Update on my tomatoes (christel)

Well a portion of my tomato plant seems to have done well with the transplant. The other half of the seedlings had problems-and I do not know if they will be productive but I have my fingers crossed.

My strawberry plant seems to be doing well-I worry about the frost but it does not seem to be bothered by it.

I plan to repot my rosemary this week as it is growing too large for the one it is in now.

In other news it seems that the Garden Girls blog may get a little attention from the UAB newspaper staff. They have contacted us about an interview and hopefully we will get our blog out there to more interested subscribers!

Finally, we welcome our subscribers to leave any comments as they would be greatly appreciated. I tried to figure out a way to create a page or link to a page where discussion about Historical Ecology topics, plants and other things could be had by more than Courtney, Anne and myself-but have yet to figure something out.
Anyway I will give an update on the interview we have with the UAB journalist!

Climate and Culture (Courtney)

Another interesting article about climate change and how it effects human culture. In the past 10,000 years it seems humans have been on the offense against nature, not cognizant of the fact that they are a part of nature. Nature and culture are intricately connected, they influence and shape one another in critical ways. I like the way this article uses the image of a circular relationship,and I think looking to the past for the answers to the future is an important part of the discourse.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/did-climate-change-drive-prehist.html?ref=wp

Future of climate change (Courtney)

This is an unsettling article from NPR about the stalemate regarding solutions for climate change. I agree that drastic measures (while probably necessary) are unrealistic and could backfire. Small, but tangible, baby steps seems a more efficacious course to me.

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131854574/beyond-cancun-what-s-the-future-of-climate-policy?sc=17&f=1001

Biodiversity (Courtney)

I've never fully understood why biodiversity was so important. It seems self-evident, but I struggled to really explain why. Here is an informative article that explains why biodiversity is relevant and important and why we should "not cover every square inch with houses and strip malls until you can't remember what happens when you stand in a meadow at dusk."

http://nyti.ms/gcr4mO

Tiny Tim Tomato Transplant (Christel)

So the instructions say that when the seedling reach 5" they need to be transplanted to a larger pot. Well yesterday I attempted to transplant them. It was a huge mess and I wonder when it will become a disaster! Im waiting- with fingers crossed-to see if they will survive.

Another thing-that I have yet to find out if it is an issue- is that I planted the tomatoes in the a pot-some distance from my aloe vera that I had to replant when the pot it inhabited broke. I have sorta skimmed articles about how you can plant many different plants together in one pot or space-but I figure the plants must be compatible. Well I guess I should look it up and find out-but my instinct tells me that I will have to seperate them.

Anyway I will update on any gardening progress I make.

"mite" have been (Anne)

A couple of weeks ago, all of my plants were doing really well: they all had new growth, and I had used each of the herbs at least once in a recipe. Then I started to notice small brownish spots on the cilantro and within a couple of days it had wilted, and the roots molded. I did a little research on cilantro and discovered that it has a very short life span (some sources said only 3 weeks) and so I figured it must have just died from old age. However, soon after this I started seeing the same brownish spots on my basil and lettuce. Then I got a bit worried and did a little investigation. I found some silky strands that looked like spider webbing and some tiny bugs that look like orange chiggers on a few of the leaves. I did a little more research and found out that spider mites were eating my plants. They were too small for me to get a good picture of them but here's Wikipedia's photo:

They lay their eggs on the underside of leaves so that when they hatch, the babies can eat the leaves. The best solution I could find (besides predatory mites that can cause problems of their own) was humidity: evidently spider mites can't stand humidity. So I've been misting the plants at least three times a day but the lettuce has died and the basil and thyme are in really bad shape. The rosemary doesn't look great but I've still been using it and the chives and parsley look like they'll pull through. I've decided to order some worm castings to try and keep the mites away and add some nutrients for the plants. Here is the websites I'm ordering them from:
http://www.organicwormdirt.com/
I also bought a "guaranteed to grow" kit with basil, rosemary and thyme in it. The basil and chives have sprouted but no sign of the rosemary. I'm going to get a strawberry and a sage plant to replace the cilantro and lettuce in the 20gal terrarium.
Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The TEK of Hayao Miyazaki's films (Christel)

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese artist and film director the movies Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo just to name a few. These are some of my most favorite films because they are beautifully animated, tell fantastic stories and feature the most delightful characters. Anyway I was watching My Neighbor Totoro the other evening and it dawned on me that Miyazaki's films not only have strong environmental messages-but that these movies can teach children a traditional ecological knowledge that melds play, magic and apreciation of the environment.
In Miyazaki's films the environment is alive with spirits and creatures of magic that protect the trees, lakes, forrests and oceans. The characters in all of the films play with nature and in doing so realize that they are a part of it, no different from the mystical beings that dwell in the trees.
Ultimately the characters learn that the power and magic of the spirits of nature are not without their limits and that it is human care and protection that gives the spirits the powers they have to protect, heal and repair the world. Therefore the characters learn that humans are stewards of the earth alongside the magical elements and that everyone plays a part and must work together to keep the world the beautiful and mystical place that it is!

So to sum up, Miyazaki's movies teach children that the environment-trees, rocks and animals-are things of beauty and magic. Children learn that they can play with nature and take enjoyment from it. This helps foster the idea that nature is important to respect and protect.
Anyway perhaps I have gone out on a limb here-but at least this is how I feel about Miyazaki's movies. What other forms of media are there that provide this level of learning and emotional connection to the world?

This is a picture from My Neighbor Totoro where two girls are learning how the forrest spirits can make their garden grow by dancing around it and believing in the magic of nature.