Woman in Wheelbarrow
Ellen Pyle
June 20, 1931

Ellen Pyle (1876-1936) was known for her beautiful use of color. In 1927, she received a note from fellow cover artist Norman Rockwell about how much he liked her Post covers. “They are dandy. So full of color and so broadly painted. Believe me I envy you the latter quality particularly,” he wrote, according to Delaware Art Museum’s Illustrating Her World: Ellen B. T. Pyle.

As in many of her 40 covers for the Post, the model is one of Pyle’s children. In this case, teenage daughter Caroline is taking a wheelbarrow break from gardening duties.

Baseball Player Mowing the Lawn
Stevan Dohanos
July 20, 1946

“When summer rolled around,” wrote Post editors of this 1946 cover, “and the grass in Westport, Connecticut, began to grow as fast as a small boy’s hair, Stevan Dohanos recalled one of the duties of his youth and how mowing the lawn can ball up a man’s more important engagements.”

The frame house, however, was not in Connecticut, but back in artist Dohanos’ (1907-1994) hometown of Lorain, Ohio. Editors noted that he sketched it a couple years before it appeared on the cover. “Obviously it was a good stage, a good setting, but he never had decided just what story to tell against this background. Now he uses it to tell of a common summertime crisis—when the star pitcher has to work,” Post editors wrote.

Put the Tree There?
George Hughes
April 9, 1955

Illustrator George Hughes (1907-1990) was an avid outdoorsman, but we’re not sure how he felt about planting trees. He would probably feel the same as the poor guy from the local nursery on this 1955 cover, if he had to deal with an indecisive homeowner.

Hughes painted 115 Post covers, and was especially productive in the 1950s. Typical output for the more popular illustrators was around 40 to 50 covers during a decade. Hughes’ friend Norman Rockwell, for example, did 44 during this period. Hughes did 80 in this timeframe; mostly fun, slice-of-life scenes from midcentury suburban life.

View more in the George Hughes gallery.

Artist Thornton Utz (1914-2000) enjoyed gently bucking the trend and depicting the neighborhood nonconformist. Mr. Leisure in this 1957 cover uses his backyard purely for relaxation, not caring how high the grass gets.

Meanwhile, in nearby yards, neighbors are flummoxed by Mr. Leisure’s indifference—at least those who can spare a second from their suburban chores.

Spring Yard Work
Thornton Utz
May 18, 1957

Even the little girl in the middle yard wastes no time as she tends to her dog’s bath. Post editors mused that the cover might start a debate “about whether people should nourish their backyards or let their backyards nourish them.” We’ll let the reader decide.

Classic Covers: Yard Work The Saturday Evening Post

Plants for Pets The Saturday Evening Post

Be an urban farmer and grow red, white, and blue organic potatoes to serve up at an all-American reunion, picnic, or other gathering. (And do we love potatoes: A typical American eats 127 pounds of them each year or about one spud per day.) All you need is a black plastic trash bag, potting soil, seed potatoes from a local or online gardening store, water, straw, and a sunny spot outdoors. Then, follow these easy instructions from Garden Girl TV producer and HGTV host Patti Moreno’s new book Gardening by Cuisine (Sterling Publishing).

How to Grow Red, White, and Blue Potatoes

1. Place bag in sunny spot outdoors and fill with 4 inches of soil.

2. Evenly space 2 white, 1 red, and 1 blue seed potato in soil and cover with 4 more inches of soil.

3. Water soil thoroughly and top with straw.

4. Continue to water regularly.

5. Once plants are 8 inches tall, add 4 more inches of soil, water thoroughly, and top with straw.

6. As plants grow, continue adding soil and straw until bag is filled to within 2 inches of top.

7. After four months, you should have full-size potatoes to eat.

Growing Patriotic Potatoes The Saturday Evening Post

For those with asthma and/or allergy symptoms, gardening can become more pain than pleasure. But have no fear! Minimizing pesky allergens growing in your own backyard is easy with these tips from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and other experts:

