Sunflowers…summer happiness on a stalk!

Corn has deep roots.
Roots that entwine so deeply into our collective ancestral memory that we can accurately describe corn as ancient.

As we are digging ourselves out of the snow banks or watching the flood water recede and preparing for the next winter storm, I will wager dollars to dahlias that we are dreaming of our spring gardens! Isn’t that how gardeners spend their New Years?

Did you know….

– Fossil records show that the human use of plants as medicine dates back 60,000 years ago (solecki et al., 1975)
– Plants and their derivatives represent of 50% of all drugs in clinical use
– 3.5 – 4 BILLION of the global population rely on plants for drugs (Farnsworth, 1988)
– Nearly 95% of plants used in traditional medicines are collected from forests and other natural sources.
– Almost half of the 25 top selling pharmaceuticals were either natural product or their derivatives (O’Neill, 1993)

“How luscious lies the pea within the pod.” ~ Emily Dickinson

Happy Anniversary to the mar’sel edible garden! This is Part Four in this blog series on “The Rebirth of a Garden”. Be sure to read Part 1, 2 and 3 for a great community story as well as great tips and resources on soil management, edible planting strategies and design tips.