"The best fertilizer is the farmer’s shadow.”
Have you ever really looked at the plants in your garden? Could you, for example, without going outside, accurately draw a tomato leaf or even your favourite lettuce leaf ? If blind-folded could you differentiate between the feel of the leaves of Tuscan kale and silverbeet? Or parsley and carrot tops? Could you tell, by scent, an orange blossom from a lemon blossom? Do you know if the leaves on a capsicum stem are opposite each other or offset? Which is smoother - an eggfruit or a tomato or a capsicum? How does the feel of an eggplant trunk differ from the feel of an okra trunk? In a line-up could you pick the exact colour of a particular vegetable part that you see everyday in your own garden? We all love the tastes of home-grown food but could you close your eyes and tell which lettuce you are eating or which tomato ?
Do you know your plants or do you just know about your plants ?
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2 comments:
Kate: You just gave me some great ideas for what to do with the kids at Open Garden! Thanks!
Good thoughts Kate.
I was brought up with "farmers footsteps are the best fertilizer" As walking around you use all your sences.
I have a great book called 'New Eyes For Plants' about observing & drawing plants.Brian Keats puts out a good chart to help identify various parts.
Steiner says the most important sence for farmers is that of smell.
Try walking around your garden/farm in the dark I find it realy enlightening.
I'm at the library & my time is up so must go.
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