/</span></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />To book Patti Moreno for an event contact the Lavin Agency at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelavinagency.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.thelavinagency.com</a>.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK19"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 7px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK19" class="ArticleBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Container Gardening Inspiration by Mark Highland</span> </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.806" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/806.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />Our garden is three years old this fall and just getting started. Our garden is a testament to our travels and experiences. A large number of our specimens are in containers. Containers have allowed us to maintain our collection across the country and "easily" move our plants from home to home. They have provided instant interest in a new space and allowed us to gradually claim a space as our own. </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br />Containers can be quickly rearranged for a different impact, or moved to better intercept the changing light of the season. They are a sustainable way to create a new bed and you can easily see if a plant will do well under proposed conditions before actually sinking it into the ground. This is how you will find any young garden: in a constant state of growth and movement. The garden will never be "done." There is always a new vegetable that could use fertilizer or a plant needing a bigger pot. These essential activities give life and motion to an ever changing garden. Gardening connects us to the natural world and inspires imagination.</span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.807" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/807.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />The best ideas for container combinations come by sitting in the garden and appreciating plant beauty. Most perennials are in smaller containers waiting for a future home, so I can quickly see how the 3 or so plants would look next to each other before actually planting. Containers tend to look stunning when they have a unifying theme to bring the plants together. It can be as simple as color or leaf shape, or as complex as you like. Choosing plants with similar watering and fertilizing needs helps overall long-term health of the container. Herbs that like it dry do not pair well with plants that like it moist. High quality potting soil helps reduce watering and provides plants with nutrients and support. Fertilizer is not always needed, but can help many plants reach their fullest potential. </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.808" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/808.jpg?a=1102678772951" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />One of my favorite containers planted last year was in a broken pot (top half sheared off), with a Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa), Toad Lily (Tricyrtis 'Sinonome'), and Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa 'Aureola'). The unifying theme was different shades of green and long, thin leaves. Different sized plants create a tiered effect in the container. "Spillers, fillers, and thrillers" has been a mantra at many independent garden centers. Don't have excess plants just sitting around to inspire you? Head into your closest independent garden center. Independents tend to have amazing displays to inspire you, plus they tend to have great staff who really know their stuff and give free advice! </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.organicmechanicsoil.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">OrganicMechanicSoil.com</a> </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" ><br /> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 7px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK22" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" > </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(180, 209, 152); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#b4d198;" >Please support my efforts of providing you with free content by purchasing my dvd and other products at <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xgtnm5cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank">www.OliveBarn.com</a>. Thank You</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-10140793805939310562009-08-28T13:49:00.000-04:002009-08-28T13:51:37.291-04:00July Gardengirl Magazine<div id="rootDiv" align="center"> <table style="margin: 0pt; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" valign="top"> <table style="width: 500px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody><tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="100%"> <table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapagesize="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td align="middle"> <p align="left"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustainableliving.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" alt="July2009Cover" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/716.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:0;color:#006600;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK2" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_SubTitleText" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 153);font-size:6;" ><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.15" alt="Cotton Flower" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/deleted_image.gif" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="71" width="108" />Urban Sustainable Living <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div>July 2009</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101587862296&a=1102637533213&ea=info@gardengirltv.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img alt="Forward this email to a Friend" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ftf_btn_3d.gif" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a></span></span><br /></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:0;color:#663300;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dear Patricia,</span></b> <div> </div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.755" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/755.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="267" width="106" /></a> <div> </div><span style="font-size:130%;">Check out my profile on </span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;">Vegetable Gardener.com</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">!</span> I am posting all sorts of cool stuff there, today I posted some pics from my garden. </span><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Click</span> <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2Ffeeds%2Frss%2Fprofile%2FTheGardenGirl.xml&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;">HERE </span></a><span style="font-size:180%;">to subscribe to my feed in your RSS reader! </span><span style="font-size:180%;">To install this widget into your blog or <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.widgetbox.com%2Fwidget%2Fvegetable-gardener-how-to-plant-and-grow-veggies&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">website click here</span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">!</span></span> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-size:180%;"> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div>IN THIS ISSUE OF URBAN SUSTAINABLE LIVING:</span></div> <p align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.724" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/724.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="361" width="216" /></span></p> <p align="left"><strong><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;">Words on Birds and Beneficial creatures in your garden. </span></strong></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><strong>Beyond the Garden Gate </strong></span></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><strong>New and Recent Video </strong></span></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><strong>Viewer Pics </strong></span></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><strong>Victory Garden Gateway Drug </strong></span></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><strong>Carrots</strong></span></p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Publisher</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">info (at) garden girl tv dot com</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="100%"> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK5"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;color:#000000;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:6;">Beyond the Garden Gate</span>~ Cynthia McKenna<br /><br />Growing organic food for the family table is the main goal for my garden. However, when I was planning my garden, I knew I wanted something more. I wanted a garden that could give me space to relax, and beauty beyond the gorgeous vegetables that grow there. I had ideas, and allowed the garden to evolve. Here are some elements I've incorporated this year: </span> <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.757" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/757.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="301" width="200" /><span style="font-size:180%;">Add Water</span></span></div> <div><span style="font-size:78%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div><span style="color:#ffffff;">Having a birdbath invites birds into your garden. Giving the birds a source for water also calls them in to eat the bugs that are feasting on your vegetables. You can get birdbaths in a variety of shapes and sizes or simply put water in shallow containers in various spots in the garden. Two of my cats like to hang out in the garden and they rely on the birdbaths for their water supply too - or maybe they are just there for the catnip...<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.722" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/722.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="361" width="240" /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Plant Flowers </span> <div><br /></div></span><span style="color:#ffffff;">If your garden is like mine, it seems like every inch of good soil is needed to grow fruit and vegetables. After reading the plans for the White House Garden, I decided to plant some flowers on the front edge of my raised beds, and some climbing flowers along the fence. I planted them because I thought they would add splashes of color to the garden. The bonus is that these flowers attract bees and a wide variety of butterflies to the garden. Flowers I planted include: Coral Honeysuckle, Purple Passion Vine, Sunflowers, Hollyhocks, Marigolds, Portulaca, Ageratum, and Zinnias.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">Don't remove that plant just yet... </span> <div><span style="font-size:78%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div></span><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Let a few of your lettuces and herbs stay in the garden after they have bolted. When a plant "bolts" it puts out the flowers that will help produce seeds. Generally, once a plant bolts, all the energy is going into the flowers and the quality of the edible leaves goes down quite a bit - so most gardeners pull them out. I decided to keep my Italian Parsley, Sweet Basil, and a few lettuces like Arugula and Chicory after they started flowering. I have been amazed at the number of bees that are attracted to these plants in particular. I like to imagine the homey they are making tastes incredible with al the rich and spicy flavors.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">A Place to Rest </span> <div><span style="font-size:78%;color:#ffffff;"> </span></div></span><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">Gardening is a lot of fun, but can be hard work too. Having a place to take a break is really helpful. Add a small bench or chair, and maybe a table to hold your day's harvest, gloves, clippers or a cold cup of water. I've enjoyed having my morning coffee in the garden, listening to the birds and taking in the beauty of the plants. <br /><br />Cynthia McKenna is a writer, gardener, Episcopal Priest, and psychotherapist in the Texas Hill Country. You can learn more about her at her website: </span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cynthiamckennacounseling.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">www.cynthiamckennacounseling.com </span></a><span style="color:#ffffff;">or visit her blog: </span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fgardengateblog.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">http://gardengateblog.com</span></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 153, 0);font-size:0;color:#669900;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK4" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.597" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/597.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="390" width="104" /></span></a><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><strong>Buy Patti Moreno's DVD at Olive Barn, featuring hours of never before seen video, only $19.99 plus shipping and handling.</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Black,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div>"Patti excels at providing real solutions to real problems that gardeners everywhere face. Her organic approaches show that success is achievable and compatible with the demands of real life." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Aitken- Managing Editor Fine Gardening Magazine</span><br /><br />"Patti Moreno's passion gets you fired up to grow and eat the organic way, and then she shows you how in simple steps that transform aspiration into a garden of earthly delights. Best of all, Patti's videos make the process of learning and doing pure fun." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Meyer- Managing Editor Organic Gardening Magazine </span><br /></span><br /></span><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK5"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#660000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dripworks.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.598" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/598.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="600" width="160" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garden Girl TV</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Recent Video </span></span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Live on the Web</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br />GREAT NEW VIDEO TO CHECK OUT! DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT, RATE, AND FAVORITE IT.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><div> </div><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRS2QqR3JBi4&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.751" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/751.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="196" width="285" /></a>Featured Video<br /></span></span> </span><div style="text-align: center;"> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRS2QqR3JBi4&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Container Gardening: Drip Irrigation </a><br /> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I've been container gardening for years and now I have drip irrigation. Watch the video and see how I set it up.</span></span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span><br /></span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPmBsDDd0A5g&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.754" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/754.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="200" width="293" /></a><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPmBsDDd0A5g&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:130%;">Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel and Patti for July</span></a> </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">The latest installment of the Square foot gardening series. Please click to watch.<br /></span> </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.660" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/660.