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Archive for February, 2009
Critical Water Issues Provide Food for Thought
Maude Barlow (left) presented
the Global Water
keynote address.
The first day of the International Water Conference helped 400 participants gain a global perspective of critical water issues and some of the work that’s being done to solve them. It’s difficult to sum up the entire first day in one short post, but it’s safe to say that each speaker gave us all much food for thought.
It seems the key is to go back to nature.
The keynote was given by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a “water warrior.” At turns she presented grim news and hope for the future. Currently there are water-related conflicts and crises around the world as evidenced by the headlines from newspapers that described water or drought problems in Israel, Iraq, Argentina, China, Kenya, Spain, Pakistan, southeast Asia and states in the western U.S. “It’s the greatest ecological crisis of all time,” she said.
International Water Conservation Conference Set
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
This Year’s Victory Garden
2009 promises to be a banner year for vegetable gardening. Many seed companies, nurseries and garden centers are reporting a surge in consumers looking for information to help them grow their own herbs and vegetables at home this season.
Planting a vegetable garden this year means victory over high produce prices at the supermarket. It also means fresher, more nutritious food, grown in your own back—or front yard.
You can grow and harvest a nice bunch of vegetables, even if you don’t think you have the space or the skill. The first step to starting your vegetable garden isn’t planting—it’s planning.
Planning includes finding the sunniest spot in your landscape. Backyard, front yard, patio or balcony, look for the spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Some plants can get by with less sun and some shade, like lettuce, radishes, carrots and cabbage. Use the sunniest spots for warm season crops like beans, tomatoes and peppers.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
Maude Barlow (left) presentedthe Global Water
keynote address.
Hello from Albuquerque, NM, home of the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and the setting for the International Water Conservation Conference.
Each year the Xeriscape Council gathers together a group of extraordinary speakers to present the latest research and the newest thinking in how to solve some of our most challenging water and growing issues. The conference begins in the morning and I’m looking forward to learning more about this year’s theme–“Watershed-Foodshed.”
I’ll be blogging from here, providing some topic highlights that I think other gardeners in the West will be interested in. I’m especially looking forward to hearing the Global Water Keynote given by Maude Barlow, the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and co-founder of the Blue Planet Project–a global water initiative.
Thursday morning’s other speakers include Dr. Andrew Parker on the topic of “Biomimicry and Design from Nature” and Dave Gutzler discussing the impact of climate change on water supplies here in the desert southwest.
This Year’s Victory Garden
2009 promises to be a banner year for vegetable gardening. Many seed companies, nurseries and garden centers are reporting a surge in consumers looking for information to help them grow their own herbs and vegetables at home this season.
Planting a vegetable garden this year means victory over high produce prices at the supermarket. It also means fresher, more nutritious food, grown in your own back—or front yard.
You can grow and harvest a nice bunch of vegetables, even if you don’t think you have the space or the skill. The first step to starting your vegetable garden isn’t planting—it’s planning.
Planning includes finding the sunniest spot in your landscape. Backyard, front yard, patio or balcony, look for the spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Some plants can get by with less sun and some shade, like lettuce, radishes, carrots and cabbage. Use the sunniest spots for warm season crops like beans, tomatoes and peppers.
Warmer, Drier Forecast is Daunting!
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
On the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, there’s a report that I really didn’t need to read. Under the headline, “Warm & Dry” there’s a three-month precipitation probability for many parts of the West that calls for warmer, drier weather—something that will have serious implications for anyone who was looking forward to a wet spring—like gardeners, landscapers, and farmers.
While most people have enjoyed 60 degree days in February, I’ve grown weary of them. A typically dry month has been even drier than usual, and after a really dry January, we’re seeing the beginnings of another year of drought. And I hate drought.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the earth is continuing to get warmer as a consequence of global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Maybe you’ve seen signs of it—earlier leaf out and bloom times, earlier emergence of insects or the arrival of new bird species at your backyard feeder.
In early January, when temperatures should have been frigid and when I should’ve been shoveling snow off the driveway, I saw two ordinary flies happily buzzing around right outside my front door.
Drought and climate change due to global warming are bound to create more challenges for gardeners in the West. Drought and heat waves not only encourage weeds, but also insect pests, like aphids, spider mites, locusts, and whiteflies.
Would you like to help? Efforts are underway to track these early signs of warming. A national field study called Project BudBurst uses observations from gardeners across the country to collect environmental and climate change information. Anyone can sign on and help keep track of important plant “firsts” each year like the first leafing, first flower and first fruit of area trees, shrubs and plants.
What changes have you seen in your landscape because of the warmer, drier winter we’ve had? How do you think this current trend will affect your landscape in the future?
