From Arab Spring to Organic Gardening

Last year it was the Arab Spring. This year, that phenomenon continues in the Syrian government slaughtering its own civilians. Closer to home, Harper and Co. are spending $25 billion of our money on fighter jets, $9 billion on prisons, and they're cutting the budgets of human right organization, environmental departments, and the CBC. Welcome to the Spring of skewered priorities.

Our little patch of the Earth, on the other hand, is ignoring all these disturbing facts and bursts forth with another set of wonderful Spring bulbs! Our crocuses, with their white, purple, and yellow petals, and yellow and orange stamens are more magnificent than the most expensive ball gown, while the hyacinths emit such a lovely smell that in another century it would cause women to swoon. Lemon- colored daffodils stand guard over the shorter flowers, while the tulips are itching to bud and bloom.

While Sara's garden is starting to fill in with bulbs and sprouting perennials, indoors we are incubating lots of flower and vegetable seeds and seedlings. We purchased some new grow-light units from Lee Valley and they work using a very primitive hydroponic method. Capillary action is the key, as the absorbent pad hangs into the rainwater (collected just for that purpose) and ensures that the coco coir seedling pots are well watered from below.

Weekly, I mix up some Iguana Juice Grow and Voodoo Juice in four liters of water and fertilize the more advanced seedlings. They seem to thrive on the stuff, and their white roots are sticking out from the bottoms of the bio-degradable pots. Sara insists on only using 100% organic fertilizers, so thank goodness for the Advanced Nutrients organic line!

I'll document the progress of our flowers, fruits, and vegetables as the months progress. Mother Nature is teaching us once again, that no matter how disturbing the flow of human history, the Earth follows a seasonal pattern and it's been around a lot longer than us humans. Let her teach us to be peaceful, loving, and respectful of her bounty.

Tulips Love Organic Nutrients


Well, we have four more years of Harper, but at least the Green Party got a seat in Parliament, so the interests of gardeners everywhere will be voiced frequently, we hope. Spring is my favorite time of year, when the life force of Nature surges forth in every bud and bloom.

I also have a fondness for Jack Layton and I am glad that he did really, really well in the election. I am tired of shouldering the costs of social programs while huge corporations are not only given tax reducti0ns but in many cases, subsidies as well.

The crocuses are gone, but some beautiful daffodils are still in bloom and the newcomers, the exquisite tulip varieties are bursting forth everywhere. At one time, these flowers were worth their weight in gold! During the tulip mania in 17th century Europe, a single bulb would fetch as much as a tradesman made in ten years of hard work. The bubble burst, and prices plummeted.

Some blue hyacinths still remain in Sara's garden and some different perennial flowers are beginning to make their appearance. The roses have all sprouted fresh leaves and the poppies are going through their vegetative growth. Everything seems to be a month behind last year, when we had a very warm spring.

We continue to feed our plants 100% organic Iguana Juice, as well as some supplements, such as Humic Acid and Fulvic Acid. These ingredients create a very fertile soil which will guarantee a bountiful supply of flowers, as well as vegetables in the back of the house.

I hope you enjoy my photographs of Sara's magnificent blooms and that you'll come back to this blog again and again to check out the progress of our organic Gabriola Garden.

Daffodils and Hyacinths Grown Organically

Our Spring garden is late this year! The bright yellow daffodils are here now (last year they were here a month ago), but the tulips have not opened yet. Down south in Washington State they are already having tulip festivals, but up here in British Columbia, Winter's grip is slower to loosen.

Canada is in the middle of a federal election campaign and given the hyperbole of the opposing party leaders, there is enough fertilizer in the air to feed everybody's garden. Then the spin doctors take over and the b.s. reaches unbearable proportions!

Yesterday, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I used our wheelbarrow to transport several large containers of 100% Organic Iguna Juice mixture to fertilize different parts of Sara's garden. In the next few days I will also administer Humic and Fulvic Acid, as well as Bud Factor X and Rhino Skin, in order to immunize our plants against the onslaught of insects and pathogens, that are sure to arrive, along with the warmer weather.

Many people forget that when the buds start bursting in the Spring plants require feeding, not just water. Just think of how much energy is required to produce a beautiful bloom! Without a good meal, plants will still flower, but the yield will be poor and disappointing.

We use Advanced Nutrients products in our garden to ensure bigger yields and happy plants! :-)

Crocuses Herald Arrival of Spring!

These magnificent flowers emerge from the soil, even if the temperatures hadn't warmed up as much as the arrival of Spring would indicate. Sara and I were out in the garden on Sunday, administering nourishment to the soil (and the perennials that are just coming to life). The crocuses will be followed shortly by the much taller daffodils and then in April it's time for the tulips to bloom! Spring is my favorite time of year, because even the rose leaves have started budding and some of the blossom trees have exploded with white and pink petals!

