April
2001
"When proud-pied April, dress'd in all his trim, Hath put a
spirit of youth in every thing... "
-- William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
Spring fever yet? The smells are intoxicating; the sights - breathtaking;
the sounds - awesome. There is such life coming forth from the earth
that we can't help but be reminded of our own. May we all find in this
month the renewed energy that springtime can spark in us.
Did you spend March waiting for a break in the rain, or waiting for
the soil to dry out a bit, so that you could plant those luscious plants
you found at your favorite nursery? Many of us who endured last summer's
severe drought (and the summer before, and...) don't really want to
complain about the rain. However, here's hoping that April will retain
some lower springtime temperatures, while allowing us some sunshine
to work in the garden or landscape. Many folks may not even realize
that it is best not to work the soil when it is wet. Digging in wet
soil can ruin soil texture for years. The shovel or other digging tool
forces soil particles together into solid clumps, destroying that "chocolate
cake" texture for which we are striving.
April is the month to "feed" our landscape. "Feeding" is somewhat of
a misnomer for fertilizing. Plants don't really get food from us; they
produce their own food through that miraculous process called photosynthesis.
(A great way to learn more about this process, and other fascinating
things going on behind the scenes in our garden, is to read the book
Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon). What our plants do need from us
is the proper organic fertilizer, which will give them the nutrients
they need while preserving their allies: the soil microbes and soil
tilth. The only way to be sure of exactly what nutrients your soil needs,
the first step is to get a soil test. Call Texas Plant and Soil Lab
in Edinburg, Texas at (956) 383-0739 or go to visit
them on the web.
What's in a fertilizer? Every product labeled "fertilizer" will have
three numbers on the package. The numbers correspond to the amounts
of the three main nutrients needed for plant health and growth: Nitrogen
- Phosphorus - Potassium (N-P-K), in that order. The numbers refer to
the percent of each nutrient contained in the fertilizer. Nitrogen is
for green leafy growth. Phosphorus is for root growth, as well as flower
and fruit development. Potassium, also known as potash, contributes
to stem strength and cold hardiness. For example, if a fertilizer is
labeled 6-8-4, there is 6% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus, and 4% potassium,
for a total of 18% of the main nutrients. The other 82% would be considered
"inert" ingredients as far as N,P, & K are concerned. However, as we
compare chemical or synthetic fertilizers versus organic fertilizers,
we can see a big difference in how those "inert" ingredients affect
our plants.
What are the differences between chemical and organic fertilizers?
Isn't nitrogen the same whether it comes from a chemical source or an
organic source? As my fellow Agriculture student and friend from A&M
once said, "The plant can't tell the difference - nitrogen is nitrogen!"
I didn't have the knowledge then to argue, but now I understand why
I "just knew" that I would choose organic.
As mentioned in last month's issue, at the heart of plant health are
those microorganisms and earthworms in the soil, since they digest and
aerate the soil and make nutrients available to the plants on a consistent
basis. When nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium come from compost, bone
meal, bat guano, fish meal, alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, and the dozens
of other organic sources, they feed the plant as well as the soil microbes
and "macrobes." When we think about our plants "in the wild," if we
weren't there to fertilize them, how would they get their nutrients
anyway? Plants have evolved since the beginning of time to derive their
nutrients from decomposed plant and animal matter and the native rocks,
such as those ingredients listed above. Therefore, the "inert" ingredients
in any good organic fertilizer are far from inert. As Howard Garrett
says in his Texas Organic Gardening Book, "100% of the ingredients in
the bag is food for the soil. (Organic fertilizers) contain at least
some quantity of all the trace minerals the soil and plants need. ...
Organic fertilizers also contain carbon, organic matter, humus (which
is decomposed organic matter), and most of these products also contain
hormones, enzymes, and beneficial fungi and bacteria." Just for fun,
let's list the other thirteen elements besides nitrogen, phosphorus,
and potassium which are essential for all plants, as described by David
K. Northington and J.R. Goodin in The Botanical World: carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, sulfur, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, boron,
molybdenum, and chlorine. The last six are considered microelements,
or trace minerals, because they are needed by the plant in lesser quantities
than the others. All of the nutrients in an organic fertilizer are supplied
to the plant in a relatively slow-release form, the dry organic fertilizers
often continuing to release nutrients for six weeks or more.