• Pick the right plants. Asthma-friendly choices include St. Augustine grass; azalea, boxwood, and hibiscus shrubs; apple, dogwood, and red maple trees; and begonia, impatiens, snapdragon, and hosta flowering plants.
• Get good ground cover. Opt for gravel, oyster shell, or vinca plants. Conversely, popular covers like wood chips and mulch can retain moisture and encourage mold growth.
• Keep hedges under control. Prune annually 
to limit height and thin out the oldest wood. Hedge branches trap dust, mold, and pollen.
• Cover up. Wear a hat, glasses, gloves, long-sleeve shirt, and a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health-approved face mask (available at most garden stores) to keep allergens away from skin and nose.
• Work late. Care for your plants in late afternoon or early evening when pollen counts tend to drop.
• Know the score. Download free mobile apps to get 24/7 pollen counts in your hometown at pollen.com and zyrtec.com. If you have asthma, you can also download an asthma symptom tracker app at asthmamd.org and myasthma.com.

Fear of Flowers The Saturday Evening Post

Landscaper’s Companion

With 15,000-plus pictures and information on more than 25,000 plants, this app is a virtual encyclopedia of gardening. Want the specifics on a plant’s sun exposure, water usage, growth rate, and bloom times? Comprehensive search tools make these facts easy to find. The app currently lacks information on tropicals and orchids, but we expect this to be remedied soon, as the developer periodically adds additional plants and images for free.
Price: $2.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and $4.99 for Android devices.

Grow Your Own

How do I know when my blueberries are going to be ripe? How can I keep aphids away from my roses? This handy app from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) provides essential advice for part-time farmers. Grow Your Own steps you through the growing process month-by-month, recommending the best times to plant, prune, weed, mulch, and harvest, depending on the crop. And if you need to buy seeds and supplies, the app’s “Buy Now” button links directly to the RHS Online Plant Shop. Hey, the app is free, and they’ve got to earn a living somehow.
Price: Free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Bugs in the Garden

Blast those infernal bugs! If you need help ID’ing the creepy crawlies devouring your daffodils, Bugs in the Garden can help. With more than 40 photos and illustrations of beetles, moths, aphids, caterpillars, grubs, and other common bugs, this app helps you spot troublesome and beneficial insects alike. It also includes tips on how to attract helpful bugs (like ladybugs) and send the bad ones packing.
Price: Free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and Android devices.

FlowerPedia

If you’re a flower person, this app’s for you. There are three versions of FlowerPedia. The free “lite” version has 100 high-resolution flower photos and limited information on flowering plant families from around the globe. The iPhone edition is far more comprehensive: 2,800 flower images; a search tool for finding flowers by common name, Latin name, and country and state/province; and the ability to identify flowers by their anatomy. The $9.99 iPad version is the most beautiful of the trio, with larger, dazzling photos that turn your tablet into a coffee-table flower book.
Price: Free “lite” version; $4.99 for iPhone; $9.99 for iPad.

Moon Gardening

This visually appealing app is useful if you want our nearest celestial neighbor (i.e., the Moon) to guide your gardening practices. Lifeware Solutions’ Moon Gardening brings this ancient practice to modern times by offering time-tested growing tips, such as the best times to plant, prune, weed, and harvest crops based on the current Moon phase in your area. It’s a bit scant on details, though. For instance, Moon Gardening has too many links to outside sources on the topic, rather than providing the information itself. It’s fun to use, however, particularly if you’re curious about the Moon’s phases.
Price: $1.99 for iPad.

Garden Plan Pro

As gardening apps go, Growing Interactive’s Garden Plan Pro is a tad pricey, but its planting toolkit is much more comprehensive than most garden-variety guides. The app’s extensive design tools let you create a simple garden with single plants—or far more sophisticated projects with fruits and vegetables planted in multiple rows and/or squares. Garden Plan Pro has detailed growing information for more than 140 plants, and offers sage advice on how to rotate crops. The app takes a bit of practice to master, however, so be sure to watch the tutorial video before getting your hands dirty.
Price: $19.99 for iPad.