How does one replenish the soil at this time of year? We mix the correct amount of Iguana Juice Grow or Iguana Juice Bloom into large containers of water and manually pour the mixture into the different sections of the garden. The plants already in bloom will require Iguana Bloom, and the plants that still have to go through their vegetative cycle will be given Iguana Grow. Iguana Juice is the 100% organic fertilizer from Advanced Nutrients that Sara and I have been using in both our flower garden and our vegetable garden for years!

We also give Humic Acid and Fulvic Acid to our plants. These supplements replenish the soil and provide extra nutrients to the plants in a synergistic fashion. Each product helps the other to perform better. Both of these are derived from Leonardite, a rich dark brown or black organic layer found on top of coal beds. Humic acid takes its name from humus, the rich, black soil that our grandparents grew their food in many years ago. Modern agricultural technology is helping to recreate the fertile soils of yesteryear, before the overuse of chemical fertilizers have depleted the natural nutrition content of good growing soil.

We also use Bud Factor X to immunize our plants against pests and pathogens. The roses really need this treatment, because black spot has attacked them in the past. Hopefully, by using Bud Factor X and Rhino Skin, both from Advanced Nutrients, we'll be able to prevent such infestations from happening.

It's just the beginning of another exciting gardening season and Sara is already down on her knees pulling weeds and fixing up the flagstone paths that protect the lawn areas of our garden. She needed to put flagstone down in order to allow the wheelbarrow to deliver bark mulch and manure, without damaging the lawn.

We get a good workout just taking care of our garden and save a lot of money in fitness club membership fees! :-)

Post-Olympic BC Celebrates With Flowers

That truly memorable hockey game earned well-deserved gold, and the closing ceremonies spoofed the clichés of our identity (dancing mounties, floating moose, and beavers galore!). Now we're all feeling a collective letdown. Let's face it, we're not going to have a party of this size anytime soon!

Sara and the kids took the ferry and then bussed it as close to downtown Vancouver as transit would allow. They made it to the torch, but drew the line at standing in line for the pavilions. The way Hedgehog put it, "it was bad enough to stand in line for forty-five minutes for hot dogs, but there were no toilets and when we found a friendly restaurant washroom, we had to stand in line for that too!" But when they returned, the family vehicle was festooned with a red maple leaf flag!

Sara's garden decided to bloom early this year, so the crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils have all sprung forth, with tulips not far behind. Sara used Humic and Fulvic Acid to prime the soil, before applying our 100% organic fertilizer of choice, Iguana Juice. Grow was applied last month, while this month it's Bloom that the garden requires.

The pale pink cherry blossoms are in full bloom, while the darker pink ones are soon to follow. Pink cherry blossoms usually bloom in April, not like this, a month early! The weather report is making noises about snow flurries, but this weekend Sara had the winter tires taken off the family van!

The early spring of 2010 will be remembered not only for the Olympics but for the magnificent flowers that bloomed so early to celebrate Canada's winning the most gold medals at any Winter Olympics in history!

Organic Nutrients Produce Bigger Yields

Forget-me-nots galore! Huge daffodils soaking up the sun! Rich hued tulips speak of things to come!

Sara’s garden is coming into its own, and the world’s best organic nutrient is boosting the size of her blooms! Spring is the most magic of seasons, when the earth rejuvenates itself and covers all our gardens with bright, colorful flowers that gladden our spirits!

She soaked the humus-like soil with Advanced Nutrients Organic Iguana Juice, and her plants burst forth with new energy! They love the pure ingredients in this fish-based fertilizer. Her friends always ask as to how her blooms grow so big!

I am very enthusiastic about it, but I’ll let my pictures speak for me. We look forward to celebrating Earth Day tomorrow with Hedgehog and Jim, as Sara cooks a stir fry of organic vegetables, seasoned with the herbs grown in the Aero-Garden that I bought her for Christmas.

Stay tuned for the pictures of these herbs and the story of how they grew in their hydroponics setting, as if by magic. You’ll have to wait for my next posting for that one.

Tulips Thrive on Organic Nutrients

Sara's flower garden is looking more lush and luscious every day. Although the daffodils have had their day, there are still some around, but it's the tulips that are spectacular. This month I am having trouble capturing them in all their magnificence. Also, I am not able to write much, since the demands of my job are such that blogging has become a luxury.

I hope to report in depth on Sara's flower garden and my vegetable patch in future postings. Just be conscious of the fact that Advanced Nutrients 100% Organic Iguana Juice is the main reason that both of our gardens tend to prosper and at times they become the talk of the neighborhood.

Sara and Hedgehog are visiting friends on nearby Salt Spring Island, while Jim and I are guarding the home front and eating a lot of hamburgers. It's a long story. The ladies being vegetarians, we do them the courtesy of not chomping on meat in front of them. We usually go off together to enjoy our carnivore desires.