Chemical fertilizers, on the other hand, provide N-P-K in a readily
soluble form, delivered in a salt-based vehicle. Therefore, in a typical
20-20-20 or 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizer, the 40 - 70% "inert" matter
is often composed of salts and filler. Rodale's 1992 edition of the
Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening says, "Over time, soils treated only
with synthetic chemical fertilizers will have decreased organic matter
and altered biological activity. And as soil structure declines and
water holding capacity diminishes, a greater proportion of the soluble
chemical fertilizers applied will leach through the soil. Ever-increasing
amounts of chemicals will be needed to feed the plants." More and more
chemical fertilizer would also be needed because the microbes will not
be continuing to provide nutrition between fertilizer applications.
I describe the chemical regimen as being analogous to people trying
to live on junk food only. When we eat a candy bar or a Twinkie, we
might get an instant rush of quick energy, but it doesn't last long.
We might need more and more sugar to sustain that false energy, and
our whole bodily system would become stressed and break down.
In the book, Weeds, Control Without Poisons, author Charles Walters
shows how an imbalance of organic matter and nutrients, and even the
use of chemical herbicides, increases the weed problems in an area.
From a lifetime of study, he has learned that every weed indicates a
different problem in the soil, and that "the great overloads of chemical
poisons and herbicides... seemed to produce more weeds than they eliminated."
Therefore, a balanced organic regimen can help prevent weeds.
A final reason to use caution when considering synthetic fertilizers
is quite alarming. For several decades, another type of "filler" ingredient
in some synthetic fertilizers has been the toxic waste from such sources
as paper mills, incinerators, electronics plants, and steel mills. According
to the California Public Interest Research Group, "40 percent of some
200 fertilizer products sold in California between 1989 and 1995 contained
more lead, cadmium and arsenic than state-defined 'hazardous waste.'
" Other toxic wastes found in synthetic fertilizers are chromium, dioxin,
and mercury. This practice has gone virtually unregulated and none of
these ingredients are listed on the fertilizer label. For more information,
check out www.calpirg.org
and www.watoxics.org.
Getting back to the garden, when and how should we fertilize? Which
ratio of N-P-K should we use for which plants? Should we choose a dry
fertilizer, in powder or pellet form, or a liquid fertilizer, for soil
drench or foliar feeding?
The two most important times to fertilize are spring and fall. Giving
the plants the nutrients they need when they are actively growing of
course makes them look good, but also helps prevent stress, which would
attract more pests and diseases. In early fall, the added nutrients
allow plants to store up reserves for the winter and the subsequent
spring. It is not recommended to fertilize any new plantings of trees
and shrubs and larger landscape plants with nitrogen. New plants need
time to overcome transplant shock and to develop their root systems
first, before we push any top growth with nitrogen. Therefore, fertilize
with only phosphorus such as bone meal or rock phosphate, in the hole
at planting time, and water in with a seaweed solution, which contains
rooting hormones and trace minerals.
Which form of fertilizer you use depends on the type of plant, the
quality of the soil, and your own preferences. For the lawn, a dry fertilizer
provides more long-term benefits, and a pelletized form makes it easy
to apply in a spreader. Texas A&M University recommends a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2
ratio, indicating a higher percentage of nitrogen for green growth.
That could translate into a 6-2-4 fertilizer or, for example, the Ladybug
brand 8-2-4 lawn fertilizer. If you are just starting to use organic
fertilizers, you can use more than the recommended rate the first time
or two to build up the nutrients in the soil. To go the whole nine yards,
you can follow up with a topdressing of compost, one-half inch or less,
and water in with Medina Soil Activator, or Ladybug Terra Tonic. The
"whole nine yards" is especially recommended if chemical fertilizers
have been used in the past, since the compost will have microbes to
help break down salt and other chemical residues, and the soil activator
or Terra Tonic will also help that process. If you want to boost the
lawn further between fertilizing, you can foliar feed, in the morning
or evening only, with seaweed spray or Terra Tonic. The benefits of
seaweed are seen with more frequent use: it can be sprayed as often
as once a week. Terra Tonic should be used once or twice each season.
For long-term trace mineral availability, a supplement such as Volcanite,
basalt, or greensand should be added.
