|
|
AMMA CENTER GREEN FRIENDS! From: Amma Center [mailto:ashram@ammacenter.org]
Sent: Thursday,
December 11, 2008 4:19 PM
Subject: new NM GreenFriends webpages Aum Namah Sivaya all, I just wanted to let you know that we have updated all of the New Mexico GreenFriends webpages on
the Amma Center of New Mexico website. There are a few "proofing" corrections that need to be made, and are
in process, but for all intents and purposes this is all of the latest information on New Mexico GreenFriends. Please
visit the site and browse the pages! www.ammacenter.org then click on the GreenFriends icon on the right side of the home page. When you get to the NMGF homepage, you will
see that you have a GreenFriends toolbar at the top of the page underneath the Amma Center toolbar. This toolbar will
help you navigate the pages. Now that we are somewhat organized website-wise, hopefully it will be easy and simple to
keep everything updated. We welcome your input and feedback always. Many, many blessings and the happiest of holidays to you! In Amma's love and infinite mercy, Divya Aum Amriteswaryai Namah
|
|
RAISED BEDS From: Ram Das Singh, khalsa2@windstream.net Subject: Raised Beds I have some questions that I am hoping someone can help me with. I am planning to build some
raised beds. Is green wood for the frame
a good idea? Is it a good idea for growing vegetables? Where can I get the soil to fill them? Is there a good place to get soil?
Is there a brand that is good if I buy by the bag? I look forward to hearing your answers. Blessings Ram Dass Singh Khalsa khalsa2@windstream.net From: Amma Center [mailto:ashram@ammacenter.org]
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008
5:44 PM
Subject: Raised beds Aum Namah Sivaya Siri Gian, We have built raised beds here at the Amma Center. I am sending my reply to you to forward to Ram
Dass Singh since I did not see his email anywhere in your email. I am not sure what "green wood" is, but he should use wood that does not have any chemicals
if he's planning on growing food in the beds. He can "paint" the wood with raw linseed oil when he's
finished building them so that they last longer. He should only use raw linseed oil as any other kind has chemical preservatives.
It will take longer to dry than the other kinds as well, but again, that's because the others have chemicals so that they
will dry quicker. He
may want to use 1" chicken wire on the bottom of his raised beds to keep out gophers. We actually doubled out 1"
wire so that the holes were only a 1/2" wide. As for filling, he does not need to use soil for the whole bed. He can "lasagna"
fill it - newspaper on the bottom, them a layer of raw compost (in other words, compost that is not composted yet), then a
layer of straw or grass, then a layer of manure, then another layer of straw or grass-like materials, then the last top layer,
about 6 inches, is compost (that is actually composted). Otherwise, he's going to end up buying a whole
lot of soil, when it isn't necessary since everything underneath the composted layer is going to compost by the time the
roots of his vegetables reach them. He can buy compost by the bag, which is the most expensive way, or by the cubic
yard, which is much cheaper. If he calls around he should be able to find sources close to wherever he is. I hope this is helpful. Sorry I wasn't
able to send the information sooner. I was gone with my teacher and came back sick and am only just now catching up
with emails. Happy
holidays and the best to you in this upcoming year! Many blessings, Divya Amma Center of New Mexico
|
A
Solar Conversation, July 2008
Sat Sundri Kaur,
satsundri@hotmail.com I have been
looking for the email you sent out this spring on Solar Contractor resources....and on your website. Do
you still have them anywhere? If yes, would you forward?
Siri Gian Kaur, sirigian@valornet.com The only ones that I can think of are at the well water page on my site
at www.sirigian.com/water_well.html . Hope this helps! Do you think that you son (an expert in solar energy)
can talk to us sometime?
Sat Sundri Kaur
Thanks again for this. Kirpal is not coming out from Oregon anytime soon, but he recommends as
'most knowledgeable' Mark Drummond and Randy Sedgewick with Positive Energy out of Santa Fe. There is a third
with the business he doesn't know as well - Alan Sindlar.
Mark and Randy installed the systems at GRDP
for Sarbjits and Kirpals. The business emphasis is solar electric and solar hot water.
Satya Khalsa khalsashakti@yahoo.com Actually Alan is one of the founders of the company and it
was he, along with his partner Phil (no longer with Positive Energy) who installed systems for Sarb Jits and myself. He may
be the most knowledgeable of all.
Urban
Farming!
From Hari Singh, June 9, 2008 harisinghkhalsa@gmail.com
I've told several people who are on our mailing list about this video and they're all anxious to receive
the list. We can thank Sita for bringing it to our attention.
HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION - Radical Change Taking
Root
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mCPEBM5ol0Q
When to Prune?
Dec.
14, 2007
Dear Tony,
Is it too early to start pruning
my trees and shrubs, or should I wait until Jan. and Feb.?
Siri-Gian Khalsa in La Mesilla, sirigian@valornet.com,
Greetings Siri,
It is quite
OK to start pruning. It is best if you could start with plants that are less succulent. For example some of the native shrubs
i.e. Rabbit brush Mountain Mahogany, Apache plume etc. Then you could move on to Apples and Pears. Then Stone fruit trees
like in March. Then later with rose bushes and like plants. I have attached a link here for your convince on pruning trees.
http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-156.pdf
I hope this
helps.
Tony Valdez, County Agricultural Extension Agent, tonvalde@nmsu.edu
Seedlings Available!
Here’s
a great opportunity!
