Gardens and Farms

Be sure to check Bessemer Science and Nature where yesterday I began to document the saga of a family of Robins, and today we travel to Mars.

There is a new sign in the Jonesboro Community Garden.

In case the photo is difficult to read, the Garden is giving thanks to Vulcan Materials, Bessemer City Schools, Bessemer Historical Homeowners Association, Bessemer Rotary Club, Trey Tarrant and the Horticulture Students of Lawson State Community College, Building Science Department of Lawson State Community College, New Light Baptist Church, American Community Garden Association, and Alabama Cooperative Extension.

All of these groups have contributed in various ways to the Garden. The Garden is there for you to enjoy. If you want to bring a lawnmower...

There are also new directional signs as you approach on Owen Avenue.

Near Bessemer near McCalla is Fig Leaf Farm.

At Fig Leaf Farm, Joe and Sara use sustainable methods to grow fresh produce and flowers, some of which will be sold this year at Pepper Place Market .

Here they are preparing the soil for planting.

Click on the "Methods" tab in the site and see how they improve the soil, what amendments they use and how they manage insects and pests. There are many things those of us with gardens can do to improve our yields without harming the earth. Here's a quote from their site, "We firmly believe in the message behind the oft-quoted command Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt."

One neat thing is a link to this Web Soil survey where you can learn what type of soil you have using the USDA's Geospatial Data. For instance, Fig Leaf Farm's upland is primarily Tupelo silt loam and the bottoms are Sullivan-Ketona complex, a "loamy alluvium derived from sedimentary rock."

We are fortunate to have growers nearby who care about the land and are willing to share and promote sustainable use of the land.