For flowering plants, fruit trees, or vegetable plants where you want
to produce a root (carrot, turnip), a flower (broccoli, cauliflower),
or a fruit (tomato, cucumber), look for a fertilizer with a higher middle
number. One such example is Rabbit Hill Farm brand's "Buds and Blooms"
6-8-4 fertilizer. This fertilizer is in powder form, and should be sprinkled
on the soil around the root zone of the plants, or tilled into a flower
or vegetable garden before planting. You might need to pull back the
existing mulch to apply directly to the soil. There is not a recommended
rate on the package, but a general rate of one pound per 100 square
feet should work nicely. This can be sprinkled on the soil, or scratched
into the surface a bit, and watered in. Native plants don't need much
fertilizer: one or two times a year should do it. For other plants,
such as annuals and vegetables, you might want to repeat the application
in another six weeks. Flowers, shrubs, trees, and especially vegetables
benefit from a regular foliar feeding of seaweed also. Some folks who
use seaweed regularly report they never get spider mites. Just like
the lawn, these plants benefit from the added minerals in Volcanite,
basalt, or greensand.
What about lettuce, greens, and herbs, where we are shooting for green
leaves, and not a bloom, root, or fruit? These plants can benefit from
the Ladybug 8-2-4 lawn fertilizer, too. Other organic fertilizers with
a higher first number (nitrogen) would work, also. If it is organic,
it matters not whether you plan to walk on the target plant or eat it.
A higher nitrogen fertilizer works well for non-flowering trees and
shrubs, too.
When would you use a liquid fertilizer? Many different kinds of liquid
fertilizers can be used for houseplants or other containerized plants,
for a quick boost to plants in the landscape, or for people who just
prefer liquid fertilizers. Fish emulsion (5-1-1) is the classic organic
liquid fertilizer, or you can use any one of the combinations of fish
and seaweed, made by several different companies. Medina Hasta-Gro is
a liquid fertilizer that, while not organic, is low-salt and low chemical.
Their formula 6-12-6 is for flowering plants, or root and fruit crops.
There is also a Hasta-Gro for lawns. Remember, the liquid fertilizers
will not benefit the soil as much as the slow-release, dry fertilizers.
You don't have to be an expert to mix up the perfect blend of organic
ingredients to fertilize your landscape or garden, unless you enjoy
that challenge. You can simply look for an organic fertilizer blend
which suits your needs, and watch your plants prosper. Don't forget
to take some time this month to just relax in your garden or landscape
to enjoy all the life you can find there!
April
2002
"The moment one gives close attention to anything,
even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably
magnificent world in itself."
-- Henry Miller (1891 - 1980), American author
"The more I can love everything-- the trees, the land, the water,
my fellow man, women, and children, and myself -- the more health
I am going to experience and the more of my real self I am going to
be."
-- O. Carl Simonton, M.D., author of Getting Well Again
Welcome to April in Texas! Old-timers don't need this reminder, but
if you happen to be new here, savor every morsel of this month and perhaps
part of May, because June, July, and August may be pure survival. April,
however, can be delicious. April is wildflowers, (hopefully) moderate
temperatures, and (hopefully) ample rainfall balanced with delectable
sunshine. This is the perfect month for us to be romping on God's green
earth doing all those activities we enjoy in the out-of-doors: kite-flying,
frisbeeing, soccer, rugby, golf, hiking, or simply laying about on a
small expanse of lawn. This is when we go without air conditioning in
our homes for as long as possible. We throw open those windows and let
the fresh, oxygenated air in-doors. We get to know the smell of real
air (as much as one can in the city, anyway): not heated air, not air
conditioned air, not air that is permeated with the subtle scents of
sheetrock, paint, carpet fumes, and last night's cooking. We can hear
the birds, the crickets, and perhaps if we are lucky, the toads, if
we leave our windows open.
On the other hand, if we leave our windows open in our homes or in
our cars, we are less isolated, less insulated and more awake and aware
of what might be wrong with our air. We smell the exhaust from all of
those one-car, one-driver commuters. We smell the exhaust from the many
polluting industries in our area, and we may understand why Austin,
Texas has some of the worst air in the nation.
From the Environmental Defense website, (www.environmentaldefense.org
or www.scorecard.org)
comes the following:
According to a new study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association, years of exposure to tiny airborne particles in
metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. significantly increase residents'
risk of dying from lung cancer and heart disease. Even though previous
studies have linked fine particles in the air to many respiratory ailments
and even death, this American Cancer Society study provides the strongest
evidence to date of the carcinogenic hazards of exposure to fine particles.