The New Mexico
Forestry Division Conservation Seedling Program is accepting orders for the 2008 season, which began on Dec. 3. You can order online at www.nmforestry.com . And if you have questions, you can call
them at 505-476-3353 or 3334.
I ordered a couple
different types of things—wild roses and Rocky Mountain
junipers that were really in good shape and extremely good prices. They are available
until they run out of something, but then all orders end on their cut off date in early spring. You order them in bundles of perhaps 25 at the minimum. Satya
Kaur at Ram Das Puri has lots of experience with them!
I cannot get
this website to open for me, but perhaps that is just my equipment! Let me know
if you also have trouble or success with it.
Turning your Irrigation off for the Winter!
So Purkh Singh asked about when to turn off our automatic
drip irrigation, because, of course if you leave it on during the winter, it will freeze and break.
So Marshall,
gardener to many of us said that he turns it off on Oct. 15. Then once a month
during the winter, in the afternoon of a warm day when the sun has melted the frozen lines, he manually turns the system on
to give a good soaking to everything. Or you can water by hand. Our established plants do need to be watered during the winter, just not as much as during the other times
of the year. But if you are just planting some things now, they will need more
water during the cold months.
Worm Farming and Back Yard Orchards
Gurujot Kaur, Santa Fe, pamelagregg@earthlink.net July 14, 2007
A friend shared this website with me during a conversation about fruit trees, and I am really enjoying it. If the Gardening Club doesn't already
know about it, they might find it useful. I've never heard about these concepts
of high density planting or summer pruning. It's a very instructive and empowering
page. http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/BOC_explained.html
Also, on a personal note, I started a worm farm. I've wanted one for years but thought I needed to do a lot of work on my soil before I could
have one. A vendor at the SF Farmer's Market explained how I could make a straw
bale home for them and start anytime. I chose NOW to start. I'm very happy about
this movement forward in my garden.
And I've been studying my semi-circle bed that I'm digging next to myMeast/northeast facing portal. I was thinking I'd plant some clematis vines
on the vigas, a Korean maple and some low-growing roses, but I don't think that
the spot gets as much sun as I thought it did. We have a big tree nearby that
partially shades it in the morning, and then by midday the shade from the portal
starts to creep over. Full shade by mid-afternoon. I think it's back to the drawing
board on what to plant there unless I trim the big shade tree down.
Any suggestions?
Seva Simran Siri Singh, sevasimsiri@cybermesa.com July 16, 2007
Congratulations on your worm farm! I grew worms as a little kid to sell to fishermen. Grew them
in Pa. on a farm in the barn in rich soil. You can't believe how big these worms grew. As a secondary
note: worms are part of our chinese herbal materica medica. Not used alive of course but dried and good quality is thick,
long and intact. di long (worm) are used for convulsions, spasms with high strong
fevers. For asthma with wheezing; joint problems (unblocks the channels and promotes
movement); UTI and for hypertension. Isn't it amazing what these little worms
can do!
Other insects, like scorpion, centipede and wasp
are used similarly for convulsions, spasms. The "theory" being that insects travel
in the channels to clear the wind; wind being the cause of the convulsions. Worms
were used most often in the clinic because of their wide range of effect and probably because they were cheaper.
Have fun!
From Siri Gian Kaur: Kartar Singh is a great expert at
raising worms! kartar@la-tierra.com
GRASSHOPPERS!
From: Dr. Sat
Siri Kaur drsatsiri@newmexico.com June 11, 2007
Do you have a page with details how
to use the Nola bait for grasshoppers?
From: Siri-Gian Kaur sirigian@valornet.com
Yes, it is at www.sirigian.com/grasshoppers.html . Satya Kaur gives good instructions
about half way down the page. But it appears that Nolo Bait should be put out
in the early spring when the babies were hatching. Lots of people used it last
year without great results. Now people are quietly telling me that they are using
the poison Sevin that is mixed in a special jar thing that attaches to your hose to water large areas such as your lawn or
field. That jar thing with the Sevin already in it, I understand is available
at Lowes.
PERELANDRA FLOWER AND VEGETABLE REMEDIES
FROM: Dharamatma Kaur dharamatma@cybermesa.com June 11, 2007
Concerning gardening resources:
There is an organization based in Warrenton,
Virginia, founded by Machaelle Small Wright, called Perelandra. It is a Nature Research Center where the humans there work co-creatively with Nature to create balanced environments.
There are many ways to energetically connect with Nature. The Perelandra Garden Workbooks
1 and 2 teach people, in simple terms, how to connect with and work co-creatively with Nature to create a garden that (1)
meets the gardener's needs, (2) meets Nature's needs, (3) balances plants, people, insects and property into a a synergistic
whole. It is called co-creative gardening. Nature informs all that is in physical form, be it a rosebush or a rose- colored
glass. Co-creative gardening balances the involutionary purpose of Nature with the evolutionary purpose of humans.
I have been using the Perelandra processes and resources for years. I do not use them as a gardener,
but for personal health and healing, which is why I haven't spoken up before. However, the principles behind both are the
same and involve co-creative work with Nature. So I would like to recommend you put this website on your garden club: www.perelandra-ltd.com.
