Friday Fact #14

There are more than 1,000 varieties of tomatoes currently being grown in the U.S.

Friday Fact #13

A Humming bird is the only bird known that can fly backwards.

Bring Back The Victory Garden

How about this??

ADVOCATES URGE WHITE HOUSE TO LEAD BY GROWING VEGETABLES ON FRONT LAWN
By Virginia A. Smith
The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA — Roger Doiron has an idea for the next eater-in-chief: Bring back the victory garden!

He wants the next president to plant an organic vegetable garden on the front lawn of the White House, one that would supply fresh produce to the first family and local food cupboards; set an example of self-sufficiency, healthy eating and sustainability for the whole country; and make a statement about what we grow in front of our homes.

He calls this vision "Eat the View," and here's the statement it (he) makes:
"People are starting to rethink what a healthy landscape looks like. It's not the TruGreen chemical lawn anymore. It's a landscape that's more multipurpose, that combines beauty and utility."

Fans are signing an online petition on Doiron's Web site (www.eattheview.org) and watching his entertaining video on YouTube — set to "This Land Is Your Land," sung by Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen, it chronicles his own "white house" front lawn being transformed into an edible landscape. Doiron, his wife, Jacqueline, and three sons live in a white house, all right, a Cape Cod on one-third acre in his hometown of Scarborough, Maine. He calls this place "the belly of the suburban beast," and this is where he hopes his vision will catch on, one lawn at a time, all over the country.

Don Irby of South Coventry Township, Pa., dug a 45-by-60-foot organic vegetable garden this year because he wanted better-tasting,less-expensive, safe-to-eat fruits and vegetables. He did it in his front yard not to make a political statement but because "that was good, level ground with good sun."

He likes the idea of a victory garden at the White House that the public could see and emulate. "I would love it, the front yard of the White House. We could get back to our roots," says Irby, who's in high-tech software sales.

His corn hit eight feet by mid-August. He's also had success with asparagus, raspberries, beans, eggplant, beets, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkins.

However, some municipalities and homeowners' associations legislate to prevent the incursion of front-yard vegetables.

Even if no one objects to peppers and sprouts in front of the White House, Doiron says the president should keep it neat: "Aesthetics matter a great deal."

Having a garden at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. isn't a new or radical idea. Several presidents were farmers, and horticulturists and flower gardens have a long history there. And though it hasn't been as fully documented, many first families "probably had vegetable, herb or kitchen gardens," according to historian Rose Hayden-Smith, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, whose dissertation topic is national war-garden programs during World War I.

"Early presidents were responsible for providing for their own households and feeding dignitaries," Hayden-Smith says. "But in general, the history of vegetable gardening at the White House got lost because it's so ordinary."

Wartime gardens were the exception. They got a lot of attention, starting with "liberty gardens" during Woodrow Wilson's administration.

"Most people don't realize that the victory garden program is a World War I program," Hayden-Smith says, mainly because the country's most famous victory gardener was first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who inspired millions to grow their own food during World War II.

"Her victory garden was a visible symbol that the family was pitching in, doing their bit and making a sacrifice," Hayden-Smith says.

Doiron wants to resurrect that spirit with front-yard gardens, which, in these oil-conscious times, mean less grass to mow and fewer "food miles." Michael Pollan, author of "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto," estimates that most of what we eat in this country has traveled about 1,500 miles to get to us.

"Food miles" was an unknown concept when Doiron was growing up; his family had the typical "tomato and cuke garden" out back. His gastronomical awakening came in the 1990s in Brussels, where he was working for the nonprofit environmental group Friends of the Earth.

During the week, Doiron was immersed in the global. On weekends, he was out in the country with his Belgian in-laws, enjoying everything local.

"I was realizing that the Europeans were really onto something when it comes to food," Doiron recalls

In 2001, Doiron and his family returned to Maine; two years later, he started Kitchen Gardeners International to promote "the localest food of all, globally." His virtual community now numbers 7,000 "from Alabama to Azerbaijan," and his thinking has evolved into "Eat the View."

Yet while it's engaging, the idea of an edible lawn isn't a universal no-brainer. Scott Guiser, an educator with the Penn State Cooperative Extension in Doylestown, outlines a couple of objections:

First, some veggies aren't pretty, and "to pretend they can be a functional part of a front-yard ornamental landscape is a stretch," he says.