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="600" width="160" /><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D37q4YsrjpPk&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.758" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/758.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="209" width="293" /></a></span></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div align="center"> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D37q4YsrjpPk&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:130%;">Vegetable Gardening: Thee Sisters Companion Planting</span></a></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >Don't know what it is? Watch the video and find out about this age old gardening technique updated for the 21st Century. </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Video Update: </strong></span></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D70g6gYQWXrA&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.727" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/727.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="361" width="240" /></a></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"> <div><strong> <div> </div>Here is my Three Sisters Garden Bed today! This is a great beginner Garden! Please watch my video and try it!</strong></div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"></a><table tabindex="0" datapage hidefocus="true" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%" style="font-size:0;"> <tbody><tr> <td> <p><span style="font-size:180%;">USL Reader Pics </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Michelle LeBrun from Rhode Island sent in these Fantastic Pics of her new backyard:</strong></span><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.742" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/742.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="400" /></p> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.744" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/744.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="400" /></div> <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div> <div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.746" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/746.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="400" /></div> <div> Great stuff Michelle!</div> <div> If you have pics or Video to contribute send it to info (at) gardengirltv (dot)com </div></td></tr></tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#660000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.610" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/610.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="392" width="320" /></a>GROW VOL 2!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Expert Advice! Patti Moreno, nationally known as the Garden Girl, provides how-to help on growing heirloom tomatoes and other vintage vegetables. She also offers sage advice on organic/sustainable practices for going green in your garden. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Just a taste of what's inside.<br />Here, you'll find expert, how-to help for growing lots of your garden favorites. Enjoy the satisfaction from seeing your crops go from the garden patch to dinner plate: </span><br /></span><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >Strawberries all summer long , Pumpkins good enough to eat, Tasty muskmelons and sweet carrots, Edible flowers to sparkle up a salad and simple recipes, too! <span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">A Lasting Reference! <strong>Grow, Vol. 2</strong> is definitely a "keeper" because it's packed with invaluable help home gardeners will go back to season after season: </span></span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >how to prune tomatoes</span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >keeping your harvest fresh</span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >attracting good bugs</span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >keep out the biggest pests: deer</span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >and much, much more...</span></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">ORDER YOURS NOW! </a></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;color:#000000;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong> Business gets a Green Kick in the Pants<br /></strong></span><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.749" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/749.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="200" />Dirt Diva July 2009<br /><br />Two years ago, TerraCycle, a company that sells worm poop fertilizer in a recycled soda bottle, deservedly earned the "Sparkly Green Tiara Award" bestowed by The Dirt DIVA Royal Horticultural Society. Worm Poop! Yup, you read that right. Worm poop in a bottle. Now that's American ingenuity. This year, Tom Szaky, CEO of the company has written a book entitled Revolution in a Bottle, (Penguin Group) which outlines the tumultuous path his company has endured to redefine green business. </span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br />Opening with a chapter titled Up to My Neck, the author recounts his days in a Princeton University dorm room where he and his friend Jon Beyer witnessed a classmate feeding food scraps to a box of worms. The worms were fed in exchange for their castings, which are loaded with abundant nutrients to support plant health and growth. The next summer Szaky, Beyer and pals took all of the Princeton Dining Services waste and processed them in their prototype 'Worm Gin.' "Things quickly went from bad to worse," laments Szaky. Clogging wood chipper, brewed sludge, police arrest for stealing garbage, maggot breeding, working in the rain at night at the dumpster amongst rancid odors, and employees who puked & quit on the spot. But by the end of the summer, they had miraculously perfected their processing and found their first investor. </span></span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.739" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/739.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="180" width="240" />TerraCycle was named one of the 100 most innovative companies by Red Herring magazine and has been awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award from Home Depot Canada. In 2006, an Inc. magazine cover story called TerraCycle "The coolest little Startup in America." Though it started out bottling worm poop fertilizer, TerraCycle today is aiming to consistently churn out new 'upcycled' products by transforming garbage into viable goods, and make boatloads of money. Amen. According to the book, Americans generate about one ton of garbage each year per person or 250 million tons together. So much waste has been tossed into the oceans that there's an accumulation of floating plastics the size of Texas slowly drifting in the Pacific. "Why can't everything be made from waste?" asks Szaky. "I'm looking at waste as an entirely modern, man-made idea. I stopped viewing garbage as garbage and instead slowly started to see it as a commodity." Szaky argues that eco-friendly businesses have to match the prices of their mainstream competition. Most consumers are eager to "buy green" but not if it costs too much. </span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.738" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/738.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="120" width="250" />Revolution in a Bottle is just the right amount of entertainment, education and even suspense, to keep you reading on, even if it's just to see how Szaky's going to keep the company afloat when he's down to his last 500 dollars in the bank and being sued for millions from a giant competitor. A chapter is given to "Suedbyscotts.com." The Lawsuit actually helped to give TerraCycle enormous publicity, especially to consumers who had no idea who they were before, including yours truly. What was the lawsuit about? Scott's accused TerraCycle of copying their packaging too closely. Most savvy gardeners don't like a big, chemical fertilizer company targeting a small eco-company so Worm Poop sales went up. (Yay!) "What is amazing, though, is that in the course of bouncing back you may discover strengths you didn't know you had," says Szaky. "I can say with some confidence now that if Scott's hadn't sued us, we wouldn't be doing as well as we are." </span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br />The company keeps its overhead low by bottling their products in recycled bottles collected by schools, organization and churches who then receive a donation (visit www.terracycle and by furnishing it's Trenton, New Jersey offices with free office furniture on the way to the dump. They also regularly hire free graffiti artists to paint the TerraCycle factory.<br />In April 2009, National Geographic launched a new reality series called 'Garbage Moguls.' It follows Szaky and his colleagues, documentary style, as they approach multi-national corporations such as Wal-Mart with kites made of recycled cookie wrappers or OfficeMax with computer bags made from billboards. </span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br />The few critics of TerraCycle are concerned that the company is helping large polluting corporations to receive publicity and advertising space even though they're still selling unhealthy foods laden with high fructose corn syrup that support factory farms and have a history of recklessly littering the world with their non-recyclable packaging. Some of these multinational companies have actually lobbied against environmentally sound business practices in the past. Aren't we supposed to be stickin-it-to-the-Man?! The good new is that many of the businesses that TerraCycle collaborates with such as Honest Tea, Bear Naked and Stonyfield Farm are responsible companies who actually care that kids eat safe, healthy food and that the air, water and soil isn't contaminated. Imagine that?<br />TerraCycle products can be found in Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Office Max and Urban Outfitters or online at www.shopONLYgreen.com If you see TerraCycle fertilizer hidden in the back of the gardening department, as I did at my local Target store, ask the manager to display them at the front, so gardeners know there are safe alternatives to the big, fat tubs of chemical fertilizers that deplete the soil and pollute the entire zip code by leaching into local creeks. </span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br />Revolution in a Bottle is an inspiring and honest story that will give you hope for creating a more sustainable world. Get yourself a copy of the book along with a bottle of TerraCycle Worm Poop.<br />Step One: Attach TerraCycle recycled soda bottle to hose and fertilize your yard.<br />Step Two: Lay back on lounge chair with a Mojito and Szaky's book.<br />Step Three: Be grateful that planetary restoration is emerging.<br />Step Four: Pet a worm.<br /><br />Visit Annie at <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dirtdiva.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">www.dirtdiva.com</a></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#330000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span><div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#ccccff;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYHpMHIQ-occ&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.712" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/712.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="144" width="218" /></a>YARN FOR SALE!<br /></span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;">I just got my yarn back from the mini mill. I was so excited. I've been waiting for it for 7 months to get back from the mini mill. It is just beautiful. The yarn is a combination of pygora fiber from year's worth of shaving my goats, , (click <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJ52OzP52-JI&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">here</a> to see me shaving them)tussah silk, and merino wool. I split the run into two separate lots. One is blended with 50% plum merino wool and the other is blended with 50% grey merino wool. The plum blended yarn looks more like a navy and the gray blended yarn looks more like a champagne color. I waited for so long that I'm at a loss for what I should make. I just purchased the French Girl Knits book where there are beautiful patterns. I'm officially a decent ragalan sweater maker and I love making one piece shrugs. I welcome suggestions on my message board. Please post any links to great pattern ideas and I'll keep you posted.<br /></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=1012</a></span></span></div> <div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><br /></span></a></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.699" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/699.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="199" width="300" /></a></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">I also have a limited amount</span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"> available for you to purchase. There are two </span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">colors: Plum &Champagne. 10, 200yard skeins available in each color. <br />$65per skein, 2 skeins for $100<br /></span></span></div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.706" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/706.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="119" width="180" /></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">It is a worsted weight yarn.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">Best used with size 10 knitting needles.<br />The gague is 4-5 stitches per inch.<br />30% Pygora fiber from my goats<br />20% Tussah silk<br />50% Merino Wool<br /></span> </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">For questions or to purchase via paypal email me. info (at) gardengirltv dot com</span><br /><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYHpMHIQ-occ&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Click</a> to see a video of my fiber arriving from the mini mill.</span> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;color:#000000;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:6;">Words on Birds...<br /></span>By Frederick J. Dunn<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.740" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/740.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="180" width="500" /> Predators, prey, dangerous or friendly, how to deal with visitors to your hen yard...<br /></span><br />As the deadline drew near for this month's E-zine, my eyes and ears were open as I gave considerable thought to what I should be writing about.<br /><br />As I went out with a bucket to feed my Australian Emus, there arose a raucous ruckus in the nearby freshly hayed field... "Cheee-cheee-cheeeeee!!!" for those familiar, this is the ear drum altering alert of the African Guineas. Being a dutiful poultry keeper, I investigate and there it is... poor thing! A small red fox is being dutifully routed by my guineas... snatching up my digital camera, I run out into the field to snap some shots of this common event. You know, because seeing is believing? It's one thing to say that guineas are the first alert system on any poultry operation, it's another to see it. So, I submit my photo of the sad little fox making a dash home with no chicken dinner and with some nut dashing across the field with his camera to boot! <br /><br />First line of defense for your birds is of course, well constructed housing. In my case, there is no protected run, as all my birds are free ranging. In more restricted areas, you'll have a run or portable coop for your birds during the day. High chicken wire sides and bird netting on top are adequate to curb birds of prey and rascally dogs in your neighborhood. At night, all poultry should be in a locked and secure roosting area, winter or summer, this is a must. Most predators visit at night, just at sunset and prior to sunrise. Leave no food nor scraps around that would attract predators to a free meal. It's best to feed your birds inside their enclosures, as they are also vulnerable when gathered at feeders. <div> </div>Elevate your buildings off the ground. A coop constructed on stilts or a truss such as decks are built on, will prevent the habitation of mice and rats. Elevated structures also provide shelter for hens to run under in the case of a storm or high speed fly by, by a Red Tailed Hawk! <br /><br />Guineas are a good line of defense, as they fearlessly chase off the dreaded squirrels, dear, stealthy cats, and as of 20 minutes ago around here... a fox. Unfortunately, they also spread the alarm when they see the paper boy, or a new car, or you walk out of a side door to sip coffee in the morning sun! Thus, the well earned reputation as the noisiest barnyard residents. In trade, they eat every imaginable bug without ceasing.