FROM: Siri-Gian Kaur sirigian@valornet.com
I have been to Machelle’s open house a couple of times! Her garden and her processes with the devas to make flower and vegetable remedies are quite fascinating,
and she has work books so you can do what she does! Once, I passed a small fenced-in
area of wild growth, where I heard a kind of laughing tinkling sound—kind of like that produced from those silver balls
people used to move around in their hand. I turned to look and saw her sign on
the place: ELEMMENTAL PRESERVE! She
puts out a regular e-zine that is also quite interesting, and I know lots of people who swear by her flower remedies, including
my fine chiropractor in VA!
A PLEA FROM THE SACRED GARDENS!
Sat Nam.
Solstice is expected to be larger than usual this year, and the residents have been informed that we will not be able
to pump water to our tank.
Since we all have guests as well as gardens, the guests take precedence.
But I have 50 new bareroot trees that need 2 gallons of water each every 3 days, plus many beds and pots that need water
every day or 2 during the hottest time of the year.
We cannot do drip systems at RDP because we have no water pressure. We do use lots of soaker hoses but there will
not be enough water for them during this time. I haul water in buckets to many things. I am going to cover as many beds
as possible, to conserve their drying out, but I do not have enough for all of them , and some cannot be covered.
I am asking if anyone has any extra large garbage cans (ideally with lids) that I can borrow for that time.
I want to have a minimum of 100 gallons of water, probably 150 is better. Most large garbage cans are 20 gallons I think.
Or any other large but light water containers I can transport and borrow.
I do have some 5 gallon bains but they are already all in use.
Everything can be returned the week after solstice.
It has been a rough season so far for our gardens and trees - hail, incredibly heavy winds, defoliation, cold nights
and heavy infestations of bugs and diseases and deer. My trees and plants will be grateful not to be starved for water also!
I am looking forward to seeing anyone who wants to come up and see a battered but surviving garden before Gurdwara on
the 17th.Sarb Jit's garden is quite lovely and will also be open for viewing, and Sarb Jit Singh is a great gardener.
Blessings
Satya Kaur
KILLING FROST ON JUNE 6, 2007!!
FROM: Mata Mandir Singh matamandir@hotmail.com June 6, 2007
I lost a bunch of tomatoes and eggplant last night due to frost. It was very cold here.
Any one else ? They say the first year here is mostly experimenting. I believe that is so.
FROM:
Deva Kaur deva@thecleanse.com
the wind killed all of my lovingly grown starts of cukes and tomatoes
and i planted on two different days
hoping to raise my odds
they are all dead due to cold too
i guess
i thought it was the wind
From: Guru Meher K. Khalsa khalsa44@hotmail.com
This is not our normal weather. It is highly unusual for New Mexico
to get a frost in June.
FROM: Guruprem Kaur guruprem@newmexico.com
I checked my garden this morning, after yesterdays hail storm, and found everything intact.
Lettuce greens, beets, mustard and spinach are thriving under a covering of synthetic shade mesh. Tomatoes, beans and chilles
are doing fine deep in mulch from my rabbitry—straw and litter. They have been planted along a fence, with another fence
tied to it and staked down so that my rabbits, chickens and lamb cannot get to them (like they did last year!). The mesh is
held down with steel fence poles for the same reason.
It has taken me two years to outsmart the animals.
Blessings to
all struggling gardeners,
Guruprem Kaur
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING IRIS!
From: DVAmritK@sikhdharma.org June 2007
I recently
was given a container to be used as a pond, It came with a pump so the water flows out of a spout into the tank. I put
in a couple of goldfish and floating glass bubbles in it and bought an Iris plant that is meant for a pond. The plant was
in a sack and you just drop it into the water and after about 10 days it shoots up. Well, it has been working fine for the
past couple of days and the fish are still alive but this morning when I went out I noticed some of the floating glass bubbles
on the ground outside the tank. I also noticed that the water spout had been knocked over. At first I thought maybe it had
been a windy night. I checked for the goldfish and they were still there but no where in sight was my Iris plant.. It
was about 6" in diameter. I couldn't figure out what had happened because it was all fine when I went in for the night. Mehtab
S thought that it must have been a rabbit. Do you think a rabbit would have taken off with my plant? It is a bit strange
to me and I am quite disappointed that it is gone as it was the last one in the store. Any thoughts on this from anyone might
help me in figuring out what to do. Do I need to be concerned about the fish too?
From: marci mazzetta tejindersoul@yahoo.com
Do you guys have racoons in New Mexico? They can
reak havoc here in Colorado;
getting into ponds, gardens, fruit trees etc..
Tejinder - Colorado Springs, CO
From: DVAmritK@sikhdharma.org
I didn't think so but
someone else had mentioned that it probably was a racoon. I didn't think a rabbit would put it's paws in the water. Thanks.
Also, are they trying to
eat the fish as well?
From: marci mazzetta tejindersoul@yahoo.com
If
the raccoons are hungry enough and the water is shallow enough they will go for the fish
as well. Good luck. I consider gardening in Colorado at
times a 'sport' with the hail, intense weather, critters... It's a real good training ground to hone your intuition.
From: Guru Nam Kaur, Arroyo Seco gnk@sikhdharma.org
A plant
of mine was pulled out of the ground by the roots, laid on the ground and not really eaten. Could rabbits do that?
From: Hari Singh harisinghkhalsa@gmail.com
How about
children as the cause?
From: Amrit Kaur DVAmritK@sikhdharma.org
I don't think it was kids because
I checked on it before I went in for the night and it was already getting dark and I was up at the crack of dawn when I noticed
it. So far the raccoon sounds like the culprit. Thanks for all the responses.