Each 10 microgram/m3 rise in fine particulate and sulfur oxide-related
pollution was associated with an approximate 6% rise in cardiopulmonary
mortality and 8% increased risk of lung cancer mortality.
Major sources of particulate matter in the US include power plants,
passenger vehicles, large diesel-powered trucks and buses, and construction
equipment.
Based on EPA's most current data, this county (Travis County) ranked
among the dirtiest/worst 10% of all counties in the US... 798,208 people
in TRAVIS County face a cancer risk more than 100 times the goal set
by the Clean Air Act.
The pollutants in our air that enable us to be ranked thusly include
carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compound emissions,
and sulfur dioxide.
This may be a surprise to some of us. Some of us may want to remain
insulated from this knowledge, but knowledge is power. The air we breathe
is meant to sustain life, not shorten it.
Customers are always bringing their plant samples to me, asking, "What's
wrong with my plant?" Every once in a while, someone brings a sample
of a native plant, usually a live oak, that has some unusual symptoms.
There are only a few things that will harm a native plant, and those
are oak wilt (on oaks), overwatering, and construction damage. There
is one set of symptoms, however, whose only explanation to me seems
to be air pollution. Some gardening books actually have a photo and
a list of symptoms of the effects of air pollution on plants. Heretofore,
when I thought about "air pollution," I thought about the industrial
northeast with their steel mills and the like. But after seeing these
same symptoms from the same hardy trees in the same general part of
town, I now think about our computer manufacturing businesses right
here in Austin. If you go to the Environmental Defense website, you
too can find out exactly who is polluting in our area (Motorola, City
of Austin...) and exactly what they are spewing. If our air is possibly
doing such damage to a sturdy tree, imagine our lungs?
While air pollution may not be a major impediment to our average gardening
experience, it may be a factor in determining how long our life of gardening
lasts. It is information worth knowing, and worth acting upon. May we
all take a moment this month to take one constructive action to reduce
our own pollution and/or pollution in our community.
Speaking of air pollution, let's talk about lawn mowing. I was surprised
to find so easily an article in my files that I have saved for twenty
years. It is from the Wall Street Journal, dated August 20, 1982. The
article is an amusing and thought-provoking piece entitled "The On-Growing
Crimes of Budding and Liebig" by Allen Lacy. You'll get the picture
from the following excerpt:
For some time I've been increasingly convinced that the world would
be a better place for gardeners if Edwin Budding and Justus Liebig,
two 19th century gentlemen with bright ideas, hadn't let these ideas
loose in public. Budding, and English engineer, invented the lawn mower,
a device to keep grass short. Liebig, a German science professor, invented
chemical fertilizer, a means to make it grow faster.
A moment's reflection is all it takes to see that these ideas are
at odds, but I reached my 47th year before I suddenly perceived their
contradiction. I was caught up in that most common and pervasive of
American suburban superstitions, the belief that the lawnless life is
not worth living.
…Last year, I began to feel some of those nagging doubts about
my behavior that seem to go along with reaching middle age. Was the
lawn serving me, or I it? Did I need a lawn at all? If so, how much?
The author Lacy goes on to explain that lawns are British in origin,
and were originally found on the "estates of English landed gentry,
and they were kept mown by cattle and sheep. The animals … also
provided fertilizer…" He also goes on to describe - quite humorously
- how he decided to cut the size of his lawn in half, and the surprise
of how he "saw the abstract number ‘sixteen cubic yards' (of mulch)
become a reality."
A nice lawn is essential for a game of croquet or "Red Rover, Red
Rover." There are the pleasures of simply rolling about on a nice cool
lawn in summer, or smelling a freshly mown lawn. For these reasons a
modest patch of lawn is worthwhile. However, there are many times when
I see or hear of homeowners who are at the mercy of a lawn that is way
too big for their needs. They are indeed serving The Lawn simply because
of an outmoded tradition, or cultural habit. I often suggest to customers
to minimize their lawn. Instead, plant shrubs, trees, perennials, ornamental
grasses - anything that doesn't require that constant input of mowing,
watering, fertilizing, mowing, aerating, disease control, mowing, watering,
weeding, topdressing, and insect control. Why do you think a lawn requires
such constant input? Monocultures do not exist in nature, therefore
those huge expanses of one species of plant - the St. Augustine or Bermuda
monocultures, for example - only invite problems because they are alien
to the laws of nature. Any time we fight the laws of nature, we are
bound to be in for an uphill battle, at best.