<br /><br />This leads to my last subject of the month... some perceive snakes as pests, or threats to their chickens. The dreaded "egg eaters", chick snatchers, "hen stranglers"... now I understand that it's very easy to give a snake a thwack and appear the hero of the neighborhood. I ask that you consider something broader... think upon what sort of snakes are actually in your area? Are they truly a threat to your live stock.... To YOU?! <div> </div><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.731" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/731.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="224" width="386" />Unless you live in Egypt or Australia, chances are most snakes in your part of the country are helpful rather than detrimental. Consider if you will, the common garter snake (there are many sub-species), it eats slugs, worms, tiny amphibians and other creepy crawlers that most want eradicated. They do not eat warm blooded anything and cannot swallow a chicken egg. So, if you choose to be a meanie, then do what you will, I say save the snakes! In closing, I leave you with an image of the little brown or also known as the decay's snake... it was under a water bucket and I decided to photograph it for your viewing pleasure... it's fat with slug supper, garnished with a worm or two. I picked it up and parked it neatly on this moss... please focus on real pests and let nature benefit us with species already in place designed to do so.<br /><br />As always,<br /><br />Fred<br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fredsfinefowl.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">www.FredsFineFowl.com</a><br /><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 204, 51);font-size:0;color:#66cc33;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="middle"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">Video From Lylah Ledner and Pics from Peter Raymond</span></span></div> <div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Another Garden Kid makes a meal fresh from the Garden! </span></span></div> <div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDMmgHg0jYfc&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.753" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/753.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="198" width="296" /></a> </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Peter Raymond's inspiring home:</span></span></div> <p align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.728" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/728.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="238" width="360" /></span></p> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <p align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.729" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/729.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="238" width="360" /></span></p> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <p align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.730" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/730.jpg?a=1102637533213" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="238" width="360" /></span></p> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK15"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px;font-size:0;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK15" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><b> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-size:180%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.732" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/732.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="196" />A Rainbow of Carrots </span><br /><br />This 5000 year old root crop did not start out as the lovely orange we know today. There were many colors: white, yellow, red, green, purple, and black. Orange was nowhere in the picture. The Egyptians had purple carrots, and these were traded and sold across the Arabian trade routes. With the Asians, Arabians and Africans in possession of their newly acquired purple root, the carrot took on the multitude of hues. The Romans knew the carrot as purple or white. The Africans knew it as purple or yellow along with Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Iran.<br /><br />It was these carrots that the Moors brought to Europe during the 12th century. Another hundred years saw the carrot in France and Germany. The purple, white and yellow carrots were imported into the European countries and they grew a green, red and black. During the 15th century, the taproot made it to the shores of England.<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.733" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/733.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />It may surprise you to know that the carrot did not make it's orange debut until a mutated strain of the yellow carrot came to the Dutch who cross-bred it with red varieties to create an orange specimen in honor of the royal House of Orange. Thus creating the sweet and very orange variety that we know and munch down on today.<br /><br />Growing carrots can be a snap with a couple of considerations. The first is to realize that they are from a sandy region of the planet and grow easily in sandy, rock free soil rather than regular soil. While carrots can grow in regular soil, sandy soil will yield better and straighter root crops. And the young seedlings are rather weak and will need an easy surface to break through. Traditionally, they are planted with radishes for this reason, but there are other methods to ensure that they are able to get through. My favorite is to trench the sandy soil and then place my seeds. I cover them with peat moss, and the seedlings have no problem sprouting without the aid of radishes.<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.734" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/734.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />There are many different types of carrots, but these have been broken down into groups based on how deep they will grow. Imperators are carrots that grow thin and up to 10 inches long. Danvers can grow up to 7 inches long, have thicker tops, strong flavor and are also thin. Nantes grow up to 6 inches long, are rounder and sweeter in flavor. Chantenay grow 5 to 6 inches long and are wider. Amsterdam grow to 3 inches and are small and thin. Paris Market carrots are the smallest, getting only to about 1 ½ inches in diameter.<br /><br />Direct sow in full sun, they do not transplant well. They tolerate cold, so plant carrots a couple of weeks before the last frost. They can be planted again in the fall. Thin to 3 to 4 inches apart after the seedlings reach about 3 inches high. Carrots will mature, after an up to 2 week germination period, in 50 to 70 days, the longer harvest can be held off, the better they will taste, but wait too long and carrots can come out woody. Baby carrots can be harvested in as little as 10 weeks. Harvest when they are at their full color but still tender. A tip for harvesting, gently press the carrot down into the soil, then pull straight up so as to not break the root off. For stubborn roots, loosen the soil with a garden fork and then remove.<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.736" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/736.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />Carrots have their share of problems, too. Make sure to keep soil constantly moist as dry spells and then heavy rains tend to make the crop crack. Twisted and forked roots can be a problem if soil is rocky, clay or high in nitrogen. Flea beetles, vegetable weevil, carrot root fly, armyworms, parsley worms, yellow wooly bear, vegetable leaf miners, leaf-hoppers, thrips and other pest can be controlled with organic pesticides, beneficial nematodes and row covers. Mulch exposed shoulders to prevent greening and bitterness. <br /><br />Store carrots in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper in your refrigerator. Make sure to store away from apples and other ethylene gas emitters that can turn carrots bitter.</div> <div> </div> <div>By Dana Wright<br /><br /></div></b></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 153, 0);font-size:0;color:#669900;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.597" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/597.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="390" width="104" /></span></a><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><strong>Buy Patti Moreno's DVD at Olive Barn, featuring hours of never before seen video, only $19.99 plus shipping and handling.</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Black,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div>"Patti excels at providing real solutions to real problems that gardeners everywhere face. Her organic approaches show that success is achievable and compatible with the demands of real life." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Aitken- Managing Editor Fine Gardening Magazine</span><br /><br />"Patti Moreno's passion gets you fired up to grow and eat the organic way, and then she shows you how in simple steps that transform aspiration into a garden of earthly delights. Best of all, Patti's videos make the process of learning and doing pure fun." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Meyer- Managing Editor Organic Gardening Magazine </span><br /></span><br /></span><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK12"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:0;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapage bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;color:#000000;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-size:180%;">The Victory Garden...Gardening's "Gateway Drug"?</span> </span></span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.759" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/759.jpg?a=1102637533213" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="293" width="440" />by Mark Highland<br />I started gardening when I was 5, helping my grandmother in her garden. Growing my own food became so appealing in college that I started back up where I left off all those years ago. Flash forward to today, where gardening is an integral part of life. Our garden serves as a stage to entertain guests, appreciate nature, exercise, and grow food!<br /><br />Each year we plant our row crops in different patterns, to slow water run-off and look cool. Love that balance of practicality and creativity. Carrot, beet, radish, and turnip all planted with a line of potting soil on top to remember where they were lovingly nestled, for watering later. This year our beets bolted before the lettuce was 6" tall...but our carrots look great! It has been a cool spring in the Mid-Atlantic, eggplants, peppers, melon, and tomatoes all holding their own...but one variety of cherry tomato, "Sun Sugar", is shaping up to be 8' x 4' since it was already 3' x 3' by June 10th this year.<br /><br />Small, warm-season veggies like peppers benefit from a protective covering in early spring when night temps still dip into the 40's. Cutting the bottom off a one-gallon water jug gets you a free mini-greenhouse to cover small plants at night.<br /><br />Our veggie garden is not big enough to house our herb collection, so we have to sprinkle them into the landscape. Most culinary herbs are planted within a few steps of the back porch, for quick trips from kitchen to garden for necessary aromatics. We encourage plants like parsley to go to seed, but let natural seedlings come up where they may have landed, editing when necessary. The infinite variation of baby seedlings gives you something to look forward to as the next generation grows up, and expresses genes that change the plant's color, leaf shape or pattern, fragrance, disease resistance, or any number of characteristics. Some seeds germinate the next season, while others take a couple years to germinate and grow. Coolest random seedlings so far, a red flat-leafed lettuce that now has cool looking ruffles, and a parsley with abundant thin foliage that looks more like grass than parsley.<br /><br />Some plants are not so good from seed, such as hybrids. All plants have names. When a plant is different from all others of the same species, it has a specific name, a named cultivar, like "Yellow Brandywine" or "Tim's Black Ruffles" heirloom tomatoes. Without going into genetics, simply put, most heirloom plants can be saved for seed, if you do a little work. The purity of maintaining the named cultivar, requires crossing it with two of the same plants. You've likely noticed cross-pollinated peppers before. Ever grown hot peppers next to sweet peppers and wondered why your red bell peppers are kind of spicy? Cross pollination. Serious seed savers pollinate plants by hand, and then protect the pollinated flowers from other pollen, to preserve the pure named cultivar. Thank goodness for the seed savers out there! Baker Creek Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange are but 2 of the many seed companies out there saving and producing seeds for the homestead grower in all of us.<br /><br />Turning over earth to produce food and beauty provides a sense of fulfillment like no other. Each victory garden claims victory for your kitchen and lessens the load on our global food system. If everybody did a little, it would add up to be a lot! How interesting would it be if everyone spent a few hours gardening each day?! We would have a nation of people exercising outside, lowering their blood pressure, experiencing nature, increasing our collective sustainability, gaining appreciation of where food comes from, and working to improve our environment. Bring on summer. V is for Victory.<br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=6acdf6cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0411&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.organicmechanicsoil.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">http://www.organicmechanicsoil.com/</a></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-23931928425447505132009-08-10T09:38:00.001-04:002009-08-10T09:38:51.553-04:00Square Foot Gardening Tips: August<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/ldg2RZz-YfY' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/ldg2RZz-YfY'/></object></p><p>August Tips!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-11528211044068300132009-08-03T16:27:00.001-04:002009-08-03T16:27:57.132-04:00Grubbin in the Garden: The Edible Landscape<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/Pdv-wpG75FU' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/Pdv-wpG75FU'/></object></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-73894094342439155482009-07-24T18:11:00.001-04:002009-07-24T18:11:07.236-04:00Vegetable Gardening: Three Sisters Update<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/1TA1QdQUEBE' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/1TA1QdQUEBE'/></object></p><p>An update from Patti and Ale!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-22042437421699612982009-07-23T00:04:00.001-04:002009-07-23T00:04:00.859-04:00Vegetable Gardening: Three Sisters Companion Planting<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/37q4YsrjpPk' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/37q4YsrjpPk'/></object></p><p>Please watch. I'll be exploring more Native American gardening practices in the future.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-54240917624007651352009-07-12T10:07:00.000-04:002009-07-12T10:08:45.695-04:00June 2009 Urban Sustainable Living Magazine<table style="width: 500px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="middle"> <p align="left"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustainableliving.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.686" alt="June Cover" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/686.jpg?a=1102603660004" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 102, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#006600;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK2" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_SubTitleText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 153);font-size:6;" ><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.15" alt="Cotton Flower" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/15.