From: Laurie Krebs lauriekrebs2000@yahoo.com
If it is a raccoon, they are extremely
hard on fish. One of their favorite foodstuffs. If it was a raccoon, your iris was a casualty of attempts at getting fish.
Here's a trick, cover one inch down from the top of your container pond with small-mesh chicken-wire, or the stronger
stuff in small squares. You can cut it out to fit the container neck, weight it down with aesthetically placed rocks, and
hope for the best.
Or have an outside dog.
One other thing about raccoons,
they have outrageous vocalizations, far more alien and eerie than coyotes. Just something to listen for the next time a ruckus
occurs around the fishpond.
ALL DANGER OF FROST IS GONE!
Siri-Gian
Kaur, sirigian@valornet.com, May 15, 2007
Yeah!
It’s after May 15, so all danger of frost is gone! So, plant anything and everything you want!!
Satya Kaur (Ram Das Puri), khalsashakti@yahoo.com
FYI, even though there is
no danger of frost some vegetables really will not grow without warmer weather. It is safe to plant them but they need warmer
soil temps to succesffuly germinate and thrive. Especially with this windy cool and rainy weather we are having. True warm
season crops will do best if people wait till the end o f the month or even into June to plant.
Guru Meher Kaur, Jr., khalsa44@hotmail.com
You are right, Satya.
However I have figured out a way to put my tomato starts out even while the weather is windy and rainy. I
buy natural burlap fabric (Walmart used to have it) and cut it in lengths to safety pin around the sides of my tomato
cages. Then when I transplant my tomatoes outside I place the burlap covered cages over the plants. This way they
have a protected shield around them until the weather calms down, but the plants still have a chance to get established before
the weather turns really hot. I have used this on other hot weather plants as well.
Tejinder Kaur, Colorado, tejindersoul@yahoo.com
Walmart also carries a product called Walls-of-Water. It's a baffled constructed tube that
u place around your tomato, pepper, eggplant etc... anything that likes hot wx.
You fill the baffles w/water which heats up during the day and keeps the plant warm at nite until
your nites reach a steady warm temp. Once it really starts to warm just roll the wall-o-water down or remove if u can. They
work fabulous here in Colorado and at least assure a decent
harvest.
Happy gardening to everyone!
Satya Kaur (Ram Das Puri), khalsashakti@yahoo.com
Yes that does help a lot and is a great idea, although officially you can plant tomatoes and most
seedlings now. I was thinking more of all the squashes, pole beans, okra, which, when planted as seeds, will just not germinate
until the soil temperatures are higher. When they are planted earlier, there is a high risk that they will rot before they
sprout.
On May 16 at Ram Das Puri we had a massive hail storm, one of the most intense I have experienced.
The temperature dropped about 25 degrees in minutes. It basically defoliated everything, even some trees. The wind
was so strong that the hail blew vertically from the North for about 20 minutes, leaving 1 foot drifts in places and
covering the entire area in ice before it turned to rain.. I had not planted out the tomatoes or peppers, but even though
they were under the porch in a relatively protected place, they were reduced to little leafless sticks, buried in ice.
All of our beautiful lush perennials and new plantings just vanished.
I was so grateful for the treeshelters protecting the new bareroot plantings - they never would
have survived that - the full sized wide leaved trees were stripped.
I brought the seedlings inside - they were in shock. When I asked if they were ready to be planted
this weekend, as the4y had originally stated, they all asked to wait till next week. Considering their trauma, I agreed.
New Mexico weather - there are always surprises just around the corner.
Siri Gian Kaur, sirigian@valornet.com
We will have the opportunity to visit Satya’s garden as well
as her neighbor Sarbjit’s garden on Sunday, June 17 2007 from 9:30 to 10 AM before Gurdwara up on the mountain at Ram
Das Puri during Solstice! What a vivid story she has told! She is famous for her organic vegetables, and the Sarbjits
for their brilliant flower!
GET YOUR PERENNIALS NOW!
From
Siri Gian Kaur, April 17, 2007, sirigian@valornet.com
Marshal, my gardening
guy assures me that now through the coming month is the best time to get plants from local Espanola sources—Hacienda,
Cooks, Lowes, and they are at unbeatable prices right now! After the next few
weeks, the plants are pretty bad specimens, probably because they are not taken care of well. But
right now, they have lots of trees and shrubs at a pittance of Santa Fe prices!
Also, this is
a great time to put in lots of seeds. Read the packages to find out the best
time to plant. And although some say wait to plant until after all danger of
frost is over—May 15 around here, he has planted many, many of them—especially the cool weather ones such as peas,
sweet peas, lettuce, cabbage, kale, as well as many flowers such as cosmos, lupines, sunflowers and so on. The tomato seeds are planted inside in peat pots in my garage under the skylight. Others such as corn will be planted in the warm to hot weather.
But, he says
the primary trick with seeds is to NEVER let them dry out while they are germinating or as tender sprouts. That kills them dead! So, if you plant seeds, it’s a
good idea to be ever vigilant and spend some quality time “meditating” (as Kartar Singh calls it) with your garden
hose as you water your seeds really often!
From
Ravi Har Kaur ravihark@sikhdharma.org April 2007
I wanted to
mention there is a great organic garden supply catalog called Gardens Alive! www.gardensalive.com. They have a huge variety of supplies for
everything from lawns to flowers, veggies, houseplants, pest control etc.
