Compost Confidential

Gardening needs a face lift

With Christmas behind us, I’m ready to move on. We can shelve the standard holiday topics for a while: forcing bulbs, turning poinsettias red again, taking care of live Christmas trees and which is greener…real or artificial trees? I’ve written about all of these at least once including some within the past few weeks. Even the topic of which Christmas tree is more eco-friendly was a popular topic. I certainly weighed in on this one with podcast interviews, articles and blog posts. I even saw a YouTube video on it. It’s interesting to note that we must be making some progress on the environmental front since this was a topic I had not seen until recently.

Now it’s on to topics such as how to buy seeds from a catalog and starting them indoors for an early start to your spring garden. Don’t get me wrong. Although I say this with a tad of sarcasm, when you’ve been writing gardening articles for a long time, you’re looking for new material. Yet in the dead of winter, there’s only so much timely material on gardening.

So for me, in 2009 and beyond, I’ll look to push the envelope with this blog and in my other forums as a gardening communicator. There is no shortage of how-to articles out there on any subject you can imagine, especially gardening. It’s time to add a new dimension.  There’s a lot more to gardening than how to dig the proper hole or when to prune your azaleas. In the light of a shrinking media platform that is devoting the airways and print space to the virtues of gardening, we’ll do it here in the blogosphere and elsewhere on the World Wide Web. I’m excited about being a part of where you come to stay in touch and in the know.

Thank you for your past and continued support and I welcome your comments on what you’d like to see get more coverage in the upcoming months. Cheers.

JL

Real vs. Artificial Trees, What’s the ‘Greener’ Choice for Christmas?

For the first twenty something years of my life, real Christmas trees were the only option I ever knew. And frankly, artificial trees were so depressingly plastic-looking back then, I’m glad it was never an issue in my house. Then something happened. As a thirty-something, we bought a house that had a very tall ceiling and screamed for a tree that was nearly as tall. But after one year of spending nearly $200 on a 12-foot real tree, I knew something had to give.

It didn’t take a math wizard to understand how quickly one can go broke paying for $200 trees each year when today’s fake trees look so realistic. Besides, now they come pre-lit, assemble in three easy pieces and store in a sturdy cardboard box. And just think of all the trees I’d save over the years.  We did our shopping, found an artificial tree we liked and made the investment. I felt pretty good about knowing I’d never have to buy another ‘throw-away’ tree again and I’d be doing something good for the environment too.

Wrong! Every eco-friendly thing I thought I was doing in defense of buying an artificial tree went out the window. Here are a few of the reasons why as noted in a recent conversation I had with Rick Dungey, Public Relations Manager for the National Christmas Tree Association:

Artificial trees never biodegrade
One of the most common reasons for buying an artificial tree is their longevity. Although artificial trees can last for years, eventually they are discarded where they remain in a landfill forever more. Fake trees are non-biodegradable so they never break down.

Artificial trees include potentially harmful material
Part of what makes artificial trees so sturdy are the components used in their construction. PVC plastics are made from petroleum by products, heavy metals are used to stabilize the plastics and the metal branches are mined from the earth. In California, warning labels are even required on artificial trees to alert users of the potential risk of hazardous materials…including lead.

Artificial trees are imported thousands of miles
Buying local and supporting area businesses doesn’t apply to artificial trees. Most are made in China, shipped across the Pacific and then travel many more miles to reach their final destination.

They're shipped in cardboard boxes!
How many trees do they kill each year to make the boxes to ship the fake trees?

Now, having pretty much bashed the fake Christmas tree industry, I certainly recognize there are circumstances where artificial trees are more appropriate for certain users and I respect that. However, when the opportunity presents itself for those that do have an option, think twice before opting for artificial Christmas trees as the greener option, because they’re not. Your thoughts?

Joe Lamp'l

NPR "Talking Plants"? Hardly, Now That One of Their Best is Laid Off

I could start this post off by asking the question “What is going on?!?” However, being in the business of making it my business to know about trends in gardening and horticulture, I think I know. This weekend I checked in on some of my favorite heroes of the gardening blogosphere and saw a new post from Ketzel Levine from her Talking Plants Blog. Her latest post was titled “Talking Unemployment”. I assumed she was touching on a common topic these days; the fate of the nursery industry feeling the pinch of this economy, or something to that effect. But I had no idea the words I was about to read were in reference to her own personal situation.

As a senior correspondent, Levine’s history with NPR dates back nearly 30 years with assignments covering everything from sports to interviews with high-profile celebrities. Yet the only Ketzel I knew was the one who in more recent years covered stories that brought critical attention to horticulture and climate change in a highly entertaining and insightful way. Not surprising when you learn that in 1990 she turned in her NPR staff ID (temporarily) to study horticulture and landscape design.

It was just last year that she added her own NPR blog, “Talking Plants” giving us all, one more opportunity to enjoy her one-of-a-kind style.  Even a visit to her NPR bio describes her blog as a place “where her trademark wit and irreverence – and her passion for plants – have free reign”.  Unfortunately, as of January 12, 2009, that won’t happen at NPR. She’s been laid off. It’s very sad to know that media considers gardening and horticulture such a dispensable topic. In its wake, we are losing yet another very talented and public voice on behalf of the subjects we consider so important. I guess not everyone sees it the same way. Such a shame!

