Sustainable Gardening Yields Cornucopia of Blessings
If there were a justice system in gardening, I’d probably be in prison for “plant slaughter.” For years, I unintentionally killed everything from the simple philodendron to the more exotic bromeliads.
It was overwhelming trying to decide when to water, how much to water, where to plant and which nutrients to use. And after, it was to no avail; most plants died under my watch.
The turning point was when I changed my attitude about vegetation in general. When my children were growing up, my perception of plants was skewed. I viewed them as knickknacks for the curio cabinet, adornments for the kitchen table and decorations for the living room and front porch.
I was outside in the summer heat one day with my four dachshunds — Mocha, Coco, Ty and Marty. They ran to the back door and drank what seemed like a gallon of water. As they were slurping up that cool drink, I looked over at my wilting plants and thought to myself, “They must be thirsty, too.”
Something inside me just clicked.
From that day forward, I began to view plants differently. I saw them as living beings, creatures of nature that deserved a respectable level of care and protection. Following that epiphany, I paid closer attention to good water retention, plant diseases, and aerating and feeding the soil.
This new outlook inspired me to start an organic vegetable garden more than 15 years ago. My initial setup was an 8 x 8 foot enclosed greenhouse overlooking the resaca (man-made lake) in my backyard. I volunteered at an urban farm, joined a local community garden (both projects of the Brownsville Wellness Coalition), visited farms up the Rio Grande Valley and gravitated to Master Gardeners who were more knowledgeable than myself. In doing so, I realized that different gardeners and farmers have different styles and approaches to working the land.
By no means am I a gardening expert. However, in the beginning, I learned these four important lessons:
- Only grow what you like to eat.
- Organic produce is not always aesthetically pleasing, perfect and shiny (like the store-bought waxed tomatoes).
- Accept that, despite your best efforts, the entire farming process is hit and miss … not everything survives.
- Plan your meals accordingly to utilize organic produce quickly. Depending on what it is, the probability of organic produce lasting weeks in your refrigerator is low.
Young gardeners often approach me with the question of having enough space to plant a garden. I laughed the first time I saw the book, Garden Survival: Discover How To Grow Everything You Need To Survive In 3 Square Feet, by Clive Harrison. It’s true and shocking to see how many vegetables will grow in a small area.
I’ve managed up to four garden boxes approximately 8 x 4 feet each. Currently, I oversee two boxes at one of our local community gardens. My greatest success has been with cilantro, cucumbers, basil and kale, but I’ve also enjoyed growing cabbage, squash, eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, Swiss chard, green onions, broccoli, chiles, dragon fruit, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and beets.
Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year for cultivation.
This is when root vegetables like carrots, beets, radishes and onions are in the ground. As long as I don’t have pest problems, the advantage of root vegetables is that I can harvest a few items at a time and use them as needed. Other vegetables growing this time of year include greens (arugula, spinach, collards, lettuce and kale), brassicas (broccoli and cabbage) and legumes (peas and beans).
Gardening is a labor of love that teaches patience and humility.
It allows me to enjoy nature and to get unapologetically covered with grass and dirt. I am a Cameron County Master Gardener, and I still consider myself a student. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, I learn something new.
During the pandemic, many people turned to gardening for stress relief, relaxation and food access. Throughout the quarantine, volunteering at the garden kept me involved with the community.
I donated boxes of cilantro and kale to Brownsville’s Gladys Porter Zoo for the gorillas. I bartered with my friends and exchanged the fruits of my harvest for fresh fish, venison, jars of salsa, farm eggs, other produce and even graphic design work from a local advertising agency.
My epiphany has led me to understand the process of getting food from the farm to the table and the importance of sustainability. I see each harvest as a blessing. I am an advocate of people growing their own food, being self-sufficient and environmentally conscious. I can only hope that by turning my brown thumb green, Mother Nature has exonerated me.
TEXAS TEA ORGANIC PLANT FERTILIZER
I love this Texas Tea. I find it interesting how a fish, a creature from the sea, could be so beneficial to plants which need fertile, biologically active soil to flourish.
Farmer Dave is the inspiration behind this compost recipe. He is one of my mentors and has been a huge influence to many gardening enthusiasts in this area. He has dedicated himself to promoting community gardens and urban farms locally. He describes himself as a man of the earth, who loves nature. His mantra is: Only cool vibes allowed in the garden.
Use with freshly planted transplants to pre-fruiting plants, so they’ll grow stronger and faster.
To prepare this recipe, you’ll need a plastic bucket that holds 5 gallons.
- 5 gallons (19 l) water
- 1 pound (454 g) composted soil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish emulsion per gallon of water
Start by dechlorinating the water; leave water in the bucket for a day or two in direct sunlight.
Wrap the composted soil tightly in a cloth, pantyhose or old T-shirt. Like you would with a tea bag, dunk the cloth containing the composted soil in the water and manually squeeze out the liquid to extract the nutrients.
Add the fish emulsion to the bucket. Among other nutrients, fish emulsion may contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Spin together with a drill (paddle or paint mixer) or stir vigorously by hand until well blended. Now it’s ready to be applied.
Pour some Texas Tea around the base of the plant, using enough to dampen the soil.
Start by applying this fertilizer once a week. Observe the plant closely over time. If it looks green, healthy and flourishing, you may reduce the application to once or twice a month.