Grow 2.0 The Saturday Evening Post

Some Like It Hot

In an herb spiral, climate varies from arid Mediterranean at the top to moist and subtropical at its base. Heat-loving herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and sage, bask in the dry, sunny upper region that is 2 or

3 feet above ground. Bricks or stones placed along the spiral capture the noonday heat, storing it to keep herbs toasty at night. In a “trickle-down” effect, water drains down into the lower levels, leaving the arid-loving plants high and dry, while the middle and lower levels stay progressively more moist. The varied environments provide an ideal growing medium for tansies, chives, garlic, parsley, and chamomile in the middle level, and lemon balm, coriander, and moisture-loving mints at the base. Some gardeners place a small pond at the lowest level for watercress and other water plants.

An Upward Spiral

Start with a sunny spot in your yard or garden within an accessible range of your kitchen. Clear an area about 6 feet in diameter. (If grass is present, use a spade to remove any sod.)

Find the middle of the plot, then drive in a stake. Using a 2 ½-foot string with a loop placed around the stake, mark out the desired diameter of your circle with a pointed stick or screwdriver.

Using bricks or rock, lay out the spiral either from the center out or from the outside in. Position the bottom end of the spiral on the south side. You can “eyeball” the spiral, but for more accuracy, place a two-gallon plastic pail upside down in the center. Tie a 4-foot string around the base of the pail and secure with duct tape. Place a weight on top of the bucket, then measure out the desired radius. Hold a pointed stick or screwdriver at that point on the string and mark the ground as you go around the pail. Keep the line taut. You will end up at the pail with a nice spiral.

Build the spiral until it is 2 to 3 feet high at its top. Fill the middle with stones, sand, or brick pieces, leaving about 8 inches at the top to fill with soil. Mediterranean herbs that will thrive at the top level prefer poor soil. As you descend the spiral, add more compost for herbs planted in the middle and base.

Consider the growing habits of each herb when planting. Shade-tolerant plants will grow best on the east, west, and north sides of the spiral. Rosemary can become large, so place it at the top. Creeping plants such marjoram and thyme may be planted so they can cascade over the edge. Situate herbs from 1 to 2 feet apart. To fill gaps, plant parsley, kale, calendula, or nasturtium throughout your spiral.

Build an Herb Spiral The Saturday Evening Post

Chicken with Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salsa

(Makes 4 servings.)

Colin Erricson/www.robertrose.ca

Ingredients

• 1 small firm-ripe Hass avocado, diced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1⁄4 cup chopped green onions
• 1⁄4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (each about 4 ounces)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, jalapeño, half the salt, and lime juice.
2. Sprinkle chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees. Serve with avocado salsa.

Tip: Any leftover salsa can be tucked into a whole-wheat pita (perhaps with some spinach leaves or shredded lettuce) for a quick sandwich.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 257
Total fat 12 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Cholesterol 66 mg
Sodium 561 mg
Carbohydrate 8 g
Fiber 4 g
Protein 29 g
Calcium 12 mg
Iron 2.2 mg

Chicken with Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salsa The Saturday Evening Post

Planting and landscaping can be satisfying…and humorous.

"Let’s plant it right here!"
from July/August 2001

"I know you’re out here, dear.
I heard you using your new rototiller."
from May/June 2000

"He’s doing better this season.
Last year his back gave out before his enthusiasm."
from July/August 1998

"When these things grow up, we’re in real trouble."
from March/April 1994

"I really look forward to Monday morning—it gets me back to work!"
from May/June 1999

"Isn't that where you spilled the fertilizer?"
from May/June 2004

Cartoons: Gardening The Saturday Evening Post

One of the things that has allowed humans to flourish as a species on this planet is our cultivation of plants for food. Jump forward several million years, and technology is now making it easier than ever to get growing – even in unlikely spaces.