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="71" width="108" />Urban Sustainable Living <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div>JUNE 2009</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101587862296&a=1102603660004&ea=info@gardengirltv.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img alt="Forward this email to a Friend" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ftf_btn_3d.gif" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a></span></span><br /></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(102, 51, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#663300;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dear Patricia,</span></b> <p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.670" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/670.gif?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="86" width="275" /></a>Check out my profile on <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Vegetable Gardener.com</a>! I am posting lots of new pics there.</span> </p> <div> </div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <div>IN THIS ISSUE OF URBAN SUSTAINABLE LIVING:</div></span> <div style="text-align: right; font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 40px;" align="right"> <ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.701" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/701.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="294" width="196" />Fred talks about Poultry Breeds</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Sun Exposure</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Spring to Summer Crop Rotation</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">More on the Gardening Coach Susan Harris</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Forageing for Food</span> </li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Woolly Mamoth Fiber is now available!</span></li></ul></div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.699" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/699.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="139" width="210" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Publisher</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">info (at) garden girl tv dot com</span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(102, 153, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#669900;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK4" class="PromotionBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.597" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/597.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="390" width="104" /></span></a><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><strong>Buy Patti Moreno's DVD at Olive Barn, featuring hours of never before seen video, only $19.99 plus shipping and handling.</strong></span></a> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span style="font-family:Arial Black,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></div>"Patti excels at providing real solutions to real problems that gardeners everywhere face. Her organic approaches show that success is achievable and compatible with the demands of real life." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Aitken- Managing Editor Fine Gardening Magazine</span><br /><br />"Patti Moreno's passion gets you fired up to grow and eat the organic way, and then she shows you how in simple steps that transform aspiration into a garden of earthly delights. Best of all, Patti's videos make the process of learning and doing pure fun." <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Meyer- Managing Editor Organic Gardening Magazine </span><br /></span><br /></span><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK5"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.695" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/695.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="296" width="350" />What good is that chicken?</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ornamental, Eggs, Meat and Dual Purpose</span><br /></em><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By Frederick J. Dunn</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div> </div>It's like puppy shopping; never buy that cute little rascal, without first understanding what sort of adult he/she will be when grown.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Maybe you live in the city and don't have readily accessible County Fairs or 4-H Exhibitions. I love being in our poultry barn/tent during the fair season here in Pennsylvania. It's not hard to locate the poultry... someone is always crowing, or squawking about some egg she just produced! </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.44" alt="Bird House" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/44.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="191" width="288" />What I always find interesting, is the sudden urge some have to buy "that" chicken! They are stuck by the amazing feather coloration, or a timid disposition. "Look, that one looks like it has fur"! (That would be a silky). Not the least bit interested in the "purpose" of the breed, looks win over substance time and again.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If you're keeping chickens, you're spending money. All chickens have to eat and be adequately provided for. Some chickens give very little back in the way of eggs or meat... those would be your ornamentals. Lawn flowers, as I call them, earn their keep by looking fancy as they fluff in the dust, lie in the sun, or line up on your porch railing in the morning sun. What are they good for? Well, just look at them... they seem to know that they are not in line for a stew, or expected to produce an egg of any size or with any regularity... let's say they are super models. I have far too many of these beautiful free loaders on my land. No one is standing around waiting for their d'Uccle to lay an egg for breakfast. Who could dismiss the Phoenix, with his six foot long tail feathers trailing behind? What of the tiny Serama... chicken equivalent of a tea-cup poodle, often weighing less than 350g. as an adult..</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Egg laying breeds are those which do one thing with great regularity, produce an egg almost every 25 hours. Top of the list would be Leg Horns and the Rhode Island Reds. We won't go into hybrids for this article... The Leg Horn beats out the Reds in thrift, more eggs on less feed.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.184" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/184.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" />Meat birds are good at getting fat and plump in very short order and with very efficient feed to flesh conversions. Some produce one pound of flesh on 2 pounds of feed. They amazingly are often harvest as table fare in as little as 5-6 weeks! They are almost all derived from the Cornish breeds.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dual Purpose... my personal favorites, do very well on open range and are moderately suitable as both meat and egg chickens. Because of their great utility value, these are the breeds most often seen roaming door yards of most rural keepers. They would include the Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rocks, New Hampshire Reds, and Orpingtons.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chickens of pure breed, each have a specific purpose for which they were produced and continued. Understand what purpose they are to fill in your life and then set out to get the chicken most suited to your needs.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Frederick J. Dunn</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Author/Presenter, Regarding Chickens<br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fredsfinefowl.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.fredsfinefowl.com/</a><br /> Purchase his DVD by clicking <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000K28MI0%3Ftag%3Dgargirurbsusl-20%26camp%3D14573%26creative%3D327641%26linkCode%3Das1%26creativeASIN%3DB000K28MI0%26adid%3D1S7Y6TVHFZAKNSG976DD%26&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">here</a>. <div> </div></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#660000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" class="PromotionBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;"><br /></span></span><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dripworks.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.598" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/598.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="600" width="160" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garden Girl TV</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Recent Video </span></span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Live on the Web</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br />GREAT NEW VIDEO TO CHECK OUT! DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT, RATE, AND FAVORITE IT.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><div> </div><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIh_449sJukA&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.693" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/693.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="225" width="330" /></a><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span> </span><div style="text-align: center;"> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <div> </div> </span></span></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIh_449sJukA&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Gazpacho Soup Fresh From The Garden</a></span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQwX7bjUqQ8c&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.698" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/698.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="218" width="324" /></a><br /><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiusgarden.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.660" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/660.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="600" width="160" /></a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> <br /></span></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <div> </div><br /><br /></span> </span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQwX7bjUqQ8c&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel and Patti for June</a> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> </span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"> <span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="font-size:+0;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D70g6gYQWXrA&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.710" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/710.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="201" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D70g6gYQWXrA&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Check your Sun Exposure!</a></span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK7"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 102, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#006600;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.697" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/697.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="361" width="240" /> <div>Where did Spring go?</div></span> </span><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br />By Richard Davies<br /><br />The summer solstice is nearly upon us, but for most of the Northern Hemisphere, summer has already arrived in our gardens. However, for many of us, cool weather, or spring crops have not yet matured, and won't for another month or more. <br /><br />This presents a few problems. For one, that space is probably needed for summer crops, especially when you're growing salad greens or brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage that takes up a ton of space before it matures. Secondly, whether lettuce wilts as the temperatures get into the 90s, summer storms pound the wide leaves tearing them to shreds, or a signal is sent to the plants to rush to seed, weather isn't always conducive to maturing cole crops. <br /><br />For anyone who is like me and running into these problems, here is what I've <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.704" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/704.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="210" width="140" />done in my small 150 SF Square Foot Garden. For the space hogs, I have planted seeds for summer crops in amongst them, knowing that they will grow slower until I harvest the spring crops. It works slick if you time it right. For the weather, I'm taking a page from Judy's last month's article trying to extend her salad green harvest as temperatures skyrocketed. I have made use of the screens off of old windows to shade my lettuce and spinach when we hit 90 this week. Of course for my summer planting of lettuce (I can grow one here in the PNW), I intend to use the natural shade of taller plants to keep the next crop from wilting or going to seed too soon. Whatever works.<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.711" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/711.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="162" width="216" />Summer also means that those potatoes that you threw in the ground or otherwise planted are growing up a storm. Anyone that knows me likely knows me first and foremost for my Build-As-You-Grow Potato Bins. Of course, any way you grow potatoes is great, just grow them, they're easy. The point I'm making is that if you are hilling, you've been doing it far more often than you originally thought you would. I have been adding a board or two a week it seems, and going through a bag of hilling soil every day.<br /><br />While potato bins are by no means the only way to grow potatoes, they're also not the way to grow early season varieties like Yukon Gold or many reds. They only set fruit once so they don't benefit from hilling, all the potatoes will be in the bottom six inches. For that reason, I threw my sprouted seed stock stored from last year into my beds. They too have shown tremendous growth in just a few weeks. <br /><br />So, depending where you are and how hot your climate is, you could be harvesting potatoes in the next month or so, or you could be like me and have to wait until October, using a ton of space in your summer garden for a spring crop. Anyone for a garden expansion?<br /><br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fft2garden.powweb.com%2Fsinfonian%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://ft2garden.powweb.com/sinfonian/</a><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#660000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" class="PromotionBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family:Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.610" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/610.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="392" width="320" /></a>GROW VOL 2!</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Expert Advice! Patti Moreno, nationally known as the Garden Girl, provides how-to help on growing heirloom tomatoes and other vintage vegetables. She also offers sage advice on organic/sustainable practices for going green in your garden. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Just a taste of what's inside.<br />Here, you'll find expert, how-to help for growing lots of your garden favorites. Enjoy the satisfaction from seeing your crops go from the garden patch to dinner plate: </span><br /></span><div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >Strawberries all summer long , Pumpkins good enough to eat, Tasty muskmelons and sweet carrots, Edible flowers to sparkle up a salad and simple recipes, too! <span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">A Lasting Reference! <strong>Grow, Vol. 2</strong> is definitely a "keeper" because it's packed with invaluable help home gardeners will go back to season after season: </span></span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >how to prune tomatoes</span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >keeping your harvest fresh</span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >attracting good bugs</span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >keep out the biggest pests: deer</span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >and much, much more...