Green thumbs for Green shoots

Hot housing green shoots for a new start
a £10 greenhouse  I bought for a former
workplace, probably the best
investment as it inspired  others of all ages to
get involved in growing vegetables

Started 1st January 2011 about 0740 am
Words  557

Green shoots for a new year.  We all start off with good intentions for the new year.  Most resolutions apparently die a death within seven days.  This is because we all want to impress ourselves (and others) with how novelty of our resolutions.  They are often so radical from our own experience and abilities that they wouldn't have a snowballs chance in a sauna.  The KISS approach (Keep It Simple Stupid) I am adopting this year.

As part of the blog cycle I am piking up on a them that I have tried over a number of years.  As a teacher I always found that the school year did not really fit in with my desire to grow things.

When the enthusiasm was there in September after the summer break the  planting season was long over done for most crops.  The months of July and August when you really can start to see some of the fruition's of your efforts were effectively lost as pupils were not in school for at least six weeks.  By January enthusiasms to do the organisation for free after another round of government targets became apparent.

Bring back the subject of rural studies and not just for the non-academic.   Horticulture seems to have taken on this mantle of creative digging projects, or the dig a hole here fill it earth from another hole. Growing of  food is I believe going to once again start to be a relatively well respected (if not well paid at the moment),  especially now that cost of IT with cloud computing is becoming so much cheaper.  This means big IT salaries may be fewer as WYSIWYG takes over and service patches do their jobs. We are not just talking about the (in some cases very) odd box scheme or the Farmers Market with produce from South East Asia.  I did like the Mitchell and Webb video about the  Farmers Market.     But these are threads which will take me way past my personal word target.

January again and as it is Saturday a bit of free blogging on a subject close to my passions.  Anybody can grow their own vegetables for a family on literally less than a tablecloth of land.  I used to print out a leaflet and distribute it any pupil and other people who were interested.  There were many families that started their own little plots.  This leaflet   by  Grow Organic, the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association,  explains the principles of square foot gardening.  It is the leading Organic Vegetable growing charity in the UK, so I am sure any donations to their cause would be greatly received by them.

I have my own adaptations and takes on growing vegetables.  I am a botanist by training, with a masters in Crop Protection and experience of commercially focused agricultural research.  So what is also a hobby was a profession.  A bit like a steam engine driver who joins a steam preservation society!?!.  Some of that experience I am relating in my static site 2pointfiveageofman.net.

So my KISS resolutions?  To continue to ski uphill but maybe use the tow rope every once and a while.  To use my blog for that reflective moment.  To grow more vegetables.  These are SMART targets?

Happy New Year   !!!!