Minimalism’s never been so tasty

If you love gardening but are short on space, Windowfarms could be the answer to your windowsill gardening needs. The company makes a clever, technology-infused planter that is both space-conscious and beautiful to look at.

The hydroponic Windowfarms planter lets you grow an astonishing range of plants, from seedling to mature specimen, right on your windowsill. The system works by pumping water and plant food through a connected chain of vertically stacked plant containers, with minimal mess or noise. You can buy a premade Windowfarm kit for $119, but if you sign up on Windowfarm’s website, you can get plans to build your own for as little as $30.

Windowfarms started life as a Kickstarter project, funded by home gardeners who loved the idea of this elegant and high-tech windowsill gardening alternative. Investing in one of these ups not only your green credentials but your techy ones, too!

Basic tips for the beginner gardener

But you don’t have to spend much to have your own kitchen garden. And if you’re a novice gardener, you might want to start a little smaller than a hydroponic indoor gardening device. Here’s what to do if you’ve never tried growing anything before.

1. Choose your plant. One of the best plants to try if you’ve never grown anything before is lettuce. Lettuces are easy to grow from seed and grow quickly without needing too much care or sun. Other easy things to grow include radishes, kale, and herbs such as mint and cress. If you have a yard you can transfer your seedlings to, then peas and beans are great plants to start off in a windowsill garden.

2. Choose your spot. When you’re choosing somewhere to put your indoor garden, try to find a windowsill with lots of light and a window you can open and close for fresh air. If you’re not sure about the right position for the plants you’re planning to grow, look for printed instructions on most seed packets. If you have a smartphone, try one of these apps for planting tips.

3. Choose your container. As long as you have good soil, the container you grow seedlings in shouldn’t matter too much. You can grow cress seedlings in egg cartons, then use the tiny plants to add some peppery heat to your sandwiches. Well-washed plastic take-out cartons and old Tupperware boxes with some holes in the bottom for drainage both make excellent improvised pots. If you’re planning on growing anything more complicated than lettuce or a few herbs, it might be worth investing in a few plastic plant pots with proper drainage holes in the bottom; they’re reusable and last for years.

Plant some roots

Scoop the compost into your pot, leaving about half an inch clear at the top. If your seeds came with planting instructions, follow those; if not, sprinkle the seeds sparsely across the soil and then cover very gently with the last half-inch of compost. Don’t pat it down too hard. Gently water the seeds. After that, water your seeds every few days, using enough water to make the soil moist rather than like mud.

Get growing!

Why should you try growing your own plants?

1. It’s easy. While you may not be coaxing rare orchids into bloom by the end of the week, almost anyone can grow things successfully. It’s great fun and produce edible or beautiful rewards.

2. It’s healthy. If you choose to grow fruit and vegetables, you’ll be growing healthy food that you like to eat.

3. It could save you money. Getting started growing things doesn’t have to be expensive. All you need are a few packets of seeds, a small bag of compost, and a few receptacles to grow things in. You can grow seeds and some plants in really small containers such as (clean) take-out containers, glass jars, and egg cartons. From one packet of lettuce seeds, you could get enough lettuce to last you from now until October – as you eat one batch, start sowing the next.

Do you have a windowsill garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow? Share your green-fingered tips in the comments!

How to Make Your Own Window Garden The Saturday Evening Post

“Exercising outdoors frees the mind,” says Tyler Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., CEO of Cooper Aerobics Enterprises, Inc., and co-author of Start Strong, Finish Strong with his father, Dr. Kenneth Cooper. “Just get outside and start moving. Being active most days of the week in some form or fashion will really pay dividends in the long run.”

3 Steps to Shoes That Fit

Bad shoes can sideline the best walking program, warns health fitness specialist Kristen Davis.

“Impact forces from the ground travel up your legs,” she explains. “Proper shoes protect your feet and keep your knees and hips from hurting, too.”

Here is Davis’ game plan to find shoes that make you want to walk—and that’s the point, right?