Also,
the Santa Fe Green House catalog, High Country Gardens,
has a number of turf possibilities that are great for this area as well. Just thought I'd mention these. AND -
if anyone wants a design consultation from SFGH - for their yard etc., someone will come out for a two hour consult for $150
- which I think is very reasonable. I'm having them do this for me on this Monday. I'll let you know how it went.
I think Sangeet Kaur used them a couple years ago for this as well and was pleased.
Carrots from Tejinder, Colorado
tejindersoul@yahoo.com
theres
nothing like the energy of plants in there their more youthful phase[ie the wheat]. anyway, im writing to tell you welcome
home and to guide you back to Baker Creek catalog[rareseeds.com] They offer a carrot thats called "Atomic Red" , and they
are deliscious. very crisp, juicy and sweet. they are somewhat more delicate in texture than the orange and yellow carrots.
PLANTING WILDFLOWER SEEDS IN NM
Siri Gian Kaur sirigian@valornet.com Feb. 10, 2007
I just watched a short segment on Public
TV on how to plant wildflower seed mix on your field here in New Mexico. Thought
you might like share the info! I think this would be great for an area that you
don’t want to put much work, money or planning into and would generally let it go natural, but you would really enjoy
some gorgeous living color and texture in that area! Perhaps it is an area that
you plan to intensively garden or build on in the future, so are looking for a simple solution in the meantime. And they will probably reseed themselves for next year!
On your field:
- Mow the grass and existing vegetation.
- Till the soil shallow—only about 1 ¼” deep. If you till deeper
than that, you will encourage dormant weeds seeds.
- Use about 1 lb. of wildflower seed mix to 2,000 sq. feet.
- Mix all the seeds together in a bucket because in shipping the tiny microscopic seeds settle to the bottom, and big
ones float to the top.
- Spread your wildflower seeds by hand—either broadcast them by hand, or use a small hand driven crank seed spreader. Cover the ground going back and forth over the field.
Then do the same again, but going perpendicular to the first pattern to get good coverage.
- Rake over the field to mix the seeds in with the dirt.
- Very important! Use a roller to tramp the soil down. You can also walk or drive on the ground, but be sure that all is packed down.
- If you water the soil rather than waiting for rain, make sure the ground is always damp. Don’t let it dry out once you have watered it.
When I Googled “wildflower
seeds + southwest USA”, I got a
wonderful long list of suppliers. In addition, our local nurseries such as Santa
Fe Greenhouses, Agua Fria Nursery and Plants of the Southwest have wildflower seed mixes.
They are not cheap, though, but they do go a long ways!
Last year, Walmart had a mix
in a large box, but most of the box was full of sawdust like material, so don’t compare the size of the packages unless
you can see the contents.
I hope you can enjoy the wonderful,
lavish beauty of these little darlings!
Learn to Garden Year Round
Here is a great notice for a class from Guru Meher Kaur (Noor Singh):‘Saw this class offered through Community Education at the university
in Los Alamos.”
Eat Year Round from Your Los Alamos Garden
without a Greenhouse
Learn simple and inexpensive
techniques for extending the growing season in both ends, unusual plants to grown, which varieties of familiar plants are
best, and what fresh vegetables and herbs you can harvest from your garden during the winter months. Mary Zemach teaches
organic gardening and maintains a permaculture demonstration garden in Los Alamos.
March 6, 7:00-9:00 pm, $13
GOPHER ANSWERS to RAVI KAUR’s (teacher) marooch78@hotmail.com query about how to get rid of gophers, 12/14/06:
Wahe Guru Kaur WaheGuruK@AkalSecurity.com
My mother (Christi) used a large windmill that made an underground vibration
to get rid of her gophers.
Siri Gian Kaur sirigian@valornet.com
I love Christi’s solution, and may try it!
But I was hoping that we would get a whole slew of responses because this is such a puzzle! So, here is what I know about or have tried, because I have a badly eroding slope full of gophers.
- A battery operated gizmo
that you put in the ground. It vibrates and sends these guys away.
- Small poison gas canisters
or rat poison pellets (from the hardware store) to put in their holes, pack dirt in the opening and chant Akal.
- Paid gopher trappers from
Los Alamos, but other gophers eventually come to fill in the empty apartments. And it takes forever to get an appointment with those trappers.
- The Wildlife Center said they would not relocate
gopher snakes (long black guys) that they had removed from other places to my property because eventually, after the gopher
snakes had feasted on all my gophers, they would wander to other properties, looking for additional tasty critters, and the
humans there would most likely not be too humane to their snakes.
- Someone told me that in southern
CA, everyone put water-filled plastic gallon milk containers near the hole openings.
The idea was that it would scare the gophers, and somehow ward them off.
- Here are some sites that
promise relief:
Sopurkh Singh Sopurkh@grddesign.com
I noticed a battery operated
device in our backyard when we moved in and didn't know what it was. There were no gopher mounds at that time. Now we have
tons! I wonder if the battery wore out. I'll replace the batteries and let you know how it goes. Seems to make sense that
it was working very well.
Sat Guru Singh
SatGuruS@AkalSecurity.com
I have been told that planting
Crown Imperials (a bulb plant) will deter rodents of all kind. I have to say, they do smell pretty bad...I have not
tried them yet, but am going to plant some in the spring. Besides the benefit of deterring the rodent, they are also very
beautiful plants!
Sat Kirpal Kaur satkirpal@sikhdharma.org
There is also an electronic
device that you put in the ground that works very well here, tho I don't have the details.
