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A brief and happy interlude - The garden begins with seeds and dogwood trees

     This is really the first days that feel like a spring day.  The sun is warming the air to a nice mid 60 to low 70 degrees (19 - 22 C) and a variety of songbirds are filling the skies.  I'm on my way to the Mercer County conservation district to pick up some flower and grass seed, and maybe depending on what they have left, a tree or two.


   I already have plans to plant two dogwoods, they are some of my favorite flowering trees and in this case, the berries will also be edible to wildlife and humans.   The flowers and grasses that I'm on the way to pick up are all native to this area of Pennsylvania and  I'm hoping that more than a few may be edible.  I'm also ready to start a small container garden and that is happening this coming weekend.

    My hope is to plant some more trees and shrubs that are edible over time, turning my yard into a garden of sorts. If I'm going to do my small part to fight climate change, I better make sure that what I plant can combat climate change but also supply food and/or medicine.  While I am far from being a survivalist, I do like the concept of leaving food and medicine for those that will need it in an increasingly scary future.  


    I'm not sure if I want to call it a legacy, but I think it's just a small step that I can do. 

    Plus a little variety in my diet and Sue's can only be a good thing.  I see no reason to buy dandelion leaves from the local grocer for $4.50 a pound.    

    The term "foodscaping" is new to me, but certainly seems like something worth pursuing.  I can' t change the world, I can't change who and I am overnight.   The time for grand measures is certainly in the past, but I can do what I can, with what I have.

    I can work, in my own small way, for a better future.   That's why I've decided to keep up this blog, no matter how many readers I may have.   

    If I can bring a tidbit of knowledge to someone, or pass on some information I glean...then it's worth it.  

    If, in some future time, someone is nourished by what I've left then that's even better.  None of this will happen over night nor do I intended for it to ever be as insane as what the video suggests, but you take baby steps.   

    I'm on that path and the first baby step in my thousand mile journey begins now.

   

    

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  1. UnknownApril 14, 2022 at 8:43 AM

    A kind and generous person, leaves a legacy. Not knowing whose life it will touch. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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Hi. As the writer of the post and feel that I need to clarify something. I do not advocate the planting of invasive species. The point that I'm trying to make, and clearly didn't, is that perhaps we should be thinking about an invasive species in a different light. Apples, figs and other crops are clearly non native to America and Europe but are widely cultivated because they have use to humans as a food source, animal feed, etc. Kudzu is an edible plant and although it is clearly harmful can it be used someway by humans? It's a food source, it's been used as a cloth and is showing some use as a building material. All I'm trying to do is to create discussion on how we can use invasive plants in new ways.   It's mid April here in Western Pennsylvania and so far it's been warm and wet.  The buzz of lawnmowers fill the air as I gallivant through my back yard collecting dandelions to make some tea and bread with them.  I had always known that they w
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