Insist on Comfort

Try on different brands and styles and walk around in both shoes. Trained staff at 
a running store can test your gait and get you in 
the best shoe.

Return It

Check out the store’s return 
policy in case shoes no longer feel comfortable after walking two or three miles.

Set a Budget

Expect to spend $50 to $100 for walking shoes and to get a new pair every six months. “New Balance and Brooks have great walking shoes,” advises Davis.

Pick the Right Program

Outdoor fun should match your personality and fitness level. Consider these categories, then choose your favorites (after consulting your doctor, of course).

The Nature Lover: Plant a garden or flower bed. Spend extra time raking and weeding on especially nice days or offer to do yard work for others. Bike or hike on local nature trails, or plan a trip to state or federal parks.

The People Person: Set up a badminton net and arrange neighborhood games. Take a morning jog, lunchtime stroll, or evening walk with friends. Join a water exercise class or swim club at the local pool.

The Competitor: Train for a sprint triathlon (half-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride, and a 3.1-mile run); join a bocce or softball league; or devise a workout of lunges, push-ups, and squats utilizing outdoor railings and steps.

Start Small, Finish Stronger

Setting realistic goals and finding a fitness partner can help you stay motivated.

“The ideal goal is 30 minutes of exercise five times a week, but even three times a week adds years to a person’s life,” says Dr. Cooper. “Success breeds success, and any amount of exercise is better than none at all.”

Get Out, Get Fit The Saturday Evening Post

Toddler Watering Geraniums by K.R. Wireman, June 28, 1924 (The Country Gentleman)

Toddler Watering Geraniums
K. R. Wireman
The Country Gentleman
June 28, 1924

The Country Gentleman magazine (from the same publisher as the Post) showed us that gardeners come in all shapes and sizes. Cutie Patootie here wants to help with watering the flowers. This is from 1924. Artist K.R. Wireman is little known today but did about two dozen covers for The Country Gentleman magazine and about a half dozen for the Post.

Hardware Store at Springtime by Stevan Dohanos, March 16, 1946

Hardware Store at Springtime
Stevan Dohanos
March 16, 1946

This is the part I love best! Shopping for flowers at the local stores. This hardware store in 1946 is tempting your wallet with shiny equipment, seeds, and cool stuff for your patio. “There is nothing like the feel of a good rake or hoe in your hand,” the editors noted, “in the hardware store.”

Ready to Garden by J.C. Leyendecker, May 6, 1916

Ready to Garden
J. C. Leyendecker
May 6, 1916

All ready with his brand-spanking-new equipment and the latest seed catalog is this endearing fellow by artist J.C. Leyendecker. Oh, to have a shiny new push mower like this one from 1916! Oh wait, we can still get one. It’s just that it will be $100-$200 these days.

Geranium Gardener by W.D. Stevens, May 1, 1937

Geranium Gardener
W. D. Stevens
May 1, 1937

I wish artist W.D. Stevens had done more than one cover for the Post, because this is a charmer. Dig the high-tech wheelbarrow. That, a couple of rakes, a shovel, a hoe, and a watering can for one itty-bitty geranium. And darned if she doesn’t look good doing it!

Little Girl Gardener by K.R. Wireman, March 15, 1919 (The Country Gentleman)

Little Girl Gardener
K. R. Wireman
The Country Gentleman Magazine
March 15, 1919

Now THIS is a gardener! If you can grow cabbages half your size and body weight, you have accomplished something indeed. This is another adorable cover from artist K.R. Wireman and is from 1919.

Victory Garden by Howard Scott, August 7, 1943

Victory Garden
Howard Scott
August 7, 1943

Now for the part about gardening we all like least. Toiling in his victory garden in 1943, the man’s face and posture says it all. Maybe a wifely backrub and some fresh-cooked veggies will make it all worthwhile.

