Tuesday, June 9, 2009

If It's Good Enough for the Obamas

Leading the country by example the Obama family cleared way for the return of a vegetable garden on the White House grounds. Local food that you can be sure it's history. (no scary food recalls) Healthy food that doesn't need pesticides. (healthier food = less trips to the doctor's office= more money in your pocket)

Sadly, Eleanor Roosevelt was the last first lady to grow her own veggies at the White House. After World War II more and more people followed the trail of convenience. Thus changing our diets more radically in the last fifty years than had been changed in the thousands of years before.

This spring, the Gruppie family set off to change our little corner of the world with a vegetable garden of our own!




With ground is as hard as a rock (thanks to my builders for striping away all of the nutrient rich soil), raised beds were the only option. Go vertical!




Two raised beds twenty inches high and made of untreated wood. Creating the raised beds was Hubby and Little Guy's favorite part. What is it with boys and wood? giggle Next, we lined the raised beds with newspapers to kill any weeds or grass that may grow. Then, we lined the beds with leaves from last fall that I, ummm, liberated from a neighbor's yard. The entire mix was watered well to start the decomposing process.


Finally, came the endless wheelbarrows full of compost. Up the hill. Down the hill. No matter how many trips I took, the pile magically never shrunk!


Tune in tomorrow for starting seeds.

2 comments:

Loretta W. said...

Hey Kerry, it's Loretta Waldman, an on and offline voice from your not so distant past. I'm guessing you knew that I got laid off from the Courant in late February. Long story, but the handiwork of two editors who have since left the paper.(One fired the other quit the same day). I've been freelancing since then and the new editors has asked me to cover Farmington and Canton on a freelance basis. I start next week and wanted to contact my familiar town folks like you to get up to speed about what's been going on, what the big issues are, etc. Perhaps we could have coffee some morning soon. I'll send you a regular email if I can find your address. email me and I'll send you all my contact information.

Akkire said...

hey, are you still out there?! where have you been? hope you and your family are ok.