Guerrilla Grafters Hit San Francisco

A flowering apple tree in Oakland, Calif. with two successful grafts from an apple tree which bears fruit.

Good morning, everyone. I know many of you are preparing for the upcoming holidays – cooking and spending time with family – so I thought I’d post a short article today. Last week, I learned about an organization that is attempting to create “food forests” within urban “food deserts.” It’s definitely an agricultural take on civil disobedience, and they have recently left their mark in San Francisco.

Farm From a Box – Literally

The other day, I was reading an article about a company in California whose innovative product is empowering people to grow their own organic food and generate an income, thus becoming independent of any need for government (or organizational) aid. I was so intrigued by this, I had to share it with you.

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

To all my readers, followers, and fellow gardeners:

May the Lord bless you and your family this Thanksgiving with His abundance, but especially with His presence. And may we all ever be grateful to Him, without whom we would have nothing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reviving Ancient Seed

Believe it or not, the holidays are upon us. And after that? The 2016 seed catalogs arrive!! (I know, I know – I haven’t even cleaned up the mess that was my 2015 garden, and I’m already dreaming of spring planting.) Anyway, while perusing the Facebook posts of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed company, I found an article about 800-year-old squash seeds that were planted – and grew! And that made me think about the date palm growing in Israel that came from a 2,000-year-old seed. Thus, this post was born.

The Gardens of France

Jardin a Sainte-Adressee by Claude Monet (photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org)

As I was thinking about what to post today, I thought it would be nice to share with you some of the beauty of France – especially after the horrible events in Paris this weekend. (My Garden Wilson’s brother and sister-in-law were in Paris at the time, but they were safe in their hotel when the attacks occurred; and they were able to fly home to the United States the next day. Thank the Lord!) Facebook profile photos are sporting the French flag overlay, so I thought I’d post some photos of beautiful French gardens today. 

South Carolina Farms Suffer at Least $300M in Flood Damage

Good morning, everyone. The flood woes in South Carolina aren’t over yet, the worst being in the middle part of the state, reaching into the northern area of my own county. Over the past weekend, we have had more evacuations, road and bridge closings, and dam breaches. To make matters worse, a line of strong thunderstorms with heavy rain passed through the state on Saturday, which caused the rivers (already over flood stage) to pour more water onto soggy land. Every day, more reports come in regarding the damages from the flooding South Carolina has been experiencing. A few days ago, the damage estimate for agricultural losses was determined.

Fire Ants Escape South Carolina Flood

Good morning, everyone. I’m back to work and the downtown area of Charleston is starting to dry out. I can’t say the same for areas north of where I live, though. Dams are breaking around our capital (Columbia), and we’re downstream. Roads and bridges are collapsing or are in danger of doing so. Although Charleston and Berkeley County schools are back in session (as of yesterday), Dorchester County has closed their schools through the end of the week due to impassable roads and unsafe bridges. Meanwhile, as we deal with the mess caused by the flooding, we discovered yet another reason to NOT walk around in flood waters.

Partner with an Israeli Farmer!

Good morning, everyone! As you know, I just finished celebrating Rosh Hashana, or Yom Teruah (the Biblical name), which is the beginning of a new year. What you may not know, is that this Rosh Hashana marked the end of a very special year – the Shemittah. And that is the reason for today’s post.

Birdbaths in the Garden

There’s not a gardener or homesteader – that I know of – that doesn’t want to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects to his or her garden or backyard. What most people think of when they want to attract these creatures is planting attractive flowers, building bird houses, and putting up bird feeders. All of those are great ideas – and needed – if you want birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects. However, many people don’t think about one other necessity: water.

2016 Winter Forecast

Good morning, everyone. I know, it seems very strange that on the heels of posting about a tropical storm, I’m posting the 2016 winter forecast. Farmer’s Almanac actually released their forecast over a week ago, but I was tied up tracking Tropical Storm Erika. What a crazy time, eh? Anyway, I wanted to share the forecast with you today. It looks like most of the country is in for another repeat of last year’s winter.