Classic Covers: Calling All Gardeners The Saturday Evening Post

Phlox, pansies, and bulbs like tulips and daffodils are sure bets for spring. Annuals like zinnia, cosmos, and moss rose and heat-tolerant perennials—blanket flower, coreopsis—are standouts in summer. In fall, try purple aster, ornamental kale, and sedum. And don’t forget about winter, when there are a plethora of show-stoppers, including Harry Lauder’s walking stick, hellebore, evergreens, and berry-producing shrubs (which bring colorful birds flocking).

2: Look beyond the living. Garden structures and ornaments are critical to a garden that sparkles year-round. Gazing globes, statuary, and other garden décor work wonders in adding color and interest in dark or sparse parts of the landscape.

3: Containers are key. Express your creative side with planters that celebrate the seasons. Stick to pastel palettes and cold-tolerant plants in spring. In summer, take inspiration from the tropics and switch out tulips and pansies with lush, colorful foliage like canna, tufted hairgrass, and Persian shield. Maple Sugar hibiscus, strawflower, and dwarf grasses are fall favorites, while dogwood twigs and evergreen boughs ring in the holidays.

4: Plant annuals. Most gardens experience lean months, when the landscape transitions from one season to the next. Achieve continuous color with annuals. For the biggest impact, plant en masse. Large, thickly planted beds of annuals provide swaths of color that everyone will notice.

5: Evergreens and conifers are critical. Evergreens, such as boxwood, holly, arborvitae, and junipers look great throughout the year. During the growing season, they provide a backdrop for colorful annuals and perennials. But when the garden quiets in winter, they provide both structure and color. The same goes for conifers. Who can resist the graceful, snow-laden branches of a pine or spruce? And with so many colorful cultivars and dwarf varieties available today, there’s one for any yard.

6: Don’t forget about foliage. Ornamental grasses (fountain grass, blue fescue), dogwood, burning bush, deciduous trees like maples and white ash—all feature dazzling foliage that spans the seasons.

7: Provide good care. Continue to keep plants pest- and disease-free for a colorful show well past the growing season. Cut back spent foliage and deadhead spent blooms. The flush of color that most often follows is well worth it.

7 Secrets to Season-Long Color The Saturday Evening Post

According to National Cocoa Shell, the nation’s largest retailer of cocoa shell mulch, the material is leftover from the cocoa bean roasting process—making the product more environmentally friendly than regular mulch. Plus, who couldn’t resist putting chocolate smelling mulch down in their garden? For chocolate lovers across the country it’s a dream come true.

But there’s a catch. Cocoa mulch is extremely toxic to pets, especially when curious dogs have access to the outdoors.

Dr. Maureen McMichael is a veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana who specializes in emergency and critical care. She says, “Cocoa mulch is significantly more toxic than milk chocolate or even baker’s chocolate because it has quite a bit more theobromine in it.” Theobromine is the toxic compound in most chocolates that is responsible for the clinical signs seen in pets after ingestion.

Though it, too, can be deadly to pets, milk chocolate has only 44 mg. per ounce of theobromine. Baking chocolate has nearly eight times the concentration of theobromine in it compared to milk chocolate, making it one of the most toxic kinds of chocolate, but still not as concentrated as cocoa mulch.

In addition to having more theobromine in it, cocoa mulch is also usually found in an unlimited supply to the pet. Your Labrador may gobble up that chocolate bar on the counter, but left to their own devices, most dogs will eat cocoa mulch until you catch them or toxic effects start to set in, leading to the ingestion of large amounts of the toxin. “Unfortunately, many of the dogs that present with a history of eating cocoa mulch do not survive if they were not stopped quickly,” notes Dr. McMichael.

The clinical signs of chocolate or cocoa mulch toxicity include: hyperactivity, muscle tremors, fast heart rate, hyperthermia, and seizures. There are anecdotal reports from gardeners who unknowingly purchased the mulch and later found their dog dead after a very short exposure time. Incidents such as this are likely a result of heart arrhythmias that develop after ingestion.