JL

p.s. Ketzel Levine will certainly land on both feet and hit the ground running, and we all have that to look forward to. And Ketzel, if you happen to read this, I’d love to post a follow up on where we can find you.  In the mean time, thank you for all you’ve done on behalf of your listeners and readers everywhere. We’ll be waiting.

Project Orange Thumb Shines Brightly in This Florida Extreme Garden Makeover

 What do you get when you combine passionate company employees, with a neighborhood intensely interested in revitalizing their community, but with little money to do anything about it?  Well in this case, an extreme garden makeover, compliments of the Fiskars Company, Project Orange Thumb. Today was the third installation of a major garden this year by Team Orange, along with the help of Home Depot, Leu Gardens and neighbors from this Orlando Florida church and surrounding community. And once again, I had the privilege and opportunity to be a part of this project, from plan all the way through to completion.

The site for this project was the corner lot of the Miracle Tabernacle Full Gospel Church. For years, it has served as the anchor and safe haven in an area of town otherwise known for its share of challenges. However, in recent years, the need has become even greater for another type of miracle like this to revitalize the community as well as this rather barren and neglected site. And according to the many dignitaries in attendance at today’s garden dedication, that’s exactly what they got. Amidst tornado warnings, gusting winds and torrential rains, over 50 people worked unceasingly to see this garden transformation through to completion with time to spare before the 3:00 pm dedication.

What culminates with the beehive of activity on installation day is really the manifestation of a well-orchestrated and intensely coordinated event that begins months in advance. But for a garden makeover of this magnitude to be completed in just a matter of hours requires not only careful planning but also the herculean efforts of all the volunteers on the actual workday. Yet no matter how thorough the planning or great the pep talk, you still can’t control the weather. But it didn’t matter. There was no stopping the determined volunteers set on seeing this garden completed on schedule, no matter what Mother Nature had in store. Ironically, although much of the day was spent under a steady downpour, by mid afternoon, the skies cleared and the sun shined brightly on this garden and all who had come to celebrate it’s completion. What a fitting bit of symbolism for the fresh start and bright future that’s sure to come as the result of Project Orange Thumb’s impression left here today.

JL

for more great photos click here

Organic Kitchen Garden at the White House

My friend Charlie Nardozzi is today’s guest blogger. He’s a respected horticulturalist that shares his expertise through television, radio, books and articles. He presently is the senior horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening Association (NGA).

Amidst a torrent of bad economic news there are some bright lights shining. One that is close to my heart and stomach is food gardening. People are starting to grow some of their own food again. I’m not surprised because historically, whenever, the economy goes down, vegetable gardening goes up. But there are other forces at work in this edible gardening renaissance. People are vegetable gardening not only to save money, but to create a personal lifestyle.  Yes, you can save hundreds of dollars in food costs by growing your own vegetables in as small as a 200 square foot garden.  And absolutely home grown veggies taste better and are more nutritious. But a garden is also a way to take control over some aspect of your life. With home grown veggies you know the quality of the food you’re eating. Plus, a garden is a way to reduce pollution, create wildlife habitat, and reduce your carbon footprint.  By growing a veggie garden you’ll reduce the amount of produce that needs to be shipped across the country to your home, reducing our energy needs and pollution.

Many gardeners know all these benefits and more. I often feel like we’re preaching to the choir when talking about this subject. The question is how do we spread the word about gardening and make it not just a trend until the hard times pass, but a piece of the new fabric of an American life. That’s where Barack Obama and the first family come in.

I’ve joined a movement to petition president-elect Obama to build an organic kitchen garden at the White House. Think of the symbolism and precedent it would set! A White House Kitchen Garden would say more about the president’s policies on food, hunger, energy, and the environment than any speech he could make.  The food grown there could be used to feed White House guests and support the local food shelf. I can already see Sasha and Malia skipping through the garden picking strawberries and cherry tomatoes. A White House kitchen garden would inspire thousands of people across the country to grow vegetables in their yards, community gardens, and schools.

A garden at the White House is not without precedent. Eleanor Roosevelt grew Victory Gardens at the White House during World War II. Woodrow Wilson grazed ship on the White House lawn in the early 1900’s. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other early U.S. presidents had vegetable gardens to feed the White House staff. There’s 18 acres of White House grounds. How about taking a few hundred feet of those grounds for an organic vegetable garden?

So how do we start? Simple. Go the Eat the View website  and sign the petition to get an edible garden on the White House grounds. Perhaps more importantly though, grow an edible garden in your own yard this spring. Start small, grow what you like to eat, and do it with friends and family.
The change happens one step at a time. This is a time of change in America and we have a chance to place a new stamp on how we live with the planet and each other. Join the cause and eat the view.

Charlie Nardozzi

To learn more about Charlie Nardozzi, Call (802-863-5251 x105), or e-mail Charlien@garden.org