</span></div> <div style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">ORDER YOURS NOW! </a></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK9"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span><p align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.709" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/709.jpg?a=1102603660004" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="336" width="508" /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D70g6gYQWXrA&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">SUNLIGHT AND PLANTS</a></strong></span> </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >Why is it that all plants, grass seed, shrubs and trees are classified in the garden center by their sunlight needs.? We've all seen the signs - Full Shade, Part Sun, etc, but what exactly do these different light classifications mean and why are they so important? The sunlight needs of any plant depend on where it's originally from, what it does, and how it reproduces. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here are the four best ways to classify plants, based simply on hours of sunlight received in one day.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Full shade 0-2 hours direct sun</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Part shade 2-4 hours direct sun</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Part sun 4-6 hours direct sun</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Full sun 6-8 hours direct sun</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Let's talk about full shade. It's true that fewer plants will grow here than in full sun, but you can still find beautiful options for this area as well. Think woodland. Plants that are happy here are usually the ones that decorate the floor of a forest underneath huge trees, so they are used to getting little, if any, direct sunlight. Ask your local garden center for suggestions for this sunlight condition and you may be happily surprised at how many choices there are.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Part shade can be confusing. There's definitely more options available than in full shade, but don't whip out the daisies just yet. What this category likes is a little bit of sun but enough shade to keep it mostly cool and moist. Most part-shade lovers will make a flower, usually a small or delicate one, but still very pretty. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">You can start to think seriously about flowers with part-sun. Although they will almost always take more sun, many flowering plants will bloom quite well in part-sun. From daylilies to daffodils, you will be able to plant a lot of varieties of perennial, as well as shrubs like roses, with good success.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Full sun is the grand Poobah of all categories, allowing the widest range of <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.603" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/603.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="300" width="160" /></a>choices for most flowering plants, vegetable s and herbs. All vegetables need a lot of sun to produce-there's a lot of work that goes into making a tomato or green bean or cucumber, and it's all powered by the sun, via photosynthesis. This is also the best option for traditional plants like roses, peonies, sunflowers, daisies and poppies.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What you need to always remember is that sunlight is absolutely the first consideration when choosing plants. You cannot fudge this area and have great results. If you put a full sun plant in part-shade you will grow a lot of wimpy looking foliage but not the flower you want. A full shade plant in full sun will probably do even worse by simply withering up and dying. Choosing plants that are right for your sunlight is always the best place to start.<br /><br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">gosunstick.com</a><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#330000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" class="PromotionBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span><div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#ccccff;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYHpMHIQ-occ&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.712" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/712.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="144" width="218" /></a>YARN FOR SALE! <div><br /></div></span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;">I just got my yarn back from the mini mill. I was so excited. I've been waiting for it for 7 months to get back from the mini mill. It is just beautiful. The yarn is a combination of pygora fiber from year's worth of shaving my goats, , (click <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJ52OzP52-JI&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">here</a> to see me shaving them)tussah silk, and merino wool. I split the run into two separate lots. One is blended with 50% plum merino wool and the other is blended with 50% grey merino wool. The plum blended yarn looks more like a navy and the gray blended yarn looks more like a champagne color. I waited for so long that I'm at a loss for what I should make. I just purchased the French Girl Knits book where there are beautiful patterns. I'm officially a decent ragalan sweater maker and I love making one piece shrugs. I welcome suggestions on my message board. Please post any links to great pattern ideas and I'll keep you posted. <br /></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://www.gardengirltv.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=1012</a></span></span></div> <div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><br /></span></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1012&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.699" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/699.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="199" width="300" /></a></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">I also have a limited amount</span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"> available for you to purchase. There are two </span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">colors: Plum &Champagne. 10, 200yard skeins available in each color. <br />$65per skein, 2 skeins for $100<br /></span></span></div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.706" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/706.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="119" width="180" /></span><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">It is a worsted weight yarn.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">Best used with size 10 knitting needles.<br />The gague is 4-5 stitches per inch.<br />30% Pygora fiber from my goats<br />20% Tussah silk<br />50% Merino Wool<br /></span> </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;">For questions or to purchase via paypal email me. info (at) gardengirltv dot com</span><br /><span style="font-family:Papyrus,Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#ccccff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYHpMHIQ-occ&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Click</a> to see a video of my fiber arriving from the mini mill.</span> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" class="PromotionBG" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Foraging in Your Neighborhood</span><br /><br />By Luci Fernandez<br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.687" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/687.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="right" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="316" width="210" />On my walks in my neighborhood with our dog, I am forced to stop every once in a while for the dog to sniff around or do his business. This forces me to slow down from my normally hurried pace and pay attention to what is around me. Since I have been looking at our local foodshed from a variety of perspectives, I thought about what I can find growing within a few blocks from my home; in other words, urban foraging. There is much information on foraging for food in the wild, but I am going to stick to an urban setting.<br /><br />I live in an older neighborhood dating back to the 1940's. Nature has had some time to reclaim her space and because houses were built in onesies and twosies, the area was not clear cut as is done with so many new developments.<br /><br />I decided that first I needed to inventory what I have found in my walks. I had noticed that one of my neighbors around the block has pear tree in her front yard that yields a tremendous amount of pears. She has put up a sign on the tree that says "free" along with bags for folks passing by to stop and take some home. This was an easy one to find! Ok, so now on the quick map I drew, I can add the pears. You may want to write down when the fruit is ready and other observations as an easy reference.<br /><p><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.692" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/692.jpg?a=1102603660004" align="left" border="0" contenteditable="false" />I also discovered within a 4 block radius from my home wild raspberries, black walnuts, apples, mulberries and pecans. Not bad for just being observant when I am out and about.<br /><br />I have adapted rules on urban foraging from the book The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. </p> <div>These are my rules:</div> <div><br />1. Do you know what is that you are gathering? Can you recognize poisonous plants that are native to your area? If you have any doubt, pick up a good guide such as The Forager's Harvest by Sam Thayer to help you identify local plants that are edible.</div> <div><br />2. Found out what kind of pesticides or herbicides are used near or around the food? Ask the owners? Do you see a lawn service spraying on the property next to it? </div> <div><br />3. Do you have permission? This is a great way to get to know your neighbors. Maybe the property is too much for the person living there. You might just learn some history about your neighborhood (I found out that my area used to be a pecan grove). Offer to barter - maybe you pick the berries and make some jam in return for the owner. You could start a neighborhood trend!<br /><br />So, do you want to learn more about your unique food-shed? Check out community garden or master gardeners. They may be a good resource for locating foraging experts in your area. For on-line resources, check out<br /><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fforaging.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://foraging.com/</a>.<br /><br />There's a whole other world out there for local foods! Find what treasures are hidden in your neighborhood! </div> <div> </div> <p align="center"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.688" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/688.jpg?a=1102603660004" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="279" width="420" /></p><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK12"> </a><table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#000000;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;color:#000000;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span><p><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="color:#ffffff;">MORE ON SUSAN HARRIS THE GARDEN COACH AND HER MANY PROJECTS:</span></span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sustainable-gardening.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.713" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/713.jpg?a=1102603660004" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="237" width="400" /></a></span></p> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sustainable-gardening.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Sustainable Gardening</a></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > </span></div> <p align="center"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.714" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/714.jpg?a=1102603660004" border="0" contenteditable="false" height="288" width="360" /></span></p> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardenrant.com%2Fmy_weblog%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Garden Rant</a></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">A special thanks to Susan Harris for contributing to the news letter last month click here to review. </span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td align="left" width="100%"> <table hidefocus="" style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" tabindex="0" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_QuickLinksTitle" align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; 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font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Vegetable Gardener</a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FGardenGirltv&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Garden Girl on Youtube</a></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Purchase Garden Girl Products Online</a></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <table hidefocus="" style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 51); margin-bottom: 10px;color:#66cc33;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" tabindex="0" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" align="middle"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:6;">Meet the Garden Girl </span><br /></span></span></div> <div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I'll be at Mahoney's answering questions and giving advice on gardening with vegetables and herbs. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">MEET THE GARDEN GIRL at Mahoney's Garden Center<br />Click the link below for more information<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=exkze7cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0401&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmahoneysgarden.com%2FSeminars.aspx%2520&id=preview" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">http://mahoneysgarden.com/Seminars.aspx </a></span> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"> </span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday, June 13th</span><br /></span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Mahoney's Garden Center in Osterville, MA: 10AM - Noon</span></span></span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Mahoney's Garden Center in Falmouth, MA: 1PM - 3PM<br />Hope to see you there!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">NEXT OPEN HOUSE at Garden Girl's Urban Farm<br />88 Lambert Avenue Roxbury, Massachusetts<br /><br /><strong>JUNE 20th, 10am-2pm</strong><br /></span></span></span></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-13837012031184772892009-06-30T18:42:00.001-04:002009-06-30T18:42:37.404-04:00Vegetable Gardening: Three Sisters Companion Planting<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/37q4YsrjpPk' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/37q4YsrjpPk'/></object></p><p>the simplest garden! Perfect for begginers!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-27975115626441482052009-06-22T08:37:00.001-04:002009-06-22T08:37:03.228-04:00Container Gardening: Drip Irrigation<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/RS2QqR3JBi4' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/RS2QqR3JBi4'/></object></p><p>Check out my drip irrigation video!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-82495253336349651272009-06-17T18:42:00.001-04:002009-06-17T18:42:50.541-04:00Container Gardening: Drip Irrigation<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/RS2QqR3JBi4' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/RS2QqR3JBi4'/></object></p><p>Ever went on vacation and had all your plants die? Well I have. Check out this solution from http://www.dripworksusa.com.