晨曦露水MORNING DEW

December 20, HT Garden

植物果然還是需要露水的滋潤。育苗被搬到菜園後，就開始天生天養的日子。原來，環境越自然，照顧菜園好像就越不費力。

The dew-drops sparkling in the morning sunlight were the water of life for seedlings.

自然缺乏症nature deficit

December 15

My little assistant. After drowning my seedlings with her milk spoon, she started to cheer up them with her self-composted songs. Helping me is the most delighting task for her every morning. However, her great curiosity still didn't lead her to touch these seedlings with her little fingers. After my encouragement and demonstration, she would only touch them for less than one second. Why? I thought kids would love to touch plants with their animal instinct. Apparently, she needs to get more close to the nature and be taught about the wonder of nature. Hope her nature deficit problem will be solved one day.
巫老大超喜歡幫忙，每天早上第一樂事就是拿著奶粉湯匙幫我菜苗沐浴，還會唱著自編歌曲幫垂頭喪氣的菜苗振奮精神。很妙的是她不是很敢用手碰菜苗。我以為孩子們都是天不怕地不怕的，看來自然缺乏症真有其事。希望有一天她也能享受到自然的奇蹟。

compost diversity 什麼都加的堆肥

December 9 Nursery

 Beans planted on December 1st grew almost as tall as beans planted on November 24th. According to elders, beans should be planted directly in the soil. A bigger space may be more easier for beans to germinate.
看完一本關於土壤的書 (台灣的土壤，陳尊賢，許正一著，遠足文化) 之後，發現我們苗栗的土有許多都是酸性的紅土，貧瘠的很。本來還想研究加些什麼堆肥材料好幫助土壤酸鹼平衡，但這實在不是我現在的程度可以解決的問題，寫 email問農改場又沒回音。後來看到書上說多元化是堆肥成功的關鍵，這讓我下了一個輕鬆的決定，就把先前的五種堆肥和在一起吧!!!
I just read a book and found out that the soil in Miaoli is acid red soil lacking organic matters. It took me a while to think how to improve my soil and what compost materials would help.

Plant personality菜苗療癒了我

December 6 Nursery

 A super big grasshopper was found in our back yard.

這隻蝗蟲似乎很愛拍照，連續拍了幾分鐘都不動。想一想，最近常在戶外拍到昆蟲，都是停著不動讓人拍耶!!莫非牠們真的知道我不會傷害牠們?

開始育苗之後，發現眼睛不自覺地注意到極細微的變化，記憶力能夠涵蓋每顆種子的位置。慢慢地，開始感覺到每株苗都有自己的個性，也有高矮胖瘦。從來不知道自己可以如此專注，只有覺知到植物的變化。或許成為園藝治療師之前，自己已經先被治療了。現在終於了解一位從事財務工作的朋友為何每晚喜歡蹲著育苗盆前對著仙人掌數數兒。或許小小的仙人掌苗(我都看不到)將他從財務報表中解放出來。

I am amazed how detailed I could observe from these seedlings and how concentrated I could be. I don't understand why I could remember every little changes happened to these seedlings. Gradually, I even feel these plants have different personalities. It triggered some "personal association" and brought a "warm and fuzzy feeling". (Laura Crockett, Plants with personality, http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/plants-with-personality.aspx) Maybe these plants are my therapists and helping me to become a horticultural therapist.

蟲子喜歡吃不健康的植物?colors of three different compost mix

December 5, PDC GARDEN

看到園子裡被蟲子、病菌纏身的木瓜、石榴、柚子和番茄，終於忍不住拿compost tea給它們"照顧照顧"。一邊灑一邊念，加油加油。我注意到banana circle邊的植物都長得不錯，說不定裡面的堆肥真的有效。

根據日本Natural Harmony(自然栽培蔬果物流公司)社長河名秀郎 (真正的蔬菜不綠，如果出版社) 35年自然栽培的經驗，土地不健康，植物就會不健康，蟲子就會來吃掉不健康的植物。這樣說來，園子裡的土壤應該還沒恢復健康。雖然他說堆肥會造成"肥害"，但是園子裡的土壤真的太貧瘠了(有農改場的土質檢測為證)。我還是決定為這"病入膏肓"的土壤加把勁。不過有一點我好像剛好和秀明先生的觀點一樣，雜草就讓它們盡情地長吧!這可不是偷懶的藉口，我是真心認為植物真的會幫忙土壤恢復健康。

I couldn't help to water my sick plants with compost tea. The president of Natural Harmony (http://www.naturalharmony.co.jp/official/) in Japan said in this book that unhealthy soil can't grow health plants. Plants can help soil to become healthy but not the compost. Considering my weak soil (according to the report from our agriculture agency), I decided to keep weeds.