Therefore, this month, why not turn just one patch of lawn into a
perennial flower bed, a shrub bed, or recreate what might have been
there before we came? There are many choices of plantings that will
blend with any design. Do you have a formal look to your landscape?
Then choose some of the native or well-adapted plants that can be more
well-behaved. Some shrubs in this category, which may be pruned or not,
are burford holly, yaupon holly, cenizo or Texas sage, wax myrtle, and
eleagnus. Other choices which have a neat habit with no pruning are
the Texas mountain laurel and the red yucca. Similar choices in the
perennial category are pink skullcap, inland sea oats, and bi-color
iris, to name a few. We can't go wrong with planting more trees, either.
When choosing shrubs, trees or perennials, don't make the mistake
of creating another monoculture. Plant swaths of shrubs or perennials
in threes of the same kind, perhaps, but avoid a long row of the same
plant. Such monocultures are not only less appealing to the eye, but
if one plant is attacked by a disease or insect, they all will be. Diversity
is the name of the game.
If you don't have a formal design to your landscape, your plant choices
are almost limitless. To recreate what might have been here before our
ancestors arrived, consider your area. Austin is a unique crossroads
of at least two different ecosystems: the Blackland Prairie to the east
and the Hill Country to the west. This month we are eagerly anticipating
the return of "the bible" of all Texas landscaping books, Native Texas
Plants: Landscaping Region by Region by Sally and Andy Wasowski. This
book became rare and much sought-after when the publisher went out of
business about a year ago, and we have been awaiting its return ever
since. In it, we get the guidance we need to choose the right plants,
and the right design, for our particular ecosystem.
For additional inspiration, instruction, and just plain recreation,
the Lady Bird Wildflower Center is everyone's resource this month and
practically year-round. Even though by the time you read this, the Wildflower
Days/Spring Gardening Festival may already be over (April 6 and 7),
there is always something going on at the Wildflower Center. In April
alone, there are oak wilt tours, and workshops on native medicinal plants,
landscaping with native plants and grasses, and water gardening. Go
to their website at www.wildflower.org
or call 512-292-4200. When you visit, be sure to meet Ralph, the talking
lawnmower in the Visitors Gallery.
Just how do we go about transforming a patch of lawn into something
more diverse and less taxing? (I apologize for using the word "tax"
this month). If you are dealing with St. Augustine, you're in luck:
it is relatively easy to get rid of. First, just mow or "weed-eat" as
low as possible. Dig into the soil a couple of inches, and rake out
the remnants of rhizomes and roots with a hard rake.
If you are dealing with a Bermuda grass lawn, it is a whole ‘nuther
ball game. Start trying to kill it now by using the heat of the spring
and summer sun to your advantage in a process called solarization. Start
with an actively growing Bermuda lawn, or any patch of undesirable weeds.
First, water the area. Then cover the area with a clear plastic, and
seal the edges with soil, rocks, and the like. The plastic should be
at least 4 mil thick; 6 mil is even better. We are creating the "greenhouse
effect" under the plastic: the sun's energy gets through the clear plastic,
but gets trapped as heat underneath, baking the top layer of soil and
the Bermuda or other weeds. Leave this in place for at least two weeks.
Then remove the plastic, till the area to bring the roots up to the
surface, and water and cover again for at least two weeks. When this
is all done, remove the plastic and start watering again to see if the
rascals will come back from any millimeter of root left behind. Keep
up with this process until you see a distinct lack of Bermuda. Now do
you understand why I try to talk customers out of buying Bermuda grass
seed? Avoid "Round-Up" at all costs; it is produced by a very nasty
company and it leaves behind very nasty toxins. You may try the horticultural
vinegar (20% acidity) in repeated applications as an alternative to
or as a follow-up to solarization.
Next, if you are turning that patch of lawn into a planting of just
shrubs and/or trees, choose plants that are well-adapted to your particular
soil, whether it is Hill Country caliche or Blackland Prairie clay.
Then plant directly into the native soil. Trees and shrubs prefer little
or no amending of the native soil. If you choose to amend, use at least
80% native soil to 20% or less garden mix or compost. Then plant a ground
cover, or cover any bare soil with mulch.
If you are making a raised bed, mix a few inches of your weed-free
garden mix into the native soil to create a transition zone between
the old and the new soil, and throw the rest of the garden mix on top.