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30121871.post-74431142909010894792009-05-04T12:46:00.000-04:002009-05-04T12:47:17.067-04:00Garden Girl Ezine - April 2009<table style="width: 600px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="100%"><table id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" hidefocus="true" tabindex="0" datapagesize="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" cols="0" contenteditable="inherit" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="middle"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustainableliving.com%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.593" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/593.jpg?a=1102540225071" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK2" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_SubTitleText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 204, 153);font-size:6;" ><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Urban Sustainable Living April 2009</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101587862296&a=1102540225071&ea=info@gardengirltv.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img alt="Forward this email to a Friend" src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ftf_btn_3d.gif" align="" border="0" contenteditable="false" /></a></span></span><br /></div> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.516" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/516.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="256" height="487" /> <b>Dear Patricia,</b><br /><br /><br />A couple of months ago I thought this day would never come. April, my favorite time of the year.<br /><br />Check out the great articles on The Unusually Unusual Farmchick and Roger Doiron from <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitchengardeners.org%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Kitchen Gardeners International</a>.<br /><br />This issue is fantastic, the contributors have really out done themselves. We have a great article from Fred on HR 875, at least what the intent of the new federal law is, and some great stuff on water collection from Richard Davies.<br /><br />This months contest is a great product that I personally use, the <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Sunstick</a>, so check it out and be sure to enter.<br /><br />And don't forget to check out my brand new video release,<a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank"> How to Make Pesto Sauce!</a> Its one of my signature dishes that I eat religiously throughout the growing season.<br /><br />I also want to announce my open house schedule. <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D4975%23post4975&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Click here</a> and see when you can visit my farm.<br /><br />Enjoy and Share,<br /><br />Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl<br />Publisher<br /><div> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table><table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <b>in this issue</b> </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK6"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >The Unusually Unusual Farmchick</span></a> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK8"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >Rain Barrels</span></a> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK10"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >HR 875</span></a> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK12"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >Kitchen Gardens International</span></a> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK14"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >The Dirt Diva</span></a> </span></td> </tr><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" > <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" shape="rect" href="http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1102540225071&fromView=previewFromDetail&popin=true&previewFromDetail=true&previewFromSent=true&pageName=ecampaign.ve.edit#LETTER.BLOCK16"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#0000ff;" >Double Digging Garden Beds</span></a> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="100%"> <table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.597" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/597.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="104" height="390" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Buy Patti Moreno's DVD at Olive Barn, featuring hours of never before seen video, only $19.99 plus shipping and handling.</a></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">"Patti excels at providing real solutions to real problems that gardeners everywhere face. Her organic approaches show that success is achievable and compatible with the demands of real life." <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Aitken- Managing Editor Fine Gardening Magazine</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">"Patti Moreno's passion gets you fired up to grow and eat the organic way, and then she shows you how in simple steps that transform aspiration into a garden of earthly delights. Best of all, Patti's videos make the process of learning and doing pure fun."<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Meyer- Managing Editor Organic Gardening Magazine </span></span><br /><br /><br /></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK6"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Unusually Unusual Farmchick<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.588" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/588.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">This month we are shinning the spotlight on a fun, spirited, and adventuresome blog site - </span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">"The Unusually Unusual Farmchick"</a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;">. </span> Tammie is the "unusual farmchick" and is at the heart of this great site. We recently had the pleasure of </span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">talking to </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">her about her site.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">USL: Tell us a little more about your garden and urban homesteading efforts. </span><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> My garden started as a small 10X10 space on our hilltop. I dreamed of having a large garden and plenty of space for children to play, so 1.16 acres seemed huge in comparison to the duplex we were living in.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> The property came with the most amazing tree which we call the "Magic tree". The garden sits just behind this tree where our children climb through her low branches and have a swing hanging from her graceful inviting arm. There is even a "hole" on one side where the children like to hide treasures and keepsakes. Truly, a magical tree for children.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.594" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/594.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">As our family grew, so did the garden. It is now a big 50X40 plot separated in 4 quarters, housing a small 32 gallon pond in its center, to encourage the abundant wildlife needed for a natural garden environment. Most people go to a church on Sunday, we go to the garden. Where we grow only heirloom and open pollinated edible plants. We save the seed from each variety for the following spring starting and excess to trade or share with others. We will not use chemicals in the garden or on plants anywhere located on the property.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> We raise various breeds of chickens for the variety in egg color and yard bug control. I really like the Delaware's friendly temperament, plus the idea I am helping to keep a breed going which is on the critical list for the livestock conservation society. Recently we acquired a group of Californian rabbits to raise for meat. Perfect for any urban farmers who would like to raise their own meat and have little space to work with. Plus the fertilizer can go right on the garden without a waiting period. Up until recently, we also raised goats.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.589" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/589.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">USL: What has been the hardest thing you've faced in your efforts to live a more sustainable life? <br /><br /><br /> Local support. It has been a bumpy 7 years since we bought our home and 6 years since we added the chickens. Not many neighbors were happy about it, but have come to accept their presence seeing they are not of a nuisance (and they lay eggs which are happily shared with the neighbors). It takes time for people to accept change and difference around them. A kind word and patience will prove to be the best action. Consideration for your lifestyle will only come if you show respect and consider theirs. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> USL: Have you changed (emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually) since you began sharing your adventures in sustainable living in your blog site?<br /><br /> <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.591" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/591.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" />My whole life has changed for the better since starting a blog about our unusual life. It has come with its ups and downs but the positives far outweigh the negative. I have a new feeling of purpose in life. Having no one around me who enjoys urban farming in the beginning made me feel isolated. I began blogging just to have a place I could write about our adventures as though I were writing a friend far away. Telling them about our daily life and sharing advice on what I have encountered. It was my outlet of expression where I had no one around who was interested. I have found a connection to the earth that was always there for me but my eyes were not able to focus on what she was trying to tell me. By living </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">this way of life and sharing it on a blog, I have found my spiritual connection to the earth has brought me understanding, a little more patience, and the enjoyment of simple things in life. I have never been happier then what I am now</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.590" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/590.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">USL: How would you describe your site to someone who has not visited it yet?<br /><br /> A place that you never know what I will be up to next. I love adventure and urban farming. I cover so many subjects that circle the urban farming lifestyle. From growing a garden of edibles, raising backyard flocks of chickens, meat rabbits and until recently dairy goats. I even dabble in home wine making plus herbal medicinal treatments, all the way to frugal ideas for my many crazy projects, which involve making things instead of buying them. You never know what unusual idea I will be into next.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> USL: Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?<br /> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> I so desired to find local people who were into the urban sustainable lifestyle, that I began a yahoo group "Akron Homesteaders". I went with the motto "If you build it, they will come". From which in just 1 year we have over 20 local active members and are still growing as word gets out. The group has brought such great friendships and community support. I would encourage anyone who may feel they are the only soul around them that is interested in the lifestyle, to start a group. If someone like me can start one, anyone can do it</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> Check out Tammie's adventuresome blog site at</span></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Funusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">http://unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com/</a><br /> </span></div></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK6"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;">Recent Video Live on the Web</span></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dripworks.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.598" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/598.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="160" height="600" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br />Check it out, and be sure to rate, comment and favorite the videos. <span style="font-size:180%;">Win a FREE SUNSTICK by commenting and rating videos, check out the contest info below.</span> And don't forget to Save Water, </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Time and the Planet with Dripworks irrigation pro</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ducts.<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfMq7RSjjh4U&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.601" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/601.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfMq7RSjjh4U&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">How to prepare fried squash flowers</a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.599" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/599.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">How To Make Pesto Sauce!</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do1YhZ3sABBE&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.600" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/600.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do1YhZ3sABBE&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">April Square Foot Gardening Tips</a><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK8"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK8" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blog.composters.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.595" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/595.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="220" height="258" /></a><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial Black,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rain Barrels</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fft2garden.powweb.com%2Fsinfonian%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">By Richard Davies</a><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The song may go... April showers bring May flowers, but what do you do to water your garden come June when showers are sparse? Sure you can rely on your municipal water supply, but those of us that want to go green and conserve think self-sufficiency. Rain barrels are a great way to do just that. You can collect water and store it for when you need it, and it doesn't take much to replenish your supplies.</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Unfortunately, if you are like me and my garden buddies, rain barrels are in the plans for our gardens, but way down the already crowded to-do list. I for one have already found the perfect place for four rain barrels in my yard. Three will be linked together in my garden and the fourth will be over by my blueberry bushes. I can easily handle the three in my garden because that one downspout collects water from approximately 700 SF of roof area. That and I have a storm drain located right there for the overflow, because 700 SF will fill 165 gallons in one good rain here in the Pacific Northwest. The other barrel will not only allow me to water my blueberries and potatoes, but it will protect my blueberries as well. Using a rain barrel there will redirect the downspout from dumping water onto my blueberry bushes, possibly watering them too much.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lakesuperiorstreams.org&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.574" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/574.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="290" height="338" /></a>You see, rain barrels can provide much needed water where you need it, and even redirect water from where you don't. If you want to buy them, they can run between $50 and $150 per 55 gallon barrel. Of course there are sites out there showing you how to build them yourself, but if you do, make sure the barrel you use is food grade and thoroughly cleaned. Checking Craigslist and Freecycle in your area is a good start for used barrels, then check your local hardware store or big box for the plumbing materials.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Once you have it built or bought, install it on a stack of bricks high enough to get your watering pail under it. Remember that gravity is all the water pressure you have. Oh, and drip systems or soaker hoses don't work that well with rain barrels for that very reason.