Prairie EcoSystems Management

The invisible world around us amazes me. Think of it. The space where your consciousness resides actually contains more microbial cells than human cells. We literally are made of microbes, some in symbiotic relationships others well you know all to well what the flue bug can do. Environmental toxins, growth hormones, prescription poison, food adulteration, pesticides, herbicides and all death-a-cides alter the precarious balance that determines the health of this wondrous community of cells, a human being. Food, Exercise and Community  are your Primary Health Care System. The body was meant to move. We were meant to eat local, fresh, in season food free of petrochemical poisons. When we eat naturally from our place on this earth, with our community, we are in balance with our purpose, vibrant human communities.

Community Activating the Brain –à Muscle connection that flows through our hearts to transform Our World

 The Spring planting season is in full swing.  I love this weather and being outside all day. I have a couple hundred tomatoes and pepper plants to put in.  Corn Beans and squash  and were adding melons to a lot of the bigger gardens.

City of Kansas Sweet Potato Project  in its second year.

Organic  Sweet Potato slips preorder  1.50/doz   purple or orange skin available end of May.

 Great news Missouri Organics is donating a dump truck load of mulch to our No-Till gardens effort. A savings in fuel carbon  for me.

I will be issuing Carbon Offset credits that represent the amount of carbon we are sequestering and eliminating by our growing practices.  The more work by the community the more carbon we can trap in the Fertile Ground we are building. Here is an outline of the program.

Local Carbon Offset Credits.

Goal: Reduction of the carbon footprint of food production and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Heal the Carbon Poisoning of Gaia.

·         Growing food locally reducing ‘food miles’.

·         Eliminating lawn mowing carbon emissions

·         Eliminating petrochemical imputes using organic agriculture

·         Sequestration  of  carbon in the soil with No Till agriculture

·         Recycling biomass and newspaper into food

·         Building Community and educating neighbors.

·         Marketplace for local carbon credits from regenerative organic growers, home gardens and energy conservation efforts .

The credits will be sold on Platte Prairie Farms website, http://www.prairietrading.com/ .  We will ask for a donation on the available offsets. As the Carbon Economy evolves we will be trading then on the Earth market. A Carbon Audit/ Analysis is in progress to establish a value in Tons of Carbon per square foot. Change in organic content of the soil will be one measurement. Volume of mulch and newspaper added another. Food miles per crop harvested and more.

 Sign up to volunteer on this important climate change  transition work.

 Email: volunteers @prairietrading.com to be added to the newsletter and schedule hours.

 Volunteer Opportunities coming up.

 Saturday May 9^th

1014 W 41^st  Westport area. Three In Your yard CSA’s in a row.

Lay Paper, mulch and build beds. 9 AM - 3PM

Sunday May 10^th

                9404 NW Pleasant Dr

                Shanti Garden,  planting and creating beds. 2 – 5PM

Monday  May 11^th

5314 Waukomis  Dr

Circle of Hope Garden , planting and creating beds. 9- 11 AM

Shanti Garden,  planting and creating beds. 2 -4PM

Tuesday May 12^th

7001 Waukomis Dr

                Martin’s Orchid Garden      building and planting three sisters beds. 9 – 11 PM

                 6310 Walkomis Dr

Creek House,  planting, mulching 1-5PM

Platte Prairie Farms Spinach

 

Stop by and get essential local healthful in season organic vegetables.  I will be selling in season crops I have grown with loving care knowing my responsibility to nurture our Community back to health.

Then take a walk along the Missouri River at English Landing Park. Or have a picnic with your family and friends. Then you stand  on the three pilliars of your Primary Healthcare System… Healthful Local Foods, Exercise and Community.

Wednesday market will start on June 10th, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Parkville Farmers Market will offer plants, spring vegetables and a variety of jams, jellies, bread, coffee, honey, meat, etc., and a lot of friendly vendors ready to serve you. The variety will change as the harvesting of crops turn through the spring, summer and fall.

Shanti means peace in Sanskrit, and that is the philosophy I hope to practice in creating and maintaining Shanti garden. Peace to the environment will be observed by using no-till and organic methods, and by implementing permaculture design. By using no-till planting methods, disrupting the natural ecosystem that exists (everywhere in all soil) is avoided. The life that exists in the soil is allowed to continue and flourish. This is beneficial to the plants grown on top because of the nutrients released by worms, insects, healthy bacteria and fungi, etc. Also, it is beneficial to the environment because carbon (a greenhouse gas when not affixed to soil) is not being released into the air.

