Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Zachary Domikez <zdomike@yahoo.com>]

'Fruits of Vacant Lots'

It does seem to work, at least my cousing in West
Seattle (slum of homehowners) is next door to a vacant
lot, where quite a variety of trees and free greens
are lovingly tended.  it is not pretty, and not
sustainable, but it has been thriving for twelve
years, and has a remarkable soil built up.  Benches
around a cook-out pit make a special atmosphere.

I do not want to bet on that luck much in the
aftermath of George Bush's America.  But I do wonder
if it is something reproducible, or just an anomaly?

After peak-oil, people might slow down enough to get
into gardening!

Regards,
Zack

'More on Food Not Lawns'
To:     "Healthy soil and sustainable growing"
<livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <038301c7761b$3e3e18c0

Well, some places it does work. I live where Flores
lives and we, as a 
community, are doing it now. Planting in odd places I
mean. The circles 
in the middle of a street that are there to deter
speeders, the median 
strips, etc. We are insisting that there be toxic free
parks for 
children to safely play in. Street theater is a big
thing here and art swaps 
do make money. Much vacant land has been turned into
community gardens. 
We use composting reserves and sources to build up
soil. And yes, 
Flores does know how to build up healthy soil so that
toxins are not needed 
to kill of insects, or to fertilize the soil with
synthetic chemicals. 
You dig up the median strips and put in soil that has
been conditioned 
with natural things like compost and a natural
fertilizer. The median 
strips are respected by people, the city has approved
them and so it 
works here. People are astounded to see businesses
putting in food plants 
in their areas. Then there is the planting of gardens
on balconie
 s, roof tops, any number of places. Just as people
make raised garden 
beds one can do so on a smaller scale. Container
gardening is practice 
every where. Everything helps. Unless you live here
you really can't 
dismiss Flores ideas. And they certainly aren't new
ideas or only done 
here, but around the world. I think one of the
benefits to this too is 
that it gets people more in touch with nature, induces
more thinking 
about the planet they are destroying and how they can
stop being a part of 
that. And it helps educate their neighbors which
spreads out throughout 
an entire community.
linda



 
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