Edwin McLeod Organic Gardening

I live in Oak Park, next to the city of Royal Oak, both located in Oakland County.  I’m sure you’ve guessed, I live in a giant, beautiful forest.  We have trees here hundreds of years old, bigger than the ones you’ll find in many northern Michigan locations.  Most of the original forest here was never logged.  Don’t get me wrong.  I know there is a need for construction lumber and toilet paper.  Fortunately, we barely need any trees for newsprint and paper any longer due to computers and the internet - a great nature saving. I’m writing this today for the people who live with an abundance of shade in their yard.  You have probably asked: “What vegetables and fruits can I grow in my shady yard?”.   First, I want to warn you, if you have too much shade, very little will grow, even the plants I will describe.  Photosynthesis requires light.  It’s that plain and simple.  If you have a shady yard with some light, you will be able ...

  PANDEMIC FOOD Urtica dioica     Credit: Giovanni Dall'Orto On Friday the 13th of March, 2020, my classes met in person for the last time because of the Covid pandemic.  We were told we would meet again in two weeks, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.  It was sad to see my students for the last time and I tried to reassure them that everything would be OK. One of the classes I teach in the fall semester is “Plagues and Pandemics”.  My Plagues students and I had been talking about the Covid virus since January, watching its progress as it went from devastating cruise ships to its deadly march through the nursing home in Seattle.  We were ahead of the societal curve because we could see the life saving importance of masks, PPE and social distancing.  If Covid spread, my students knew we wouldn’t be in school for long because of the lack of social distancing and the potential for the virus to spread.   So we all went home for the long...

  Simple Setup for Growing Seedlings Indoors Growing garden seedlings indoors can be a lot of fun.  It’s fairly simple.  Once you are set up, you can save money every year by growing your own transplants.  However, the biggest advantage is: you can grow a larger variety of plants from seed (e.g. heirlooms) than if you bought transplants at a store.  Buying transplants is OK.  Much of your decision on whether to start with store bought transplants, or seedlings you grow yourself, is primarily determined by how much time you have. What you need to grow seedlings indoors is: lights, light chain or rope, 2 hockey sticks (or something similar like broom handles), large zip ties, 4 large screw in hooks, a plug-in timer, a power strip with extension cord, seed trays, soil and seeds. I will divide this explanation into two parts.  First, how to set up your light system.  Second, how to plant your seed trays.   I’m going to explain my setup.  You...

  BUYING SEEDS FOR YOUR GARDEN                                                                                         credit: Swallowtail Garden Seeds                                                                Question: Which plant produces the world’s largest seed?  (Answer found at the end of blog.) In January or February, I start to think about what kind of seeds I want to order for this year’s garden.  The first thing I do is list the left over seed packets from the previous season, and the seeds saved from the previous year’s garden.  I'm careful to throw old seeds out because seeds d...

  GROWING SPROUTS Sprouts are an easy to grow source of fresh, living food in the winter time or any time of year.  They are a great source of protein, folate, Vitamin C and fiber.  All you need are some seeds, a sprouting tray or jar, water and your time.  Growing sprouts only takes about 5 to 7 days.  It’s fun to grow some of your food during the winter while your garden is dormant. Whenever you work with food, always wash your hands thoroughly before you begin working. Alfalfa sprouts grow best when the air is dry.  That’s why I grow them during the winter, when the humidity in my house gets low.  You start with 1-2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds.  Place them in a bowl and cover them with water to soak overnight.  You don’t want the water to be too deep because the seeds need oxygen.  As the seeds use oxygen from the water, oxygen gas will diffuse into the water surface.  You only want ¼ to ½ inch of water over the seeds.  It’...