I think I’ve done a certifiable amount of procrastinating on this blog, so I think it’s high time I moved on to the next stage: writing SOMETHING (anything?).
In the past few months, whenever I thought of how to start this blog, a fog would develop in my little brain (something akin to a “pod person” being drained of her essence). There are a great many things to write about when it comes to veganic gardening, and I want to write all of it really really well. I want my blog entries to follow a logical order and be perfect and beautiful and enlightening and cause people to become wonderful amazing vegans.
Maybe I should just focus on getting something written and be happy with that.
Firstly, let me say that I am no expert on gardening. I started a small veganic garden last year, and hope to grow a slightly larger one this year. Last year’s garden was not as grand as I would have liked it to be; I really wasn’t totally on top of it. There were veggies that I planted way too late in the season (I’m kind of the Pa Kettle of gardening). And then there were herbs that I planted next to their arch enemies (e.g., uh…don’t plant fennel next to coriander or dill – I planted all three together like a moron). I love being outdoors, but the truth is that I’d much rather be out on the mountain trails hiking or running – or even just sitting around staring at the trees, rivers, aminals. (Yes, I wrote “aminals,” which in my own fantasy lexicon is the definition for nonhuman animals. I get tired of writing “nonhuman animals” as if all other animals are defined by their relationship to humans. I could say “other animals,” but that just seems to confuse people who are unfamiliar with non-speciesist language. And since this is my own personal informal blog, I will be using the word “aminals.” Besides, it’s a cute word. Say it with me…”AMINALS!” Don’t want to? That’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to be as goofy as I am. Whatever the case, it will be fun to count how many readers tell me I’m spelling “animals” wrong. I can’t wait.)
Anyway, though you’ll find me running and hiking more than gardening, I still have a passion for veganic gardening/farming, and I look forward to being more diligent in working in the garden this year. As I document my journey, I’m rather hoping that my ridiculous blunders and mishaps will allow others to see that everyone makes mistakes. And my successes (there were quite a few last year) will hopefully prove that ANYONE can garden.
Secondly, I feel compelled to state that the point of this blog is not so much to impart my own meager store of knowledge, but rather to convey the knowledge that I gradually gather and learn from other sources on my journey to becoming a more experienced veganic gardener. I also hope to pass on any new information I encounter about veganics, including books, news, links to articles, events, lectures, etc.
I will eventually open up comments. Admittedly, I’m a little nervous about that, but I will succumb to the inevitable, because I want to hear people’s thoughts if they have any, especially on tips and ideas on veganic gardening/farming. However, I will say up front that I will shelter this blog from any controversy going on in the animal rights movement. Veganics should be the one topic where we can agree and come together to do and promote something positive. I’ll have no finger pointing nonsense here. You can go to my other blog on animal rights to do that (oops…I forgot, comments aren’t open there…oh well…tough luck). But seriously, if we vegans can’t agree that veganic gardening is a positive and great thing, then there’s really not much hope for us. And if veganic gardening is not your thing, please stick to what is your thing somewhere else. That is NOT to say that those who are new to veganic gardening/farming are not welcome here. Quite the contrary! My hope is to turn all kinds of people on to this awesome new (old!) way of growing our food. The more people (vegan or not) there are who support and promote veganics, the more our local farmers will be pressed (or inspired!) to switch their methods of agriculture to a sustainable and ethical veganic way. On this particular blog, I don’t care who you are or what your approach is: as long as you are interested in veganics, then you are welcome to respectfully discuss veganics here.
Here are some topics that I hope to cover:
- An introduction to veganic gardening/farming
- Veganic (animal-free) fertilizers
- Problems with conventional fertilizers (and related studies)
- Books on veganic gardening/farming
- No-dig gardening
- Ordering seeds/seed companies
- Control of seeds by evil bastards (Monsanto)
- Methods of composting
- Green manure
- Testing soil
- Importance of soil
- Storing seeds
- Organizing a planting schedule
- Gardening in the
- Veganic farms
- Creating a garden plan
- Natural “pest” control/companion plants
- A focus on vegetables/herbs to grow in the current month
- Growing transplants
- Rotating crops
- Various ways to support/promote veganic agriculture
In addition to these topics, I suspect you’ll see an occasional blog entry about climate change issues, as well as the problem of food insecurity around the world. I have a feeling I may throw in some stories or information about wild life (free-living aminals), who often don’t receive as much attention as other aminals (“domestic,” “farm,” or factory-farmed) in the world of animal rights. Since I live in the foothills of the Washington State Cascade Mountains, at times there will be a focus on local issues in this region and the
Well, that’s about it for my first blog entry. In conclusion, I will share with you a video of me walking around in my garden last year.