Ravi Har Kaur RaviHarK@sikhdharma.org
I've also used the battery-powered
vibrating cylinder you stick in the ground. It does seem to help, but you need several for larger areas - the package
tells you how much of a radius it will cover. The thing with these is you are not supposed to leave them in the ground
when it starts freezing - not sure why. I seem to get gophers in the very early spring when the ground starts to soften
up. So I am hoping to remember to put mine out again in mid- late Feburary. It apparently also takes a few weeks
to work (so the earlier the better) and (just like a homeopathic remedy - haha) may at first make things worse before they
get better - they may get more active at first because they are curious about the thing. I guess that means they all
run around telling each other about it and make their way over to it to check it out. But it eventually drives them
crazy and they opt for more peaceful pastures in your neighbor's yard - or wherever!
That and little windmills whose blades eventually break off
are what I've tried.
Manjit Kaur satkha@cybermesa.com
I don't know if I would
want to spread this story, but it's an FYI for you in any case about gophers - not too pleasant, sorry, but might
be useful in some way:
Our cat likes to hang
out near the holes. He will sit there for long periods of time, watching and waiting. One time he caught a gopher
as if it were a mouse, and it later died. Although this sounds horrible, I think that this has served as a prevention
for new gophers. For obvious reasons this might not be the best anti-gopher solution, but perhaps having such a cat
might work in certain situations.
December 7, 2006
Just
wanted to share with you that the viga making place near the DreamCatcher Theater just delivered a dump truck load—about
10 cu. yds. of wood shavings to my field in La Mesilla. The cost of delivery is $40, and I think that the shavings might
be free. But I expect this is much less than I would pay for getting this same big pile of mulch from Lowe’s.
The guy who runs the place is a cute local personality! When I said that the pole I ordered was for a prayer flag, he
asked me to say a couple rosaries for our messed up world that needs a lot of prayers! So, you can either go over there
during the day to order this mulch to store in a corner of your yard, or you can call him, Dennis Duran at 753-8194.
Ravi Har Kaur’s Question: RaviHarK@SikhDharma.org
This
brings up a question I've had for years now - ever since people started using those giant shavings. It would seem to
me that it would take years for those things to breakdown and be of any benefit to the soil - unless maybe the ground they
are dumped on is regularly watered. So why are people so keen on using that stuff? (other than because it's cheap).
It seems to me it would only be good for long term mulch. Or is it good for something else too?
What's your opinion? Thanks.
Siri-Gian Kaur’s Response:
Well, I do
believe you are right that it takes a long time for those shavings to break down to compost.
There is a lot in my backyard that was here even before I came, and it still retains its original shape. The reason I am happy with it is for mulch that lasts a long time!
I put it in very specific areas, such as around my trees and bushes. A
number of our presenters have said that it is really important to have mulch
on our ground here in NM to help preserve moisture in the ground around our plants, and to keep that soil from baking so much
in the sun.
Also, if you
read Tarn Taran Kaur’s presentation www.sirigian.com/tarntaran.html about “Lasagna Gardening,” you will find that she uses this kind of thing
for her “brown layers,” and it does get treated like compost. Maybe
Kartar Singh (Gurbani Kaur) who will give us a presentation on making compost in March can give us some insight about using
these wood shavings for various purposes, including mulch—or not using them!
I called Kartar Singh (Gurbani Kaur) kartar@la-tierra.com , who will be giving a presentation to us in March about Creating Great Compost. Here are his ideas on this subject.
Kartar Singh
said that nitrogen will break down anything that is carbon (all living or once living matter, although in gardening we usually
refer to carbon as bark, wood chips, sawdust, dead brown leaves and plant material, etc.).
In nature, breakdown happens at the interface between the material (e.g. wood shavings) and the nitrogen in the soil. This is where decomposition takes place. However
if you mix carbon with the soil, this process will probably deplete your soil of nitrogen, which would give rise to “chlorosis”
in your plants. Chlorisis is where the leaves turn yellow around the veins and
margins of the leaves, and may even turn all of the leaf yellow, leaving green veins.
This happens because of a depletion of the minerals in the soil that help plants take in nitrogen, iron or zinc. The
immediate “quick fix” for this imbalance is to feed your affected plant nitrogen, iron and zinc.
However, if
you want to provide organic material with a very supportive balance of nutrients to your soil to best feed your plants, put
your wood shavings (or other carbon) in a compost pile (not in the soil), and add an “appropriate” mix of green
matter (all green plant material contains nitrogen) to your mix! This will make
healthy composted nutrients for your plants. (Of course, water is important to
composting as well.)
Actually,
this is what Tarn Taran Kaur does with layering in her Lasagna Gardening! And
she gives ideas of where to find both carbon (brown layers) and green layers.
MAGAZINES!
Guruneil Singh
brought me some great magazines to share!
One is the
Sunset Master Series, which is a supplement to a subscription to the gorgeous
Sunset Magazine! It shows and describes 5 luscious gardens from different areas
of the West. The Santa Fe garden emphasizes “The Sight and Spirit of
Water” which features a massive black, 2 foot high pool with “spillway” edges, and two simple trough-like
water falls on the upper and lower levels. It lines the entrance to the beautiful
home! Quite an inspiration! www.Sunset.com
He also brought
an old favorite, Mother Earth News! Remember
that from our old hippie days? Well, they are still dishing out great information
and ads, believe it or not, but have moved on from their hippie foundation to still helping us sustain ourselves comfortably
in country environs with an organic lifestyle!