Water it in and let it settle for a day or more before planting your
well-adapted ornamental grasses and perennials. Add a few annuals for
variety, if you like. Create a backdrop or a centerpiece with shrubs
or a specimen tree or flowering shrub, keeping in mind that they do
not need a highly amended soil. If you mix shrubs, trees, and perennials,
be sure to choose all plants that have similar water requirements. That
way, when you need to water the perennials, you are not overwatering
the shrubs and trees. Then mulch, mulch, mulch.
When you are planting in a former Bermuda stronghold, or even in previous
St. Augustine territory, be sure to cover any bare soil with a weed
barrier. I recommend putting down several layers of newspaper, overlap
the edges well, and wet the newspaper down. Then add at least three
or four inches of mulch on top of that. Some folks recommend even deeper
mulches than that - experiment and see how your plants fare. Deeper
mulches can work for bigger plants. Never put a mulch up on a plant's
stem or trunk.
If the area you just planted is going to be an island or a peninsula
in a sea of Bermuda, consider creating a "Bermuda barrier zone" around
the bed with decomposed granite as we have done at our nursery. Reserve
a band of seven to twelve inches around the edge of the Bermuda-free
bed to lay two to three inches of decomposed granite. This helps to
prevent Bermuda from creeping into the planting area again from the
outside. It also makes those little Bermuda runners more visible as
they try to re-colonize your beautiful new area.
Another way to transform a portion of your monoculture lawn is to
turn it into a beautiful tallgrass prairie instead, complete with wildflowers.
April is the month to plant native grass seed. First, it must be a full
sun area. Second, the lawn (and weeds) must be removed the same as above,
and some compost may be mixed in, but till no deeper than about an inch.
The deeper we till, the more weed seeds we bring to the surface, ready
to sprout. If you can get rid of lawn and weeds this month, the next
step is to plant a native grass seed mixture, like the Native American
Seed Company' s "Prairie Starter Mix." If you have a Hill Country setting,
consider their new "Caliche Mix" of grass seed instead; use less compost
and till even more shallowly. (You can get the Native American Seed
Company seed mixes at our nursery: call first for availability. If you
want to learn more about their seeds, check out their beautiful web
site at www.seedsource.com,
or call 1-800-728-4043 for a catalog). If you are planting seed on a
slope, you may also consider using jute netting for erosion control.
Water seeds well until the seedlings are established. Then, in the fall,
you can interplant with wildflower seeds. If you are battling Bermuda
or other tough weeds, get them under control first and then you may
start the cycle by planting wildflowers in the fall and interplanting
with native grass seeds next April.
Here's another way to bring in more diversity in the landscape and
to create a more appropriate native look. In a Hill Country setting,
instead of St. Augustine under the shade of our native Ashe Juniper,
oaks, and cedar elms, consider cedar sage, horseherb, pigeonberry, frogfruit,
turk's cap, and/or ruellia. Create a multi-layered thicket with understory
shrubs or trees as well, such as rusty blackhaw viburnum, Mexican redbud,
Mexican buckeye, and scarlet or yellow buckeyes. These are the kinds
of delicious suggestions found in the Wasowskis' Native Texas Plants.
With all the resources at our fingertips, and armed with all the knowledge
and understanding available to us, there is no reason why we must be
a slave to our lawn, or to any outmoded way of life that does not serve
us and our best interests. Our best interests include our own health
and well-being, as well as the health and well-being of our family,
our community, and our entire world.
We may think January begins a new year, but there is nothing like
the rebirth we experience in April. For over three decades, we have
had an American tradition of celebrating Earth Day in April. We have
Memorial Day; we have Secretary's Day; we have Mother's Day. If your
mom is like mine, she doesn't want you to wait until Mother's Day to
honor her. In other words, "Every day is Mother's Day!" We have seen
those bumper stickers, too, that say "Every Day is Earth Day." Duh!
Most of us know on an intellectual level that we wouldn't be alive if
it weren't for our Earth and its gifts. This month, may we find a new
way to honor our own life by honoring the life on Earth and our fellow
peoples of the earth.
See our April Garden Tips
See our April To-Do List
Jump to other articles for these months...
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8648
Old Bee Cave Road
Stacey
(Rosina) Newton is a graduate of the Texas A&M University (Aggieland)
Horticulture Department, class of 1984, and has been in the environmental/horticulture
field ever since. She learned everything she knows about organic gardening
while working at The Natural Gardener, starting in 1997.