After time, the sweet smell of the cocoa mulch will wear off, and some have questioned if, after that point, it is safe for dogs to be around it. Dr. McMichael cautions that, “it is possible that dogs are not attracted to it once the smell wears off but that does not eliminate its toxic load—it is still toxic.”

The moral of the story is: don’t purchase cocoa mulch if you have an outdoor pet. That said, if you happen to make the mistake of buying the mulch and you catch your animal eating a bite, time is of the essence. The quicker you can get Fido to the veterinary emergency clinic, the better the chances are of survival.

For more information on the topic, please contact your local veterinarian.

Ashley Mitek is an information specialist at University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Hidden Dangers of Cocoa Mulch The Saturday Evening Post

They live in the midst of all of the contemporary amenities, but choose not to participate in them, or at least as little as possible. They practice gardening and grow most, if not all of their own foods. They keep animals to give them milk and eggs. Some even convert their vehicles to diesel engines and brew their own bio-diesel fuels.

In an effort to unearth the appeal of urban homesteads, we caught up with the founder of the Urban Homestead movement, Jules Dervaes. We were reminded of a very important message: Each and every one of us can help make one aspect of our life more earth-friendly with minimal effort. All it takes is the decision to make a difference!

—————————————————————————————————–

Before he founded the The Path to Freedom movement in Pasadena in 2000, Jules Dervaes homesteaded in the New Zealand outback and rural Florida, where he had lots of land to work with. Coming to Pasadena with his family, he had to shrink his operation from 10 acres to an area that, if you subtracted the house, was one-tenth of an acre.

In the beginning, the Dervaes family goal was simple: to survive. And within a few years, they realized their plan was working. They also saw potential to turn their homestead into an outreach program so others could benefit. They began a Web site, www.pathtofreedom.com, which expanded to include a daily blog. A revolutionary idea at the time, the blog chronicled the family’s day-to-day experiences.

Today, their homestead in Pasadena can claim some amazing stats.

The Dervaes Homestead in Pasadena boasts over 400 different kinds of produce, 1,780 chicken and duck eggs and 25 pounds of honey. In addition, they produced 1,500 gallons of bio-diesel fuel since 2004. © 1970 - 2009 Jules Dervaes.

Annually they produce around 3 tons of fruits and vegetables, 1,780 chicken and duck eggs and 25 pounds of honey.  Additionally they have produced 1,500 gallons of bio-diesel fuel since 2004 and over 11,500 kwh of solar power produced since 2003. Not too bad for one-fifth of an acre.

When the Web site began to grow, they realized the value of a social networking site just for gardeners, and www.freedomgardeners.org was born. The site has over 6,000 members from around the world and provides a forum where gardeners can help each other.

Post: What costs are involved in getting started?

Dervaes: We were on a budget and things were expensive here, so we went on the cheap. We’d collect bed frames and turn them in to trellises, and turn river rock and glass bottles into edging. I wanted to show that every family could do this, without having to be rich. We were always trying to find the least expensive way to have things done. You don’t have to be rich to take care of the environment.

Post: How can people educate themselves on gardening?

Dervaes: Pepper your local nurserymen with questions: What grows in your neighborhood? What are they selling? They’re making a business out of it. They know what works, or else you wouldn’t come back. Look around your neighborhood (to your neighbors and see what works for them.)

He also encouraged people to join the networking site. He described www.freedomgardeners.org as “a facebook for gardeners only.”

Post: You refer to the practice of “being neighbors.” What do you mean by that?

© Jules Dervaes 1970 - 2009

Dervaes: I try to think of the spirit of neighborliness, like the Amish do. Your neighbors are your extended family, and they’re there for you like you are there for them, and you can’t charge for that. We didn’t want to be a business of neighbors. We wanted to be really, truly neighbors.

He talked about modern life and its fast pace. While we can be driven by the need for instant gratification, he observed, gardening is, in many ways, the opposite of this lifestyle. It takes patience and time, but the rewards are worth it, and the changes in life it encourages are also valuable.