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One final note on collecting water from your roof. Do some research into the ingredients used in your roofing materials. Certain chemicals used in some shingles are not recommended for vegetable gardens. So while nature doesn't put chlorine in rain water, your roof can put </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.town-menasha.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.596" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/596.gif?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="232" height="231" /></a></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">asbestos, copper, zinc and petroleum products in your rain barrel. While there is no consensus on the issue, some sites recommend only using collected rain water on ornamentals. My opinion is home-grown vegetables with questionable rain water is better than GMO store-bought ones any day!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, if you're like me and want to save some water this year, there's no better time like the present when nature will gladly fill several barrels for you. Get busy and get those barrels installed. They're a long-term investment in your sustainable garden!<br /><br /><br /></span></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do1YhZ3sABBE&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.576" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/576.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="120" height="90" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br />Check out Mel and Patti Talking about Rain barrels!</span></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK8"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(102, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.taunton.com%2Fonlinestore%2Fstoreitem.html%3Fiid%3D17267%26cid%3D500%26pcid%3D476%26vid%3D20060723001&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.610" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/610.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="320" height="392" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;">GROW VOL 2!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Expert Advice! Patti Moreno, nationally known as the Garden Girl, provides how-to help on growing heirloom tomatoes and other vintage vegetables. She also offers sage advice on organic/sustainable practices for going green in your garden. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> Just a Taste of What's Inside:<br />Here, you'll find expert, how-to help for growing lots of your garden favorites. Enjoy the satisfaction from seeing your crops go from the garden patch to dinner plate: </span><br /><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Strawberries all summer long </div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Pumpkins good enough to eat</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Tasty muskmelons and sweet carrots<br /><br /></div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">Edible flowers to sparkle up a salad</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">And simple recipes, too!</div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> A Lasting Reference! Grow, Vol. 2 is definitely a "keeper" because it's packed with invaluable help home gardeners will go back to season after season: </span><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">how to prune tomatoes</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">keeping your harvest fresh</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">attracting good bugs</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">keep out the biggest pests: deer</div> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Palatino Linotype,Book Antiqua,Palatino,Times New Roman,Times,serif;">and much, much more</div><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.taunton.com%2Fonlinestore%2Fstoreitem.html%3Fiid%3D17267%26cid%3D500%26pcid%3D476%26vid%3D20060723001&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">ORDER YOURS NOW! FREE SHIPPING </a><br /> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK10"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><img src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/stock1/9k1t0o6x.jpg" align="left" border="0" width="236" height="300" /> <span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">HR 875 what does it mean to the local and backyard grower/producer?</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> By Frederick Dunn</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Today more than ever, people want control over what they breath, drink and most importantly, eat. This is why Urban "Sustainable" Living is a rising tide to those green thumbed backyarders and livestock savvy folks in this country. Driven by the desire to grow, live and eat healthy. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> With all the media buzz around good foods gone bad, such as peanuts, greens and most recently, even pistachio nuts, the public is demanding better regulation and safety checks from their government. So, the U.S. Government is responding, with new regulations, bundled into H.R. 875.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> It's easy to scan over this proposal and panic if things are taken out of context. The panic is on the part, based on my reading of online blogs from backyard produce folks, of those who think big brother will stop them from producing and sharing/selling their own home grown produce. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <img src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/stock1/5s6i5k9c.jpg" align="right" border="0" />The first thing which is thrown to the fore, are the consequences, fines... up to $1,000,000.00 per violation and up to 5 years in prison! Based on my reading of the proposal, this document covers large food producers and other sources for foods intended for human consumption. Would that include a local farmer's market, or Aunt Janet's corn and tomato stand along route 89? Possibly, but in proportion to the scale of the operation and level of violation only. So, no, you are NOT going to lose your farm because you've decided to sell some surplus produce at your road side stand. There is also, to my knowledge, no specific mention of undue measures being strapped to the backs of the local organic grower.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The design and intent of the bill, based on my understanding, is to give more teeth to regulation of large scale growers, in and outside the United States, in the event of food born illness. It forces them to retain solid records of all food origins and a paper trail from source to consumption. I think Aunt Janet knows that her corn and tomatoes have come from her garden, fertilized by her free range chickens and carted to her very local point of sale. Anyone having made their produce purchase, and becoming ill from that sweet pepper, will have an easy time tracing it back to the source. Not so easy with some of the produce currently occupying a grocery chain shelf. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <img src="http://img.constantcontact.com/ui/stock1/8s2w9y2b.jpg" align="left" border="0" />Our law makers are hearing plenty from those small scale growers and producers, all concerned about having to implement industrial control measures, potentially putting them out of business. The result is, again based on my current reading, that the bill will not survive as is. That revisions/addendums will be required to protect the small scale producer from undue cost and regulation. There is NO evidence, that locally grown produce, represents a threat to human consumption on the scale which would require new regulation.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> A new proposal is already in the works, according to law makers... H.R. 759 for example. In this bill, small producers/business would be exempt from the higher costs associated with larger scale players in the food industry. For the record, there are currently several bills being considered regarding new regulation of the food industry. There is breathing room and time for debate. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The bottom line is the public tends to trust locally grown and harvested foods over those which are imported. Buying locally produced foods, is a predictable result of a lack of trust in the safety of our produce... even more so, the growing of your own food, on your own plot, without any middle person whatsoever. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The desire for foods which cannot be grown in your area, or which are out of season, will still bring the consumer to the primary grocery market in your area. When we go there, we want our food to be safer than it has been in recent history. This is the driving force behind new and more potent regulation. Let's just not shut down Aunt Janet in the process. ("></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Frederick J. Dunn</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fredsfinefowl.com&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">www.FredsFineFowl.com</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Want to talk about the HR 875 Good, Bad or Ugly go to the Message board and leave a post!</a><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.govtrack.us%2Fcongress%2Fbilltext.xpd%3Fbill%3Dh111-875&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Read the Bill Here</a></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><br /></span></div> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <a name="LETTER.BLOCK10"> </a><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Enter to win a <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Sunstick </a>Today a True Miracle Tool!</span><br /><br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.603" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/603.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></a>This months contest is for a super easy to use product (a miracle product for newbies) that can save you years worth of trial and error. It's called the sunstick, and it is super simple. You simply place it in the ground where you plan to have a garden and it will let you know the quantity and quality of the light in your garden.<br /><br />I can't tell you how many plants I have killed by not planting the right types of plants in the right spot.<br /><br />To enter this contest all you have to do is sign up for a Youtube account, and rate, comment and favorite one of the recently released videos above. If you already have an account no problem, simply rate, favorite and comment a video. Don't forget to send me an email that tells me which video you commented on!<br /><br />We have FIVE of these which makes the odds of winning very good. You can increase your odds of winning by commenting on more videos, limit of five entries per person please. Thank you and Go Sunstick!<br /></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK12"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK12" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"><span style="font-size:6;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eattheview.org&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.575" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/575.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="250" height="294" /></a>Kitchen Gardeners International </span><br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fft2garden.powweb.com%2Fsinfonian%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">By Richard Davies</a><br /><br /> Victory gardens, freedom gardens, recession gardens, sustainable gardens, or kitchen gardens. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. What you call it isn't as important as having one and growing home grown delights in it! That's what Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International believes. Instead of recession gardeners growing food to take a bite out of their strapped budgets, Kitchen Gardeners are self-described "foodies" that grow their own food to insure the finest quality and freshness. In that way, people everywhere can relocalize their food supply. What a great way to think about what we all do!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> I for one can relate well to Mr. Doiron's goals and methods. Even though I started my garden as a stress relieving hobby, I soon was thanking my good fortune in hindsight when I heard about tainted spinach and the like, resulting in proposed laws requiring produce be irradiated before it gets to market! My garden is less than 10 feet from my back door and during the harvesting seasons, dinner can be planned around what I bring in fresh from five minutes in my organic kitchen garden.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2Fkitchengardeners&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.605" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/605.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="280" height="211" /></a>Another admirable goal of Kitchen Gardeners International is to unite people of common ideas for the betterment of the world. Personally, I have met dozens of like-minded garden buddies out there from all over the United States and the world. Sharing ideas, research, trials and successes, we have each grown as people and as gardeners.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> It's staggering to think that through World War II, as much as 25% of the food production in the United States was home-based, falling to almost 0% today. One thing that kept the home food production so high in the early 1900s was the government's Victory Garden programs designed to make American families self-sufficient to allow for more food to be shipped to soldiers overseas. It is clear that we need something similar again to get back to some meaningful number, if not 25%.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> Sure, there have been many grass roots groups working diligently to build support for growing even a portion of your family's food at home, getting government support and backing is crucial to the efforts. Roger Doiron and KGI have done more than most to work to get the Obamas to turn the South Lawn of the White House into an 1,100 SF kitchen garden to raise 55 organic vegetables for use by the First Family and even for state dinners! Maybe, just maybe, this will help give folks the motivation to turn a small southern facing section of their yard into their very own kitchen garden.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> If you haven't checked out what Roger Doiron and his group of like-minded gardeners helping gardeners are doing, you really should. In fact, I plan on spending August 23rd this year, otherwise known as Kitchen Garden Day, enjoying gardens in my area and sharing what we grow. </span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitchengardeners.org%2F&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.604" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/604.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="500" height="255" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Sylfaen,Book Antiqua,Times New Roman,Times,serif;"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold;">Be sure to <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitchengardeners.org%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">click on the links </a>and thank Roger for all his hard work!</span><br /> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK20" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:6;">Recent Video Live on the Web</span></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dripworks.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.598" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/598.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="160" height="600" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br />Check it out, and be sure to rate, comment and favorite the videos. <span style="font-size:180%;">Win a FREE SUNSTICK by commenting and rating videos, check out the contest info below.</span> And don't forget to Save Water, </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Time and the Planet with Dripworks irrigation pro</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ducts.<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.601" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/601.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">How to prepare fried squash flowers</a></span><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.599" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/599.