From afar....

This past weekend, our communidad got together to shed some sweat, work, and most importantly love in our Huerto (Vegetable Garden). Seeing how much the maize has grown since the heavy rain fell is absolutely breathtaking, I haven't been able to leave my home so I hadn't seen the Huerto since shortly after my last post. My fellow comrades came together to do some "Jardin-cleaning," where we accomplished many things. First we rid our plants from weeds, then we reformed the mounds, while inspecting each plant for any aphids or unwanted insects. There was a lot of work being done, and many observations that were taken in for consideration/planning. It was a very productive day, the amount of work three people can do, with an extra mujer watching from afar.

The maize is stretching towards the sun, and a part of me feels like I too am growing with it. Seeing the maize struggle in the overabundance of water and later an attack of ants and aphids, made me see that like people, plant's face trials, situations and relations, some good, some bad. All it took was some tender loving care and the plants continued (and continue) to shine with life, and like this great struggle, some are having a harder time than others, and some of our baby squash have, moved on to create mulch instead of squash. But alas, the great phrase "que sera, sera" because at the end of the day, "I guess what is meant to be, no one can stop." (-my friend)

Until fingers meet the keys once more.

Paz
Gritona

Panchito...

Our Jardin looks more beautiful as the maize continues to grow, yet there are some things we need to collectively work on such as reforming the mounds as Conspi mentioned. Panchito, our homemade scarecrow is becoming out grown! The maize is almost taller than he is! The rain continues to fall, and where there is rain there are weeds. I am very concerned about the spacing in Jardin, as the maize grows, and the breathing room that we have created.


Ah, summer time is rolling around, meaning longer days, hinting more time. I have been reading some things, but I definitely think that we should step up on our game. Here are a few more sites, if anyone is interested:

• http://www.humeseeds.com/ehndx.htm
• http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/
• www.organicgardening.com

I hope to see you all soon at the Jardin. I am down to do some man hours... or supervise at least :)


Until then,
Gritona

Reform Mounds

conspi said...

I saw the garden on saturday, our maiz mounds need to be re done because they are starting to flatten out. I think that sometime this week this needs to be our primary foucus. Perhaps one of our hermanos can help out soon. I also think our ant problem is solved for now but they will be back especially around this May Showers season. Ants are everywhere I have even found a small mound near my window.

Till another post:
ometeotl

All This Rain

4.28.09- I checked on the garden after all the rain that happened yesterday and after coming to know we have a ant/aphid problem in the jardin. Spent some time pulling weeds & checking on the plants that were marked as having ants. They all seemed to have either washed away with the rain or the nontoxic solution we used on it on Monday. It's a bit hard to tell at this point. However, another plant in a completely different row was discovered to have ants and the same solution was used on it.
Also, due to the rains, a few of the corn stalks were knocked over slightly and we went in and reinforced them with dirt around.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today it is whirling around in my head. Will we have to quarantine part of our work? How much did the rain affect the dynamics of the maize? We'll take a look today, as there has been no rain- and i'm going to look around a bit more at solutions to kill ants and get rid of these aphids! I've heard cotton balls in clove oil, instant grits, coffee grounds..etc..
Peace.

The Ants Go Marching

got out to weed today & realized ants are creating a situation that is dangerous and hurtful to a few of the plants in the garden, even without much to their knowledge. just had to reflect on that & connect how that is what happens when you growing your self. always make sure to take time to step back & reflect on what you are growing and figure out what needs to be weeded & what pests need to be controlled. all part of what you strive for in yourself, and in your plant, for that matter- balance.
so, back to the ant matter: i asked some friends, did some research, and from what i can gather, the ant is not considered a 'pest' in a garden. they have the ability to recycle in the garden by picking up debris and by controlling other insects, but they have a symbiotic relationship with aphids that can do serious harm by sucking nutrients away from the plant, thus causing its growth to be postponed, causing it sickness, or death.
aphids are, however, not terribly difficult to get rid of and we feel as though this has been found out in enough time to be handled. We decided to go with a homemade nontoxic spray (mostly because the items were readily available), but there are several remedies- including promoting ladybugs in your garden to eat the aphids, so we will see how it goes.
*we did also get quite a bit of rain after the spraying, so later, we'll be out there seeing what that has done to the problem!

Up To Now In Fotos

Jardin-date....

Our small Jardin is making big waves! After some hard work of preparation and planning, we got to plant our Maize a few weeks ago.


Since then, they have been growing and enjoying the company of our small homemade scarecrow. After surviving the long-needed heavy rain, our Maize got a wonderful surprise! Some compadres generously gave us some squash who were in need of a home and space to grow. Although they were left to weather the storm and were drenched with water, our adopted squash underwent some quick greenhouse treatment in the back of Dante Piquin (the trunk of a suv).


Continuing on it's small adventure to the Original Jardin, our baby squash had to be planted quickly in hopes of salvaging it from it's small container. A few people came out to help tend to our Jardin, through giggles and competing against one another to see who found the biggest weed, or "imposter" Maize plants, our small intimate grooming session manifested into laughter and the celebration of life as we created spaces for our squash. With the wind blowing in our hair and the earthly sounds of a spring evening in East End simmering down, we were able to create a new home for our squash to grow. With gentle coos, oohs, and ahhs our Squash was graciously welcomed at the Original Jardin, and blended well with our Maize, I must say.


Feeling the cool dirt in my toes and hands as I helped de-weed and create hoyos (holes) for the squash was an amazing experience. As I watched my brotha's and sista's work sideline with me, I was overcome with a tranquil state of mind. Watching this Jardin grow, and seeing the communal efforts to strive for a better living inspires me in ways I can't describe.

After our Squash was planted we discussed some ideas for other areas, and plans we hope to make happen in the near future. So stay tuned and don't be afraid to drop some knowledge for us, whether it's suggestions, comments, tips, or even a few links!

pAz,
la Gritona