In this issue

Greetings to All,

Here at GrowingWISE the spring came early so we've been trying to take advantage of it and get the garden in.  We've also taken the time to work on a few modifications to the garden.  We are continuing to make improvements to the garden that help with maintenance and the plants growth rate.  We just finished planting and it is already time to start harvesting.  The freezer has been cleaned and readied for fresh blanched broccoli and cauliflower.

John continues to be on the cutting edge of microbiological applications.  He formulated a new biological process called “Fertalive” which has some really neat results when it is applied to the root systems of plants.  Because the soil temperature around this mixture was raised as much as 40°F the early plantings came even sooner.  He was able to plant tomatoes in soil temperatures near the mid 40’s.  This has extended his growing season about 3 weeks which is very significant here in Alaska where 12 to 14 weeks is normally considered an average summer.  He has been experimenting with his new formula on a Giant Cabbage!   Check out this site http://www.flickr.com/photos/giant/ and watch it grow every day through harvest with ‘time lapsed’ photos.

The Evans have recently been featured in several publications including “News Week”, “The Los Angeles Times”, “Anchorage Daily News” and the Seattle Times.  The articles touch on many topics including being World record holders, the joys of watching the garden growing and the excitement of pulling an 18 lb.- 13 oz. carrot from the ground.  The Alaska Bounty Soil Stimulant System is simple to operate and easy to use.  Even the kids can enjoy helping to put the tea around the plants.  Shown below is John and the girls, Hannah and Sidney, marveling at an early season beauty.  Its already more than 6 ft in diameter.  Maybe another Champion in the making!!!

We continue to get positive feedback from those who join in having Alaska Bountea parties in their gardens.  I urge each of you who gets a chance to read this newsletter to try it for yourself, your family and your natural environment.  You’ll be glad you did.

As the price of oil continues to rise, it makes Alaska Bountea even a bigger bargain.  The price of using fertilizer has gone up and it still causes long term negative effects.  So consider growing some of your own food where you live and see the many benefits it has for you.

This editions feature article looks at how much we could be saving in time, energy and money if we grow our own vegetables and fruits and support our local markets.  Also, check out the growing tip.  We offer a natural remedy for getting aphids off of your peppers.  We hope you enjoy your time with us.

Sincerely,
Sid Richards &
The GrowingWISE Team

Realizing the Benefits of Growing Your Own Produce

The true costs of producing and transporting food to and from the supermarket shelf are far greater than any checkout receipt suggests.  When we think about how our world wide web has increased communications and information transfer, the similar thing is true with bringing food to the local super market.  We now can have food from nearly anywhere in the world right in our local super market.  But what is the true cost?

In Britain, a study was accomplished to measure just that.  Although the country may be different, the processes are quite similar.  The study revealed that the average person was spending $48.00 on food per week. The hidden costs of transportation and the impact to the environment would raise the costs an additional 12% to $53.60.

The authors of the study looked at the situation from a completely different perspective.  They introduced a newly defined unit called “food miles" which refers to the distance traveled by produce from farm to fork.  They realized that more than $8 billion a year could be saved if farmers grew organically, farming subsidies were abolished, and consumers shopped for local produce or grew their own.  By analyzing food types, farming methods, and transport policies they found that if all of our food came from within a dozen miles of where they live they could save approximately $4.2 billion a year in environmental and congestion costs.

The study found that 28% of all freight is agricultural produce.  This is up nearly 500% over the last 20 years.  Agriculture is now being carried 65% further than it was in the 1980's.  They also found that if shopping by car was replaced by bus, bicycle, or walking there would be a further $2.2 billion savings.  And if all farms were to follow organic principles, the environmental costs would fall from $3 billion a year to less than $800 million accounting for another $2.2 billion in savings.

In effect, we are paying three times for our produce; first at the supermarket till, second in costs to the environment and lastly in farming subsidies.  Food miles are much more significant than we thought and much should to be done to encourage local production and consumption of food.  So when you’re harvesting your bounty this next fall, think about the triple savings you are making and the nearly triple value in nutrients your body is getting from the efforts you’ve made over the summer.

Nasturtiums with Peppers

A recent visit to John and Mary’s garden gave me this tip.  As we inspected the greenhouse, John pointed out all the very impressive plants with the exceptionally healthy fruit and flowers.  He also pointed out where a few green aphids had been eating on one of the peppers he was growing.  John showed me how he had cut a string of nasturtiums and placed it near the base of the pepper.  “They’ve all gone away now", he said.  So if it's too late to plant a nasturtium near your peppers and aphids are a problem, try placing the nasturtiums on the ground under the drip line of the pepper plant.

John,

I recommend Alaska Bountea Soil Stimulant System to all of my gardening friends and I’ll tell you why.  I have a new garden plot and tried for 2 years to get something to grow, with little luck.  My soil was poor and the seeds came from the discount store.  Sid told me to transplant my starts with Rootweb.  They did so well that I needed to transplant them into larger containers.  As I did, I saw for myself the abundance of tiny white root hairs beginning to grow.  I put the larger starts on the deck under a plastic shelter and started feeding them Alaska Bountea.  Within 24 hours I saw a distinct color shift to a deeper, darker green. After moving the plants to the garden and green house, I continued with the Alaska Bountea once a week or so.  The plant growth easily tripled anything I had ever seen before.  Later, I also noticed the soil was teeming with tiny bugs.  Our harvest tripled from previous years and the flavor of our sweet corn was some of the best I’ve ever had.  There is no doubt in my mind that all of this is a result of Alaska Bountea Soil Stimulant System.

Nancy Homstad
Palmer, Alaska