Some of the
articles in this issue #214 are about Top Organic Pest Controls, Grow Great Onions, Revolutionary Organic Farmers, NJ Farms
Grow (Solar) Energy, 10 Easy & Useful Flowers, Expert Advice on Straw Bale Building, Biodiesel Homegrown Oil, Sweet Success
in Staving Off Diabetes, Gardeners’ Almanac—Gardening Tips for Where You Live.
And the ads
range from access to yurts and kit built beautiful homes, to innovative and necessary home and garden equipment, alternative
energy supplies, seed catalogs and garden supplies, and so on. It’s
certainly worth revisiting! www.MotherEarthNews.com
Guruneil Singh found this for us from Buffini & Company 2006
(All Rights Reserved, APRIL CAP S)
STEPS FOR PLANNING YOUR GARDEN
1. Sketch out your existing yard, including the intended planting areas, decks, trees, slopes, fences,
walkways, etc. Don't worry if your drawing isn't suitable for framing! Make sure you have actual dimensiions and
note them in the sketch.
2. Plan trees first, as they provide focal points for your yard or garden. You may want
shade trees that provide colorful foliage in fall, or elegant flowering trees, usually smaller, that bloom in spring or summer.
3. Next come plants that give year-round structure to the garden, such as large bushes and shrubs.
Garden art, pathways, and low walls or borders of brick. stone or wood, can also provide structure, especially in a garden's
bare months.
4. Now incorporate the decorative flowering shrubs and grasses. These might be used to screen
plain garage walls or compost heaps, as dividers between garden segments, or as attractive accents to frame the garden.
5. Finish off with perennials, bulbs, and annuals. In the typical border garden bed, perennials
give the garden shape, with bulbs providing early spring color and annuals the later spring and summer accents. Note
varieties, colors and bloom times in your sketch.
6. Finally, it's time to scout nurseries! Seed packages and flats tell requirements for
climate, soil, sun and shade, temperature and planting distance, as do seed catalogs.
|
 |
ITALIAN
SEED COMPANY
November
27, 2006 Teg Kaur sissy@cybermesa.com
In a search for the squash in your website I located a WONDERFUL seed company!
There email address is as follows www.italianseedcompany.com.uk
December 2, 2006 Christi, GILARAIN@aol.com
Christi’s answer from the
Italian Seed Company: pdemarco@italianseedcompany.co.uk I am afraid do we not ship to USA due to high shipping costs and custom
regulations. Sorry. Italian Seed Company.
Christi says: If you search “Italian seeds,” there are lots of US distributors, though
not as much variety.
November 22, 2006
Guru Meher Kaur (Noor Singh) khalsa44@hotmail.com Japanese Eggplant seeds.
Thanks for these great sites for rare seeds (shown in the next entry from Tejinder Kaur)! I found some Japanese
Eggplant seeds I have been looking for.
November
21, 2006 Tejinder Kaur tejindersoul@yahoo.com Heirloom Squash
I wanted to share with u and your garden club a wonderful heirloom vegetable i grew this summer. Its a climbing summer
and/or winter squash called "Trombetta di Albenga"
If u have a sunny spot with a fence or trellis it loves to climb and produces many trombone shaped goodies. Try them
young or leave them on the vine. You can fine the seeds at www.rareseeds.com or thru www.groworganic.com under "Renee's Garden Seeds. Renee calls them 'Climbing Trombetta". Happy Gardening in New Mexico
October
31, 2006 Sat Gurprasad Kaur satguruprasad@hotmail.com WHO CAN CUT WEEDS?
From Dr. Sat
Siri Kaur drsatsiri@newmexico.com “I have a couple Mexican guys
who do good work.”
From Wahe Guru Kaur waheguruk@akalsecurity.com "Jagat has done a great job in our yard.”
October
24, 2006, NEED A GARDEN PLOT?
Is there anyone who doesn’t have their own place to
garden, and who would love to have garden plot with access to an acequia (irrigation ditch) in the community area? If
so, please e-mail sirigian@valornet.com or call me at 753-8194. Happy Gardening!
October
4, 2006, TRADITIONAL NATIVE FARMING METHODS
This message was forwarded
to us by Guru Meher Kaur (Noor S.). “I met this guy at the Farmers Market who thought some people in the ashram might be interested in this symposium.
See what you think.”
This looks like a wonderful event apparently to share the sacredness and practicality of the ancient ways of raising
food and medicine. “Dry” or non-irrigated farming is included! It will be Oct. 6, but I am not sure
where. You could e-mail Mr. Roybal if you are interested! Please see the attachments.
From: "V ROYBAL" vicente.roybal@gmail.com
Conference Mission Statement:
The mission of this conference is two-fold; our first objective is to
share,
with the intent to preserve for future generations, traditional
agricultural knowledge such as dry farming, water management
and seed
saving techniques, as well as medicinal herb and other traditional
plant uses. Our second objective
is to educate our audience regarding
current food, seed and agricultural policy which we believe is at a
critical point
of needing our awareness and attention.
September 25, 2006, TREE SPECIALIST
Gurbani Kaur
gurbani@kiit.com kartar@la-tierra.com
My husband Kartar Singh is also a tree specialist!
Wahe Guru Kaur
WaheGuruK@kiit.com
Do you know a tree specialist? I am looking for someone to come look at a potentially sick large cottonwood on our
property. Thank you.