Two, "bashing lawns as useless and environmentally unsound is a tired old story."
"I don't think that trend's going to take off," Guiser says.

John Adams was the first president to live in the presidential mansion, not yet known as the White House.

According to "The White House Garden" by William Seale, Adams had a vegetable garden readied for planting the next spring. By then, however, there was a new president, farmer and horticulturist Thomas Jefferson.

Presidents since have planted ornamental flowers, shrubs and trees, fruit trees, vegetables and herbs. Woodrow and Edith Wilson grazed sheep on the White House lawn, auctioning off the wool to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
And Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt ripped out part of the lawn for a victory garden. "It was a real garden, very large, very visible," historian Hayden-Smith says. "It really engaged American citizens," she adds. "Thousands and thousands of people wrote Mrs. Roosevelt personally, describing their gardening experience or asking for seeds or tools."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

For more information on edible landscaping, visit:
Eat the View (www.eat theview.org).

On Day One, which solicits ideas for the next president (www.ondayone.org).

Kitchen Gardeners International (www.kitchen gardeners.org) or the National Gardening Association (www.garden.org/ ediblelandscaping).

YouTube, to watch Doiron's video; search for "This Lawn Is Your Lawn."

Back Yard Bedtime

By Jeff Gillman, Special to Star Tribune

September 10, 2008

Fall is when the garden starts to wind down. It's also when we tend to forget that we have gardens. But we can't afford to turn our backs on our flowers, grass and trees now. Winter is on its way, and if we don't properly prepare our plants, they can end up with frozen roots or sun scald. Here's how to help your plants get set for winter.

Water

One of the best things you can do for your plants in fall is to water them. Once the ground freezes, plants have a difficult time taking up water, so they need a good dose of water before winter sets in.

If we continue to have dry weather, make sure to water once or twice a week through the fall. And remember, watering is especially important for young and newly planted trees and shrubs.

Lawn care

If you fertilize your grass only once a year, fall is the time to do it. Likewise, if you're planning on reseeding thin areas of your lawn, you should do it as soon as possible. (The best time to seed typically is mid-August to mid-September, but for the past few years, warmer-than-normal autumns have allowed us to seed a little later than usual.)

Just don't fertilize and plant grass seed at the same time. Because fertilizer can damage young roots, wait at least two weeks after fertilizing to seed.

Mulch perennials

For tender perennials such as butterfly bush and other plants that are marginally hardy here, you can start to put down a layer of mulch during the next few weeks. Mulch will help insulate the roots, protecting them from the bitter cold that invariably comes our way. You can wait until the first hard frosts to mulch hardy perennials.

Straw and hay are great for mulch because their hollow stems hold an insulating layer of air. Dry leaves also work well. Spread at least 6 inches of mulch over your perennial and bulb beds.

Take care of trees

Our dry summer may have left some trees heading into fall stressed by drought. So make sure your trees are well-watered throughout fall. Unless we get rain, water well once a week until the trees lose their leaves. (After that, deciduous trees lose some of their ability to take up water.)

A layer of mulch spread around the base will offer all the protection most established, large trees (more than 8 inches in diameter) need.

However, smaller trees and those with thin bark can benefit from tree wraps. Tree wraps made from thick brown paper are the most common. Unfortunately, they're also the least likely to provide any protection. A better choice would be the white spiral plastic wraps. They work well against critters and do a good job of protecting tree trunks from sun scald, where the sun heats the bark of a tree during the winter and injures it. If you use a wrap, be sure to remove it at the end of winter.

Early fall is a good time to plant trees. In addition, if you buy trees in fall, you may be able to take advantage of discounts at garden centers.

One note of caution: There are a few tree species that don't handle fall planting as well as others. Oaks, birches, hawthorns and fruit trees prefer to be planted in the spring. If you do decide to plant one of these species, make sure you select container-grown trees or balled-and-burlapped trees that were harvested this spring. They're more likely to thrive than trees that have been recently harvested.

While it's possible to plant trees right up until the first frost, it's wise to plant before temperatures drop into the 30s. That will give the roots a little time to develop.

Jeff Gillman is an associate professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota. He's also the author of two books, "The Truth About Garden Remedies" and "The Truth About Organic Gardening" (Timber Press, $12.95).