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrvD1igr5Rf0&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">How To MakePesto Sauce!</a></span><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do1YhZ3sABBE&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.600" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/600.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="200" height="225" /></a></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Do1YhZ3sABBE&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">April Square Foot Gardening Tips</a><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK21" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Enter to win a <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Sunstick</a> Today a True Miracle Tool!</span><br /><br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gosunstick.com&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.603" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/603.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" /></a>This months contest is for a super easy to use product (a miracle product for newbies) that can save you years worth of trial and error. It's called the sunstick, and it is super simple. You simply place it in the ground where you plan to have a garden and it will let you know the quantity and quality of the light in your garden.<br /><br />I can't tell you how many plants I have killed by not planting the right types of plants in the right spot.<br /><br />To enter this contest all you have to do is sign up for a Youtube account, and rate, comment and favorite one of the recently released videos above. If you already have an account no problem, simply rate, favorite and comment a video. Don't forget to send me an email that tells me which video you commented on!<br /><br />We have FIVE of these which makes the odds of winning very good. You can increase your odds of winning by commenting on more videos, limit of five entries per person please. Thank you and Go Sunstick!<br /></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK14"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK14" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:6;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:7;">Annie's Annuals: </span><br />a cottage gardener's dream</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> by: Annie Spiegelman </span><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dirtdiva.com&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">www.dirtdiva.com</a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.577" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/577.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="240" height="241" />Many years ago, when I was a goody-two-shoes student sitting in the front row of my Master Gardening class, Annie Hayes, owner of Annie's Annuals Nursery, came to speak to us horticultural wannabe's. There she was, Missy Botanist, proudly standing in front of the classroom holding up her healthy, hearty plants and spewing off the Latin names, while most of us gardening eggheads could barely recall the common name. At the time, we both had just given birth to baby boys. While she appeared angelic, blissful, ecstatic, I looked like a sleep-deprived, tearful junkie desperately searching for an emergency escape hatch, a grand siesta or a hotel mini-bar. But I digress . . </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Featured in Fine Gardening, House and Garden, Horticulture and Sunset magazines, nursery owner, Annie Hayes, like yours truly, is a flower fanatic or as her company t-shirt reads, a "Flower Floozie." She was passionate about a gardening hobby that now has become a 2 1/2 acre "growing" nursery in Richmond, California. The nursery has one of the largest selections of California and US native plants, annual wildflowers and cottage garden perennials anywhere. I highly recommend that native plants be a large part of your backyard landscape because many are drought tolerant, most need minimal maintenance and all of them are attractive to native birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. It's all good, Baby!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> At the growing nursery, the team grows most of their plants from seed without a greenhouse. If you have ever grown plants from seed, you may have found out as I did: it isn't so simple. I believe some people have a knack for it and some don't. I don't. The growing conditions have to be just right and you can't forget about your vulnerable seedlings for a week just because you get a call to go on assignment with Martha Stewart filming Northern California nurseries, as I did. (I also stopped breast-feeding to go on the road with Martha. What kind of mother does that? . . ) </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> These seedlings survive wind, rain, and sun so your plants are basically hardened off, healthy and strong when you purchase them. All of the plants are grown without the use of growth regulating hormones, which are commonly used on plants you buy from large-scale growers. The growth hormones slow done the growth and extend the shelf life at the store and can lead to substandard results later on. The philosophy at the nursery is organic gardening. " Good gardening is about good soil. Topdressing your soil with compost regularly is all you really have to do," says Annie Hayes. "Rich soil and proper watering makes plants grow so healthy, vigorous and pest free. Who needs chemical fertilizer?"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.606" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/606.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="240" height="297" />Many of us home gardeners share the same enthusiasm for the look of the dreamy cottage garden. When I moved into my house over ten years ago, I was determined to compete with the suburban lots of my neighbors who enjoy gnomes, trolls, pink pelicans and plastic reindeer on their lawns year round. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . . But I was looking for a more natural haven, less populated by man-made animals. At many California nurseries, I found the Annie's Annuals tags and found a great variety of annuals or perennials that share the natural grace and charm I was looking for. Above each plant species there's a color photograph of what your 4 inch plant will turn into come spring or summer. The plants look as Mother Nature intended them to be; tall, flowering, flowing in the breeze and looking happy! This is rarely found at the big chain store nurseries where plants look crowded, neglected and miserable. Sort of like NYC subway riders, chain-smoking, cursing, mumbling; waiting for the A train just a wee bit too long at the station. And unlike many modern hybrids, a majority of Annie's Annuals' old-fashioned annuals self-sow easily again and again, year after year. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> The growing nursery in Richmond is open for shopping Thursdays through Sundays. Plant-a-holics living far away can order online from the website and from the beautiful color catalogue. You can sign up to be on the catalogue mailing list by going to www.AnniesAnnuals.com. Once there, you can also view the lovely plant slideshow but be forewarned. You'll want to buy everything, immediately. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><table class="PromotionBG" style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(51, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK22" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" target="_blank"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.597" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/597.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="104" height="390" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olivebarn.com%2Fpatti-moreno-gardengirl.html&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Buy Patti Moreno's DVD at Olive Barn, featuring hours of never before seen video, only $19.99 plus shipping and handling.</a></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">"Patti excels at providing real solutions to real problems that gardeners everywhere face. Her organic approaches show that success is achievable and compatible with the demands of real life." <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steve Aitken- Managing Editor Fine Gardening Magazine</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">"Patti Moreno's passion gets you fired up to grow and eat the organic way, and then she shows you how in simple steps that transform aspiration into a garden of earthly delights. Best of all, Patti's videos make the process of learning and doing pure fun."<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scott Meyer- Managing Editor Organic Gardening Magazine </span></span><br /><br /><br /></span> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table><a name="LETTER.BLOCK16"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" bg border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="font-size:6;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Tahoma,Arial,sans-serif;">Double Digging Garden Beds</span></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" >By KitsapFG</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modernvictorygarden.com&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">www.modernvictorygarden.com</a><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" >If you are interested in creating raised beds using your native soil then you may want to try double digging. Double-dug, raised beds are highly productive because the process loosens the soil up to a depth of 24 inches allowing roots to penetrate more deeply and creates a raised, very well amended bed. It is one of the secrets to a seriously productive garden. I will be straight up with you though - this is really hard work! The good news is - that if you double dig your bed and then avoid walking on the growing bed soil, amend with compost regularly, and occasionally use a U-Bar/Broadfork or garden spade to lift and aerate - then you should never have to double dig that bed again. If you are creating new beds or trying to rejuvenate a garden bed, I would encourage you to give double digging a try. </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" ><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.580" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/580.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="280" height="210" /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br />1) Start at one end of the area and dig a one-shovel-deep trench across the width of the plot. I use a garden spade to do my double digging. (This is an existing 8 foot by 4 foot long garden bed that is being extended with another 4 feet of bed area.)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.579" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/579.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="280" height="210" /><br /><br /><br /><br />2) Place the soil in a wheelbarrow as you dig the first trench and set it aside for now. You will need this soil during the last stage of the double dig process.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.581" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/581.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="280" height="210" /><br /><br /><br /><br />3) At the bottom of the trench, thoroughly loosen the soil with a garden fork or spade. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.582" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/582.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="280" height="210" /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4) Add several inches of quality, finished compost to the bottom of the trench.</span><br /><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.584" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/584.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="280" height="210" /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br />5) Sprinkle rock minerals into the bottom of the trench as needed and indicated for your soil. My soil tends to be acidic and generally requires phosphorous and to a lesser degree potassium. I use a handful each of dolomitic lime (adjusts ph and adds calcium), rock phosphate, and greensand to the bottom of the trench. Do not get carried away with amendments - a light dusting is more than sufficient and too much can cause imbalances that will give you grief later on. </span><br /><br /><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.586" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/586.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="320" height="240" />6) Use your garden fork to mix the compost and rock minerals into the soil at the bottom of the trench. I use a lifting motion to ensure I am mixing and aerating the soil at the same time.</span><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br />7) Next, dig another trench beside the first - placing the soil from the second trench into the first. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 8) Loosen the soil in the bottom of the second trench and amend it in the same manner as done in the first. Continue this process until the entire garden area has been completed. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.608" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/608.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="left" border="0" width="280" height="210" /><br /><br />9) Fill the final trench with the soil from the first that you set aside in the wheelbarrow.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <br />10) Rake the top of the bed to level the soil out and break up any clods. Add a layer of good finished compost to the top of the soil. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <br /><br />11) Sprinkle another light dusting of rock minerals on to the top layer of soil over the compost (same as used in the lower trench portions) and then use your garden fork to mix it into the top few inches of soil.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 12) Do a final raking to smooth the bed and you are done!</span><img name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.609" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs093/1101587862296/img/609.jpg?a=1102540225071" align="right" border="0" width="280" height="210" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <br />This bed is now ready to be planted up. The soil is loose, full of organic matter, and well mineralized. Notice how much more volume the soil has from the original soil that was in the bed at the start? This aeration and amendment process dramatically improves the texture and quality of the growing bed. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br /> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" valign="top" width="100%"> <br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left" width="100%"> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK17" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_QuickLinksTitle"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><b>Quick Links...</b></span></span> <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <div><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Garden Girl TV</a><br /><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fastore.amazon.com%2Falternativeenergy04-20%3F_encoding%3DUTF8%26node%3D17&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Urban Sustainable Living Buyers Gide</a><br /></div> <div><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Messageboard</a></div> <div><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbansustaibableliving.com&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Back Issues</a></div> <div><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegetablegardener.com%2F&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Vegetable Gardener</a></div> </span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table style="margin-bottom: 10px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK18" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_MainText" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#006600;" > <span style="font-size:180%;"><a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=proji9cab.0.0.yyub76bab.0&ts=S0391&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gardengirltv.com%2Fmessageboard%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D712&id=preview" linktype="link" target="_blank">Visit with Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, here is this months appearance schedule. 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