Laurie Krebs lauriekrebs2000@yahoo.com
I am a landscaper in town,
and have done work for Sangeet, Darshan, and other people in the area. I do know a thing or two about cottonwoods. As far
as your friend’s cottonwood: What are the symptoms?
a general "sickening" (bloom or vegetation fade?) droopiness
or wilting?
rust spots on leaves or bark?
approximate age of tree?
What type of soil does it sit in?
I would have
to see it to make a decent diagnosis. Please call me at (505)-310-1817
thanks
Laurie Krebs
All Aspect Landscaping
Sat Guru Singh SatGuruS@kiit.com
We have had Tony Valdez look at all of our trees...he can help you. He has told us what
is wrong with our trees, as well as how to treat them (organically) tonvalde@nmsu.edu
Sept. 20, 2006 Seva Simran Siri Singh sevasimransiri@cybermesa.com
SOIL TESTING
Seva Simran
Siri Singh called Tony Valdez, our County Extension Agent and this is his reply!
Hi---I talked to Tony yesterday and he gave me a website to go to. It costs
$17.50 The site
is: http://swatlab.nmsu.edu. They also do other tests.
These tests
include soil chemical testing with recommendations for fertilizer, drinking water with a basic microbial test, waste water
testing, air and various plants.
Opportunity for all gardeners!
I have hand reared tomato and pepper seedlings I would like
to give to people who can use them.
The tomatoes are indeterminates - vining old fashioned
ones - Cherokee and Brandywine
The peppers are plants that will, with sufficient sun
and growing time, produce large sweet red or yellow peppers.
There are about a dozen tomatoes
and 6 peppers.
Please call me at 754 0562, or email me at this address or just come by the
office. I would like to have them all on their way to new homes today.
I asked the plant
and all of these ones wanted to stay down here in the valley, so they will do well. The peppers are not fully hardened off
yet, since they are not yet ready to be planted at Ram Das Puri. A few days and nights of careful outdoor exposure should
be all they need - they are mostly ready now, .Right now they are all sitting out in the rain, singing hosannas (prayers of
joy ).
The only thing I ask is that the pots are returned to me, and I would welcome and
extra pots you may have also, of any sizes.
I have a gas powered Mantis tiller that I would be willing to share with the members
of the Gardening Club.
April 19, 2006 WILDFLOWER SEEDS
Wondering where one can get wild flower seeds? Can you ask the group if anyone knows? Someone got it
for me before and I don’t know where…
I got my wildflower seeds from Agua Fria Nursery, from Santa Fe Greenhouses and from Walmart in a big box that was only
about 2% seeds. I also collected a lot last fall from seeding wild plants that I liked. The guy at Agua Fria Nursery
said to scatter them in the winter on the snow or during a snow storm or on rained on ground. I also figured out that
I could spray water on the ground with my hose and then scatter them. Hope this helps. I wonder if anyone else
has any ideas or experience with this?
What
do you mean a big box only 2% seeds? Was this walmart only and what was the other 98%?
The rest was
some stuff that might keep the seeds on the earth and also probably to make the box look like it had lots of seeds for those
who don’t read the box. But the price was about comparable—seeds to seeds with the small packets from the
nurseries.
Satya
Kaur, Ram Das Puri satyak@sikhdharma.org
Best to buy locally native species (like you probably
got from Agua Fria and SF Greenhouses). Some good mixes are available on-line also, for this specific designated area.
Best time to seed them is the fall. It really hard to get it to germinate if you are doing a large area. Needs
alot of consistent watering. Just depending on available precipitation is not the way to go - it is not even enough
or sufficient in this area. I have tried a number of times and not been successful yet but we also do not have water pressure
for sprinkler systems and you can do that down here.
Chipped Apple Tree Mulch--$3 for each big bag!
High Country Gardens
Community
Raw Foods Organic Gardening. Here
is a link to the garden website of Dr. Gabiel Cousens, the spiritual raw foods nutritionist that Deva Kaur and Kartar Singh
with The Cleanse are sponsoring on Friday evening, April 21 in Santa Fe. Just
thought you might enjoy it! http://www.treeoflife.nu/gardening.html
Weed Control and Soil Improvement
MULCH--saw dust and straw
Sat Nam, Regarding the mulch, here is a suggestion - the sawmill in Arroyo Seco near Sarb Sarang Kaur's sells a truckload
of sawdust very cheaply - I think its $10 a truckload, and other $5 to have them load it up. Yes, sawdust mixed in the soil
uses the nitrogen needed for the plants, so that isn't a good idea.
However, when it is used only as a mulch, left on the surface of the soil it doesn't do this. It can be used over seeds,
new or established plants. Devmurti used this for years as mulch at the ranch. After the season is over, you just mix it into
the soil and it breaks down enough for the next year. I have used this successfully for years. The only possible problem that
I saw was that last year it might have been the reason my carrots had a different flavor. I'm not even sure if that was the
reason, but all of my other plants were fine.
I like using straw as a mulch too, but it can blow away easily if it isn't watered down. I like gardening
barefoot and spreading straw on pathways makes it easy.
If Devmurti Singh is around he would love to share his extensive knowledge with the club and Kartar Singh (Gurbani Kaur's
husband) as well as Hari Prem Singh (gardening is his profession) also have alot of knowledge and love to talk about
plants and growing things.
|
