Independent American News

Hello Everyone!!

I was having problems with my Internet service so I am running a little behind. It has been busy here in Southern Nevada, the kids back in school, etc. I trust all readers have been eating healthy and fighting the good fight. So without to much fanfare, let’s jump right in.

Over the last weekend the weather started getting cooler here (103 degrees!) but the nights here in the desert drop down to the high 50’s. So fall planting is afoot. Now assuming that you have plotted out your space, and worked abundant amounts of compost into your soil, you are ready to get planting!! Here where I live we have another short growing season that allows you to get in some more tomatoes if you so desire. When the soil temperature gets down to 75-77 degrees, there are a couple of varieties of lettuce that are excellent producers, we have had success with butter lettuce and red leaf. Spinach is ready for another go around as well. Being from the “sativa” genus the planting and growing of lettuce and spinach are very close. Also, carrots and a little later on cabbage, and other root vegetables.

There are countless sources for seeds no matter where you live. Local nurseries, home improvement stores , hardware stores, and of course, on-line. If you can find a person in a nursery, or hardware store that can hook you up with heirloom seeds than by all things righteous buy them with your last dollar! Heirloom seeds ( if you do not know) are just what they say they are. You can collect the seeds from your grown plants and replant them again and again. Thay are more expensive but well worth it. You only buy them once. If you buy anything else it is probably a hybrid. Hybrids are not all that bad, but please read the package before you purchase and plant. Hybrids have been cross-bred to have more desirable traits. You know, like more flavor, drought tolerant, etc. It is like a lot of things folks, you have to do your homework before you eat something you have grown and it ends up being FRANKENFOOD!!! So be very aware of companies like Monsanto and there ilk. I don’t want to scare anyone but some things these big agriculture outfits do is just not good for anyone but there bottom line. So the best thing to do guys,is go heirloom seeds, you will have a better harvest, a better taste, and you have seeds for as long as you are willing. In may next article I will be talking about fertilizers. Sounds exciting doesen’t it?? One other thing………

The initial articles that I am writing are very general, we will in the future get down and literally dirty on specifics. I like to close these little items I am submitting with a tag line of sorts, ” One Man and a Shovel” well last weekend, I got access to an old 5hps tiller. I have to do some maintenence on it, but my son Ian says I have to change the tag-line. Oh well I thought it sounded kinda cool. Till next time gardeners.

Feed your Family, Feed Your Soul
One Man and a Shovel(almost a Tiller)
The Green Guy

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 6th, 2008 at 8:28 pm and is filed under Gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.