How are local growers doing?

 Have you been wondering how local growers (farmers, dairies, seed growers, and cooperatives) are doing?  Well those of us close to it wonder about it all the time.  We are constantly told that more and more people are "buying local" and want to raise their families knowing their farmer. There is a great site out there that allows you to search by location (zip code, city or state) to find farmers near you.  

Local Harvest:  www.localharvest.org

For those of you who sell your own agricultural products, this site also has a way for you to list items in a "store".  In all disclosure, Frog Pond Gardens has a store on Local Harvest, but I've found it a useful tool to find other farmers and growers near my home here in eastern Massachusetts.  It lists Farmers Markets and CSAs as well!

2010 - The year to go Organic

So you've made your new year's resolutions (mine is to be more patient, something I've already fallen down on), and you want to exercise more and eat better.  I have the solution!  Start your own garden and grow your own vegetables.  Whether you are in the city and grow in containers or create a 4' by 8' garden bed in your side yard - or something even bigger, you CAN grow seeds.  Here is a picture of some seeds in my planting area - a sunny south facing window.

Urban and suburban gardening is becoming hip, and there are lots of resources out there to help you.  One of my favorites is You Grow Girl.  If you want to buy seeds, there are a lot of great resources, my own little seed shop on Etsy Frog Pond Gardens or any of the EtsyPHAT team members (search etsyPHAT) have good, chemical free seeds that are "hand grown".  My web site is Frog Pond Gardens. 


There are also a ton of amazing commercial seed companies out there, including:

Territorial Seed specializing in seeds for the Pacific Northwest
High Mowing Seeds in Vermont
Johnny's Selected Seeds in Maine
Seed Saver Exchange in Iowa, THE leader in preserving heirloom varieties

To get started here are the simple steps:
1) buy seed, review the instructions for growing (should you start inside, or plant directly outside when soil is warm enough)
2) to start inside -
  a)    plant seeds in a container (can be as simple as a frozen food container, yogurt containers, or other small container);
  b)   cover with plastic wrap or plastic cover (try an empty plastic bottle with the bottom cut off) that will keep the seeds moist
  c)   watch them grow!
  d)   transplant into the garden when warm enough
3) Seeds commonly started inside include:  salad greens, swiss chard, tomatoes, greens, green and hot peppers, and many others.  Generally, plant inside one or two months ahead of planting time.  For example, if you plant in May, start seeds inside in early March. 

Is it really like Julie and Julia?

During the snowy and cold weather here in Massachusetts, and in between holiday events, my husband and I watched the charming movie Julie and Julia.  It made me feel nostalgic for those days in my 20s when life was simpler.  It also gave me pause about writing a blog and the "putting yourself out there", about which I have some reservations.  I am happier to write more in detail here, for example, than I am on Facebook.  I think it is that this allows for a more thoughtful, more nuanced information - more than just "I am bored watching the snow fall" as a status update.

The most recent news about Frog Pond Gardens is that we have been accepted as Certified Naturally Grown, http://www.naturallygrown.org which is a grassroots alternative to the USDA National Organic Program -- i.e. the "official" organic certification.  The USDA certification only applies to growers making more than $5,000 a year in sales - not my league.  However, the general sense of many ecologically minded gardeners is that  the term "organic" has lost some of its meaning.  Additionally, small growers cannot keep up with the fees and book keeping needed to maintain that level of certification.  Some of the independent seed sellers (like Fedco in Maine, http://www.fedcoseeds.com) are marking their seeds as "ECO" for ecologically grown (no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or GMO) which they label seeds sourced from their small growers.

Et tu Blogger

Yes - a Blog for Frog Pond Gardens...I've joined the throngs who have something to say. I'm not sure I DO have anything useful to say, but that isn't stopping me.

The purpose of this Blog is to share information about Organic & Heirloom gardening, saving seeds, and growing (perhaps even propagating) your own plants.

The plan is to provide useful and organized information - on this site, and with links to the wonderful sites that already exist.

There will be opportunity for readers to jump into gardening by ordering seeds from my shop on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/frogpondgardens.com as well!