New report has good news about sustainable farming

Mark Bittman at the New York Times writes about a new report from the United Nations that debunks the conventional wisdom that it isn’t possible to feed the world’s population using sustainable agriculture practices.  Noting the toll that conventional or industrial agriculture takes on the Earth’s resources, report author Olivier de Schutter says that in the short term, sustainable agriculture (what he calls “agro-ecology” helps:

small farmers who must be able to farm in ways that are less expensive and more productive. But it benefits all of us, because it decelerates global warming and ecological destruction.

Planning your vegetable garden

Yes it’s already time to start thinking about it. In warmer climates, cool season crops like lettuce and spinach can go in soon. Vegetable garden can be a little bewildering, with all the differences between planting and harvesting times. To get the most out of your garden space, it pays to do a little planning instead of simply plopping seeds or seedlings into the ground. This helps you use space effectively and  harvest more vegetables from your garden.

Here are a few different approaches to think about when planning this year’s garden.

5 shrubs for winter interest

Winterberry holly ‘red sprite,” image courtesy of University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, Kent County

It feels like spring’s on its way, at least in central North Carolina. But I know a lot of folks are still buried in snow. For you, spring must seem far away. If you’re still dealing with winter and feel there’s no end in sight, this list is for you: 5 shrubs that add winter interest to your garden.

More scenes from the July garden

Poppies! The one non-food item in my garden. I absolutely love them.

Random July garden images

Long time no blog…it’s summer after all. Garden updates abound. I usually hate photo-heavy posts. In fact I don’t recall making a post before with this many photos but in this case the pics are worth a whole bunch of words. First, a before/after view of my plot. Below taken June 20:

Suck it, Whole Foods!

Er….the headline I really meant to write was “First Harvest.” But, sorry Whole Paycheck Foods, I will not be needing your services as much now that I am beginning to reap the bounty from my wonderful little community garden plot at Fox Point Community Garden, and now that the Downtown Providence Farmers’ Market where I pick up my community supported agriculture (CSA) box is open.

(Gratuitous cat photos below the fold!)