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! :-)