“Unfortunately, in America, we think you have to be big, fast,” Dervaes notes. “An instant makeover. But nature works in a different way.  It takes 500 years for nature to make an inch of soil. So you have to look at it in a slower perspective; we have to slow it down.  Slow food. Some of my food takes 30-60 days to get to the table. You have to reduce your expectations.”

Post: What do you hope your children will learn from gardening, homesteading, and the Path to Freedom?

Dervaes: What I’m doing here gives me hope. I couldn’t take the bad news in the newspapers and the Internet and everywhere, unless I could do something about it, and growing a garden gives me hope, and it gives my children hope. They have something to do. Because it’s the hopelessness and helplessness when they give you bad news and you throw up your hands and say “What can I do about it?”  This gives you a direction, and with that direction comes hope.

Who couldn’t use a little hope in this modern world?  For Jules Dervaes, gardening is a first step towards a greater step, and his life is an example of that.

For more information, visit www.pathtofreedom.com.

Urban Homesteads and Hope The Saturday Evening Post

It may be hard to imagine your future garden as you look out the window and see endless piles of dirty slush, but March is the best time to plan out your garden and start seeds. Maybe it will help you if we paint you a picture. Look out your window, and instead of seeing bare branches and muddy snow, imagine bright green buds on the trees and songbirds trilling happily. Now, imagine your vegetable garden.

Is it a sprawling affair, like a miniature farm in your backyard, with plowed rows? Is it a cottage-style herb garden with a few vegetables here and there, fragrant and floral? Maybe it’s just a few sunny pots of tomatoes and peppers on your patio. Perhaps it’s an efficient high-density raised garden, where every vegetable gets a square foot to grow and produce pounds and pounds of food. There is no wrong answer. Every garden is good.

Select the dimensions of your garden and drag the vegetables onto the grid. Screenshot courtesy of Gardener's Supply.

Now’s the time to grab a pad of paper and draw out your ideal garden plan. Don’t worry if your garden never turns out like the plan. (If ours did, it would be a mess of scribbles and codes.) If you are considering the square foot method, Gardener’s Supply has a great tool on their website for planning a square foot vegetable garden. It even tells you how many plants to put in each section, and, in their pre-planned gardens, you can even see what kinds of supports you will need.

As you plan, make a list of the kinds of plants you would like to grow. Then check seed-selling websites like Burpee, Park seeds or Gurney’s, or you could drop into a brick-and-mortar hardware or garden store for seeds and seed-starting trays.

Of course, you could wait until spring and buy seedlings, but that costs more money, and seed-starting gives you a jump start on the growing season. Now is also a good time to get compost going if you don’t have a compost pit already underway (and if you’re not completely snowed under.) Of course, you could forego compost completely, but we recommend you do not. After all, compost reduces your food waste into rich soil, allowing you to grow more fantastic vegetables.

You can choose a high-tech composter that is specially designed made from recycled plastic or metal, or a simple, homemade pit framed by scrap lumber or metal. Gardeners will swear by one method or another, but as long as you have a cool, dark place in your backyard, you can compost. You can buy a composter from several suppliers, like Gardener’s Supply, or build a square out of pallets or cinder blocks. Then start throwing in garden waste, kitchen scraps and old newspapers, close up your composter, or cover your compost pit (plastic or treated canvas tarps work best), and wait for your gardener’s gold to develop.

Believe it or not, now is the start of the growing season. Whistling winter winds can’t get to your seedlings on a sunny table in your home (substitute a grow light if you don’t get much sun in your house). There are many seed starting trays to choose from, in different sizes, shapes and materials. We prefer the ones with the deeper wells, so the plants can grow more robust root systems. Some even come with self-watering mats, which take the guesswork out of watering sensitive seedlings. As time goes by, you will need larger transplant pots to put your healthiest seedlings into. By the time the last frost of winter reluctantly melts away, you will have healthy young vegetable plants ready for your garden, and you’ll be that much closer to seeing results in your yard.

Spring Dreams And Garden Plans The Saturday Evening Post