by Nadine Sellers

Created on: March 27, 2009

Time to talk green stuff, my specialty..fingernails ready, shovel on duty, i prepare mind and turf for a higher purpose of nourishment and glory of nature. Hands and mind bursting with green envy, the whole being involves senses into the art of gardening. A sunny day fills me with the urge to create, i plan walls of climbing melons, stakes of fruits and berries, carpets of lettuce and undercover roots.

Having lived much of my life as a quasi nomad, or highly mobile artist, i have invested much time in preparing permaculture landscape for the next owners and renters who happened upon my efforts. So today, i present Instaculture- the art of the now and present time and space; your now, your place.

Tapping into a productive mind set requires a moment of introspection, a glass of tea, a chair, a hat, and thou. Look around the backyard, the patio, the balcony, any area which could become home to a green project, a blooming test or an edible wonder, visualize curves, paths and shade.

Now ready for digging, don't have a shovel, or don't care to work so hard? Then use the Ruth Stout "no dig method".3 easy steps to save time, water and pest control or weeding, as well as condition soil for any plants.
Lay newspapers or cardboard directly upon the weeds or lawn in any pattern which suits your area, wet the paper thoroughly. Sprinkle an inch of bagged compost or some old manure from a farm, no unpleasant odor after mulch covers it. If the chosen ground is caked and poor, sandy loam or humusl from a nearby woodlot also would enrich the patch.Then add a 4 inch thick layer of mulch; this can be leaves from the park, lawn clippings from the neighbors, straw from the Easter bunny, or last Thanksgiving decor, any organic matter will suffice.

Keep area damp for two days, then let bacteria and bugs do their earthly chores, if too dry, water again.
Within two weeks, the soil will be mollified and fortified for you, no weeds, no fertilizer, a balance of elements is at work.

Small gestures that help nature along:

Worms, from the bait shop or the Farmer's market, or from a creekside spot will aerate the soil.
Compost bucket placed under sink and duly emptied of its organic contents, daily, gently placed under the organic mulch blanket at random spots. In case of areas open to pets or pests, do bury the matter, skunks do love eggshells.

Peanut shells, nut shells, egg shells, clam shells, whatever shells you have, you add, for calcium and minerals needed to strengthen plants against diseses.

And

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