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One of the reasons I grow food is insure the quality and peace of mind knowing it is organic.
When I buy organic products it is important for me to know who I am supporting.
I found this "family tree" which explains who the corporations are that currently own the most popular organic food brands. Here is the link: Corporate Ownership Diagram
A young volunteer adds shredded cardboard to prepare the bin for its new residents. The plywood bin was built by volunteers.
After their new home is ready, the red worms are added to the top of the moistened bedding. They waste no time burrowing in and getting to work. Photos by Les Dublin
Reader Sasha was kind enough to pass on info for this event...
A Summit on Sustaining Agriculture for Ventura County's Future
"Building a Community of Good Stewards"
Thursday, March 30, 2006, 8am to 2pm
Oxnard Performing Arts Center
Join civic and business leaders, farmers, city and county elected officials, environmental and farm worker advocates, and concerned citizens in this open forum on issues, challenges and opportunities to move Ventura County agriculture toward a viable and sustainable future.
The Summit will lay the foundation for future efforts to ensure that agriculture in Ventura County meets the "3Es" of sustainability - economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity - for now and generations to come.
View the detailed listing for this home now.
Slate Magazine points out in a recent article on Whole Foods that "Let's say you live in New York City and want to buy a pound of tomatoes in season. Say you can choose between conventionally grown New Jersey tomatoes or organic ones grown in Chile. Of course, the New Jersey tomatoes will be cheaper. They will also almost certainly be fresher, having traveled a fraction of the distance. But which is the more eco-conscious choice? In terms of energy savings, there's no contest: Just think of the fossil fuels expended getting those organic tomatoes from Chile. Which brings us to the question: [given the variables of] freshness, price, and energy conservation, should a New Yorker just instinctively choose organic, even if the produce comes from Chile?"
So pretend you live in the Big Apple. What would your choice be?
This from one of my favorite websites www.TreeHugger.com
March 20, 2006 11:21 AM - Collin Dunn, Durham, North Carolina
Now that spring has officially sprung, it may be time for many of you to start planting gardens, flowerboxes and the like in anticipation of a warm, fruitful summer. If indoor aeroponic gardening isn't your thing, here are some of our favorite resources and tips for greening your green thumb.
1) The Waterwise Garden book is a great start for low-impact, green gardening.
2) Plants don't like synthetic-based fertilizers any more than we do. Feed them the good stuff, like TerraCycle Plant Food.
3) The same goes for when it comes to keeping your plants & gardens bug-free. Try organic insecticide to keep you, your plants and the planet happy.
4) Don't have any plants, but want some? The Free Trees & Plants will give you some for just the cost of shipping.
5) For those with a burgeoning green thumb, but limited gardening real estate, why not try Leopoldo’s hanging basket or the Hortuba garden table.
6) When it comes to lawn care, Dave Pollard has a good mantra: "Save water, save time, save your health, save the environment. And say no to toxic chemicals."
7) Growing a green roof? Motherplants is a nursery devoted to growing plants specifically for green roofs.
It's that time of year where Spring gardens start inviting our attention.
Come join other farmers and backyard gardeners to exchange seeds, scions and stories.
Ojai Seed Swap
Bring your favorites and excess to giveaway!
Find the seeds you’ve always wanted!
Discover varieties you never knew about!
Tues. March 28
7:45pm
Sacred Space Studio
410 Bryant Circle #1
(off of Ojai Ave., just east of Exotic Thai restaurant)
Please bring your own table, if you have one, to set your seeds on.
Also, bags to put the seeds you take in. - Thank you
For more info. contact: Raymond 805.715.0050 / Email:raypows@gmail.com
Weeds are a readily available source of mulch material at this time of year. The weeds in this bed will help keep the soil moist during the hot, dry days to come. Volunteers pulled weeds and laid them down thickly on the soil in this no-dig bed that currently features garlic.
This photo was from a couple of days ago in a friend's garden by the Krotona Institute. The view is looking east out over Ojai Valley.
Weeds love the rain, so at this time of year the volunteers in the demo garden are busy trying to keep things under control. But as we do, we should keep in mind that weeds play an important role in the garden. They can help loosen heavy soil, and provide a home for many beneficial insects, like ladybugs and lacewings. Flowering weeds can also help attract bees to the garden. Photo by Les Dublin
This is an amazing plant. Always has these blooms going year around. It is from the Australian Native Plants Nursery in Casitas Srpings and seems to thrive quite nicely in Ojai. Gravelia(?):
Nice rainy day for a virtual garden tour. Here's some shots around the house of our little garden areas...
Fun pot o' succulents on the table underneath a big Bacon avacado. The succulent down next to the table hasnt been in dirt for over a month and it's still happy. Will plant soon. So hearty. The vine on the right is star jsmine. Still looking forward to the first bloom...if we're still here.
The walk through garden in the back. Peaceful. Nice to gaze into while soaking in the spa adjacent. (Don't mind the dead thing in the foreground.)
These banana trees were literally 3 feet tall last April. They grow up so fast, dont they? A frost burned out all the new leaves though. =u( We'll trim em off when the heat comes back.
A papyrus planted by Lisa Phelps last June or so. It grew a few feet since then!
Here's a close up of something very Fuscia.
The deck near the spa surrounded by giant timber bamboo. If we let the shoots go as they will, we'll have a nice 15+ foot privacy wall.
And heres one of 6 aloes in the front yard thats interspersed with lavendar. I love the creepy crawly octopus arms that these things grow into. They dont mind being chopped back either.
The Lavender Inn has an assortment of gorgeous lavender plants. We are trying to increase our number of varieties of French, English, and Spanish Lavenders. Each one blooms at differents times and reveal their own delicate beauty. 
This is Sol - he's all of thirteen months old, visiting from Sonoma County. I was watching him yesterday afternoon. He helped me garden, but when he was ready to play he laid on top of half a dozen onions and squirmed around.
Dedicated Demonstration Garden volunteer Carol Wade will speak Monday night at the Ojai Valley Horticultural Society meeting. The subject of her talk will be "Designing a Multi-use Herb Garden — Culinary, Medicinal and Beautiful!" Carol designed, planted and maintains the Medicine Wheel Herb Garden in the Demonstration Garden. Carol is an herbalist and nutritional counselor here in Ojai. The meeting begins at 7:00 P.M.
Date: March 6, 2006
Location: Kent Hall at Little House (upstairs)
111 West Santa Ana, Ojai – Next to City Hall