Here is an excerpt from our new website: www.food2gro.com

Biointensive gardening is a sustainable solution to growing food. It is considered to be the highest level of organic gardening. It is a whole-system approach that brings together nourishment, efficiency and sustainability.

With biointensive food production, each adult person requires only a 10th of an acre of growing space to produce his or her yearly food intake! This small space can supply all the calories and the nutrients for a complete diet.

Biointensive gardening extracts the necessary nutrients from the soil and simultaneously puts them right back in. Biointensive gardeners use less water, create cleaner runoff water after garden use and they essentially "grow" the soil they are using.  The end result is a garden that produces a complete diet in the smallest sustainable area.

Biointensive gardening includes:

Talk to your neighbors, gather together, work together, take care of one another and feed each other.



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To learn more about Biointensive gardening, saving seeds, year round gardening, storing food and more visit: www.food2gro.com 

The other day, I was listening to National Public Radio (NPR). The topic of discussion was the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef. It was reported that the Westland/ Hallmark Meat Company was unconcerned if consumer confidence would decline as a result of the recall. They projected a slowdown, but just as in previous recall situations, within a year of the recall Americans would return to consuming the same amounts of beef within a year.

Well, I don’t eat meat, but I’m not one of those self-righteous sprout munchers either. I think that both the consumers of meat and vegetarians should know food safety basics when making their purchases.

Food-borne illnesses have been on the rise for the last 30 years or more and it is not clear as to whether this is due to declining food safety or improved tracking systems.

Americans eat approximately 2,000 pounds of food in a year. 260 pounds of that is imported. But what you might not realize is that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), who has jurisdiction to inspect imported foods, only inspects 1.3 percent of the imports. That percentage has been declining rapidly since 2003.

Salmonella is the most common food-borne bacteria. However, E. Coli should be a major concern to  consumers. E. Coli can come from sick cattle or other warm-blooded animals, restaurant workers, ground water or crops. Much of the industrial cattle are corn-fed, which increases the chance of E. Coli being found in their lower intestines. If you eat beef, look for grass-fed beef. It is natural food for the cattle and there is significantly less chance of finding E. Coli in the beef you purchase.

Organic produce is not necessarily any safer. It is subject to the same hazards of E. Coli and has been previously found in organic spinach. Supporting local growers is beneficial to you. You can always ask the grower if their farm is close to cattle or if they use animal fertilizer. If they use animal fertilizer, there are very strict regulations for the organic grower. Ask what safety measures they use.

Higher E. Coli levels are found more often in restaurants  than in households. When you choose a restaurant be sure to look for cleanliness and see if a health score is posted in the restaurant or on a website. Not all states mandate this but several do.

Consider buying your produce at a local farmer’s market. Even better yet, grow your food or some of it. Meat eaters should consider buying free range live stock and grass fed cattle.

Please see www.nationalgeographic.com for further information on FDA regulations. Check out their "Green Guide".

Check out the plant characteristics of winter plants. We suggest you try and plant in a 
greenhouse  on a raised bed if possible for many of the plants. Don't attempt to grow fruit
bearing plants in the winter, unless you live where it is warm and very sunny.
Even then, in winter the sun is lower in the sky and there is less daylight. 

Greenhouse leafy green veggies

Greenhouse ready to add plants          

If you already have a greenhouse, be sure to inspect it and weather it up for the winter. Look for and repair tears in the plastic, holes or cracks in the glass and broken seals around the foundation, which should be refilled with caulk.  Be sure to use good tape and caulk to repair any damage, and seal where cold air can seep through.

You should have a back up plan for your greenhouse in the event the big freeze is on its way! If you heat your greenhouse, be sure to have a back up heater such as a gas heater.If you have created a "cool" greenhouse in which you have insulated it to maintain an average temperature between approximately 45ºF to 50ºF, you must have a plan to keep your plants from occasional freezing. Placing warm water in buckets or other large containers will make the water freeze first keeping your plants from freezing in the process. Bring very sensitive plants in the house after making sure all drain lines are dry in the greenhouse. You can cover your other plants with cold frames built to cover the plant and put a blanket or other cloth over the frame. You could also use a chair or large crate by turning it upside down and
putting a blanket or other cloth over it. Putting newspaper around the soil helps keep the soil a bit warmer. 

                                                                        Cold Frame-A Frame

You can purchase a temperature alarm to alert you when your plants are freezing. But for the most part, nurturing your winter plants in the greenhouse and reacting quickly to the freeze will assist in saving some if not all of your greenhouse plants.

Winter kitchen gardens for growing your food
Be sure to place your plants on a kitchen windowsill or by a window in the kitchen. There are many herbs and spices that you can grow and bring inside in the winter. Good hearty winter windowsill herbs are winter savory, chives, parsley and cilantro. You should investigate the time and effort you want to put in your kitchen garden and be sure to think about what herbs you want to come in from the outside garden into the kitchen for the winter.

Herbs are a great gift for the holidays! You can purchase little baskets or containers to hold the growing herbs! Add a decorative bow to the outside of the herb garden and give the gift of a living plant to eat and enjoy throughout the winter months and the seasons that follow.

Grow your organic vegetable food garden! This blog is intended to encourage people to grow their own organic food, or to  support those who grow it for you. We welcome you to check back with us frequently and grow with us! Please nurture the site with your comments or questions.  We encourage your food for thought!

We’ve just moved to a small apartment and will begin to grow our own organic vegetable garden out on the patio. We have experience in growing organic gardens that were on large plots of land, but this year we will be growing our own food in a small space. As this blog and website grow, and spring time rolls around, we’ll be presenting a series of podcasts for you to view our apartment patio garden from planting all the way to harvesting. We hope you can use the information for y