Thursday October 9, 2008, 6:59 pm
A good article on a growing problem. But we are not helpless. Even in small spaces we can grow our own food and herbs. We can also trade with neighbors to round out the diet. I grow produce and herbs in the hot, dry, windy desert where extreme temperatures prevail. 126 is the norm during summer. Start with herbs, start small. Grow tomatoes for a quick, easy produce. We finally advanced to a greenhouse where it will be more comfortable for me and I won't have to fight the elements and critters.

Vegetables and herbs can even be grown on a small apartment patio. We can do it!

Thursday October 9, 2008, 7:11 pm
Yum! Do I ever wish I were your neighbor, Marion! I'm in a desert, too, in the extreme heat of Phoenix. We used to have such a beautiful and healthy garden in Michigan, but I can already see that it's a completely different ground/soil out here. I know we have a longer growing season, though, and it's time to seriusly start that garden back up. Another thing we don't have many of here is corner veggie/fruit stands that peppered the rural corners up north. I especially miss the apple orchards in the fall, too!

Thursday October 9, 2008, 7:22 pm
This is terrible, indeed. I've found myself cutting expenses on food because I can't afford it any more. I feel it for my baby who likes fruit so much but the other day I payed $6 dlls for 3 kiwis when in Mexico we are not used to expensive fruit, kiwis were like $2 dlls per kilo! What a shame =(

Thursday October 9, 2008, 9:03 pm
Kat...I wish you were my neighbor too! We have sandy/hard soil too, almost like Phoenix. Rather than plant in the ground, we use planting beds with holes for drainage and fill with soil. We also use big pots for herbs and one-item produce, and old tires (for potatoes!).

My 90 year old neighbors grow apples, cherries, lemons, oranges, peaches and nectarines ... in desert soil! We exchange our vegetables with them for their fruit. They are from Holland and survived the Holocaust and concentration camp when the Germans rounded up the Dutch Jews. They told me they can grow anything anywhere as long as they have water, seeds and soil. They also share war stories with me and give me tips on how to survive this economic crash. It breaks my heart to hear what they went through, but they give me hope and inspiration that the human spirit can survive some of the worst conditions.

Guess what they said was one of the most important things to do:

Grow our own food and share with our neighbors!

Thursday October 9, 2008, 9:34 pm
Without healthy food how human being will stay healthy. This is necessary for that we have to do something.

Friday October 10, 2008, 5:18 am
Noted. TY Kathy, good story. Yes, Marion even if you start growing things in pots, you can eat something that is clean. If you grow things in the ground, no need to spray for bugs. Use the white bird netting. Cover the area as best you can. Keeps the White butterfly out. It can't lay its eggs, no bugs, no spray. People have to learn to share again.

Friday October 10, 2008, 5:01 pm
I can not get my tomato plants to stay healthy and grow and looked up everything I can think of to improve soil etc naturally. I really want to get this right because buying organic soil for my kiddie pool is expensive.

Friday October 10, 2008, 6:57 pm
Jodi...There are so many reasons for problems with tomato plants. You might take part of the plant to a nursery and have them diagnose it for you. Let me know what you find out.

Friday October 10, 2008, 7:08 pm
Marion I have had those tiny flys and worse and that rust color splatches and early blight. I have had it all. I grew them in the ground at first and the first yr did good, the second did bad so I grew them in a kiddie pool this year. The started out beautifully!!! Then worms got them. Never had problem with worms before. I don't have any more tomato plants. It cost more to grow them this yr than to buy them from store.

I like the idea of using net to cover them to keep flys out. Maybe that would help. I should invest in a green house set up maybe, if I really want to grow my own food. I can't get good organics were i live.

Friday October 10, 2008, 7:09 pm
Jodie...Please see my message to you.

Friday October 10, 2008, 7:22 pm
Marion, try companion planting. Some plants naturally repel insects. I would have to look it up, but I think that marigolds planted with tomatoes will repel bugs.

Friday October 10, 2008, 7:32 pm
Thanks Carol. A great suggestion! I do use marigolds and it works! I also plant onions and garlic around other vegetables which acts as a deterrent.

In a message to Jodi I mentioned giving the tomatoes nutrients and ensuring the soil was clean and free of bacteria. Also, I've been cheating and using the topsy turvy hanging planters (for tomatoes) where the plant isn't in the ground which protects it from pests.

Friday October 10, 2008, 11:39 pm
This is a good site on companion planting. It tells which plants go well with which others and which insects each controls or attracts. http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

Rodale Press also has a good book on the subject.