The correct carbon to nitrogen ratio (30:1) is met by many gardeners and farmers - small scale and industrial alike - by adding pertroleum based fertilizers to their tilled soil. There is too much blood spilled over fossil fuels to include these products on Shanti Garden. Since we are not releasing the carbon in the soil into the air, the ammendment here is simply nitrogen. Something that good ‘ol (organic) chicken poop will take care of! I am not lecturing on organic here, only stating how it relates the the theme of my garden

I also agree with Steve that it is important - now more than ever - to build sustainable and local food sources. Food is one of the foundations of a culture, and it seems that ours is becoming watered down. Having food security is something that we as a society take for granted, and is something that may not always be there. By creating a local and sustainable food source, we are decreasing the chances of ever having to fight for a food source. Also, in my opinion, growing your own organic food is a huge step towards decreasing our dependence on foreign oil as a nation.

Finally, I want to express that I do not view Shanti Garden as my own. I view it as anybody and everybody’s who has an interest, helps in any way, or supports community agriculture. To anybody reading this, my garden is your garden. I also want to thank all the volunteers who show up and help in their spare time. I have the vision, but cannot do all the leg work on my own. I want to thank Steve for being my inspiration. Steve, you are the first truly like-minded person I have been honored enough to work with.

I’m done rambling now.

Namaste’,

Katie

shanti Volunteer Community Supporting Agriculture

We hear a lot about CSA’a now days even on Channel 5, I’m told(don’t watch the Big Eye myself). It seems usually it’s from the point of view of the farmers and growers. Who speaks for the Community? Who speaks for Earth? If we turn off the static of the cultural indoctrination we are likely to absorb from that Glowing Eye in the living room we can hear the voices of our Community, of our Home Planet and realize we belong to this Community of Life around us. What an exhilarating sensation to feel In Place on Earth. When the community gets involved with growing its food, talking, sharing the moment, bonding into a family. Do you see it? The vision of our home community, Main Street the folks that have the human energy to supply our needs. Forget about the shell game hucksters on Wall Street. Embrace the Local Living Economy. Grow Food Not Lawns!

Since I’ve sworn off straight rows I’m trying out some concepts I learned from the founder of modern Permaculture, Bill Mollison, swales, keyholes and edges.

My Tessellated Edge Beds consist of mini- swales created by mounding and shaping a mulch/ compost/bio active peat mixture into the desired shape. In this bed I run a zigzag swale between keyholes that are flipped. I placed a growing medium on the top and in triangular areas on the sides. On top I planted carrots. In opposite side beds I planted radishes and lettuce. The carrots will love the deep, loose growing mixture. All three carrots, lettuce and radishes are companions and thrive together.

I will plant peas on a series of bamboo trellises weaving horizontally down the length. Pole beans will be planted in early May after frost season. The peas and beans above the tender lettuce will shade it and extend its season into summer. At each end of the bed I will add a pile of rocks with lots of spots for toads, salamanders and lizards to live.

Brother Toad I welcome you to my garden today.

Bring all your family and friends.

Feast on squash bugs and slugs

and stay In the rock house I build you.

oatmeal, steel cut oats, rice, raisins and black beans

  With Platte Prairie Farm’s CSA you can add in organic commodities from the Squash Blossom Coop to your weekly food bag. We have oatmeal, rice, peanut butter, raw almonds, seeds for sprouting, flower, dry beans and other household commodities. And if we’re lucky, morel mushrooms.

The spirit of my grandfather visited me today in the form of a red winged blackbird.
He perched on the branch of the bamboo in my grove.
His song spoke to my soul.
He told me he has blessed my fields and I would have a bountiful harvest.
Put your hands into the rich earth, feel the life, feel the yearning
for the bright Sun, the sweet rains, the warm winds, he sang.
Oh grandfather I miss you so.

kamutgrass

If you got a shot of Kamutgrass juice last year from me at BadSeed you know what an energy boost and detoxifier Kamut juice is.  We will be offering a Kamutgrass CSA this year. Get a flat every week and give your immune system all the vitamins, proteins, minerals, enzymes, chlorophyll and antioxidants needed. to take you to the next step in your quest for optimum health. Just $12 weekly for fresh organic Kamutgrass. Other organic grains and blends available.