GardenersCardiff answers:

The more people that grow there own food the less big agriculture has to and that means less fuel to run the big tractors,less fuel to get the food to market,less energy expended on manufacturing the food like canning or freezing,etc.and that all boils down to less pollution.There is also the added benefit to the person growing the food of more fresh air and eating very fresh food which in turn will make for healthier people and less trips to the Dr. Thus saving some more fuel.And that is just the tip of the iceburg.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Corn is not an easy thing for a first or even second year gardener. It has to have much cross pollenating and it really strips out the nutrients from the soil. Don’t even attempt.

We have had a garden every year since we married 36 yrs ago. We have lived all over the state of Texas. It is so easy to grow cabbage and broccoli we have feasted on ours several times this winter already…planted last fall. Lettuce is in the ground now, onions since October but not ready yet, tomatoes, okra which would make a very tasty fence type border, squashes, cucumbers. All above are easily grown.

In South Texas we can grow okra and tomatos until December and one year had it until end of January. A good book to use for any one is the Farmers Almanac, much useful info there. If you have a radio station with a local garden show or with Neil Sperry, he is great. I think he maybe on line too.

Get you a good book, try to stay organic for the soil’s sake. Also make a friend or two at the nursery where you can purchase quality plants and seed. Pick their brains about soil preparation which is so very important. Use naturals soil additions like calcium carbonate to keep blossom end rot at bay. It is absorbed into the plant and you enjoy the benefit of calicum enrichment.

If you have a friend with a ranch or horse lot, ask for some of the composted manure to work into your new soil. That is what the cattle or horses have broken down by walking on over and over and then adding their “duty” to it if you know what I mean. They are usually supplemented with mineral licks, and what is not absorbed by the animal comes out…great soil additive for lightening and enriching. When watered, then the nutrients return to our be absorbed in garden veggies and fruits.

Good luck.

GardenersCardiff answers:

A gift card for a gardening place, or for a place she likes to eat.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Money plant and a card
flowers

maybe a zen garden
maybe a travel book or any sort of book that can help pass time on a plane or waiting in line!

Maybe make a collage of the old friend in old job and then show the improvement!

Ask them what they need and get them that!
Out of suggestions now !
Good luck
and tell your friend Kudo’s

GardenersCardiff answers:

Organic refers only to the growing method. When talking about plants it is a growing method where there are no synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides. When talking about animals it means that the animals are eating plants that are produced in an organic matter, and in addition are not given antibiotics or hormones.
Chemical fertilizers generally designed to grow plants faster, and not necessarily for the plant to absorb the array of trace minerals that are found in a natural soil environment. The plants do not have the time to take in any more than the basic nutrients, and both their nutritional value and taste tend to suffer because of this. There are also risk factors involved with what the added chemicals/pesticides will do to a human when they ingest them. Since herbs tend to grow at an relatively fast rate (at least for a gardener) and the leaves tend not be bothered too much by pests – as they have their own natural defense systems – there is no reason that you shouldn’t grow them organically.
Heritage and Heirloom refer to the breed or variety of animal or plant. Heirloom refers to plant varieties which have remained unchanged over many many decades. As many plants have been bred or genetically engineered for maximized production, many of the old heirloom varieties have become very rare. These varieties benefit from many different individual genetic makeups, giving all sorts of different flavors, as well as resistance to different diseases or adverse conditions that other varieties might be affected by. Heirloom varieties include Purple Peruvian Potatoes, Brandywine Tomatoes, and Genovese Basil… The list goes on.
Heritage is the term used when referring to animals. The idea is the same. A good example would be with dairy cows: At this point in time Holsteins (not a heritage breed) have been bred to be bovine milk factories, they produce lots of watery milk and aren’t particularly hardy animals. On the other hand Tarentaise Cows (a heritage breed) are very hardy and produce rich milk. Different breeds of cow will produce slightly different proteins due to their varied DNA, giving different flavor to their meat/milk as well as making them ideal for all sorts of different conditions ranging from anything from specific weather or altitude, to disease resistance. Heritage breeds include Dutch belted Cows, Fainting Goats, and Araucana Chickens… The list goes on.
So that being said one can grow an heirloom variety or heritage breed without it being organic. It happens that many of the people who care a lot about their production methods will choose use organic growing methods in combination with use of heirloom cultivators/heritage breeds because they feel that this combination will give them the best end product. That is why you see the terms organic and heirloom (or heritage) side by side so often, even though neither are dependent on the other.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Heirloom and heritage mean exactly the same thing as far as seeds are concerned. It would be nice if all the seed companies that offer OP (open pollinated) seed would get on the same page and use the same terminology in all the catalogues

This is Carolyn Male’s Definition (Ms Male is one of the top experts on heirloom tomatoes and has written several books on the topic)
1. Commercial Heirlooms: Open-pollinated varieties introduced before 1940, or tomato varieties more than 50 years in circulation.
2. Family Heirlooms: Seeds that have been passed down for several generations through a family.
3. Created Heirlooms: Crossing two known parents (either two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid) and dehybridizing the resulting seeds for how ever many years/generations it takes to eliminate the undesirable characteristics and stabilize the desired characteristics, perhaps as many as 8 years or more.
4. Mystery Heirlooms: Varieties that are a product of natural cross-pollination of other heirloom varieties.

I have checked personally with Ms male about this as we have known each for many years other through some gardening forums and this question comes up perennially and she also says heritage and heirloom mean the same thing. Seeing as how all the seed companies use her definition of Heirloom I would say she is as good a source as one can get on this topic

Organic has absolutely nothing to do with this and as a matter of fact, most of the heirloom seeds sold are NOT certified organic. Seed savers Exchange and Fedco both offer certified organic heirloom seed but neither offers only organic heirloom seed, they also have conventionally grown heirloom seed. The heirloom seed offered by Burpee, Parks, etc., are not certified organic at all and in some cases have fungicide treatments that would make the land they are planted upon uncertifiable for 3 years or would decertify organic land.

Hybrid seed can be certified organic. I have bough pounds of such seed in my life. Hybrid cannot be heirloom as others here have explained

GardenersCardiff answers:

Personally, I think it depends on what kind of stuff you are into. For example, I was at a kiddie soccer match today and saw that the gentleman sitting next to me was reading – of all things – a gardening magazine! I had never seen that before.

Anyway, if you are interested, I subscribe to Consumer Reports. When flying, I always buy the following magazines: Redbook, US, People, Ladie’s Home Journal and Shape.

GardenersCardiff answers:

NO it’s a waste of money, snakes are as much as we hate them, natural. A part of life. A natural border will keep the snakes out of your personal area. They hate mothballs (so do alot of people!). Snakes Hate Merigolds! (flowers). Use keywords like Natural borders /gardens, etc and you will find a natural way to keep unwanted animals out of your yard. I had to book, I just can’t remember the title.