被綁在圍籬上的番茄好似被拷打的犯人，垂頭喪氣。

手做的單純世界

動手做真的會讓人放輕鬆。在工藝中心跟著老師學手工藝，腦袋瓜子只裝得下老師的指令，手指頭笨拙地操作大腦傳來的指令，世界剎那間變得很單純。

Seedlings are babies!

December 1st

搞不清楚自己到底買了哪種豆子，可能是短蔓四季豆吧。一發芽後，就猛長，讓很容易讓人有成就感。愛變怪的個性驅使著自己硬要用泥土和堆肥和著來移植豆子，種苗店都只用鬆鬆的培陽土。人家這樣做一定有他的道理，我有預感自己會吃苦頭，不過還是做了。

 Got a bag of soil from HT garden for transplanting beans.

Germinating fast

November 28, Nursery

 Second seedling tray: Seedlings were growing very fast. They were almost 3 cm tall now. I guess the sufficient light helped a lot.

小苗站起來Thanks to mini greenhouse

November 26 HT Garden

Add a bucket of kitchen waste into Compost 4.

 迷你溫室奏效，所有的苗都"站起了"。有些還猛冒三公分。

November 27 Nursery

Seedling tray 1: all 16 seedlings survived. Thanks to my mini greenhouse.

果實大暴走Fruit season

November 27, PDC garden

 去年沒收成的玉米竟然發芽長出苗了。

育苗大作戰Seedlings, I love you.

November 24, 2011 Nursery

After a long preparation, I started my "mass nursery production".

育苗大作戰，全力衝刺。

持續堆肥endless composting

November 24, HT garden

閒閒沒事，又堆了兩座堆肥。原來堆肥也會堆上癮。

 姑婆給我的雞屎。盛情難卻，挖了好大一堆。雖然擔心裡面有雞飼料的抗生素，不過自我安慰一番，只要發酵久一點是不是就沒事了?還是自己騙自己?
My uncle's mother gave me a pile of chicken's droppings after she knew I was working on compost. According to her, droppings is the best.

國外嬌客foreign plants

November 22 PDC garden

原來我種了那麼多遠渡重洋的外國嬌客，得好生伺候。

 原產自熱帶和亞熱帶的指甲花竟然是可以長到二到六公尺的大灌木，可惜苗栗的氣候有時太冷了。指甲花在攝氏十一度以下就會生長緩慢，難怪我的指甲花長不高，還縮水了(雖然我強烈懷疑是我娘偷偷砍的)。

古巴城市農業大豐收Great success of urban farming in Cuba

沒想到石油禁運對古巴來說竟然在多年後還帶來這麼多的好處。去年才開始推廣的城市農業大豐收，超過一百萬噸的蔬菜。更讚的是交通工具，動物拉車。雖然讓動物們辛苦一點，但整個環境改善之後所有的人類與動物都可以雨露均霑。現在的目標是種子的收集，唯有掌握種子，才不會將食物的掌控權放在國外的育種商手上。

希望台灣人可以趕快覺醒，讓新鮮的蔬菜隨手可得。



City Farmer News

Urban Agriculture in Cuba Exceeds Annual Goal in 2011

By PL
Cuba si.cu
08 January 2012

堆肥土compost soil

November 22, 2011 HT GARDEN and Nursery

到五金行看到公文籃竟然突發奇想，決定用它來育苗。籃子有洞，應該透氣又透水。

 Try to work on the second nursery. This time I used a flat basket, which is covered by paper.

育苗培養土搜尋中!!!Soil for seeding!!!

November 20 and 21

我的竹林土好像不太妙耶!雖然一直噴水也放在室內，但是就是很快變乾。

 The soil may be too dry and too hard for the seeds.

貓裏藝國趣-苗栗旅遊工藝展

貓裏藝國趣-苗栗旅遊工藝展

1月1日開展的「貓裏藝國趣-苗栗旅遊工藝展」探險地圖，探索不一樣的苗栗。策展理念延續以童話故事情節來敘說貫穿展覽內容，並結合工藝與旅遊的雙主題，從苗栗工藝園區這個觀光導覽總站出發，循著探險地圖一起探索大苗栗各個適合深度旅遊的工藝景點，非常適合親子來趟工藝小遊學。  包括三義木雕、公館陶瓷、苑裡藺草及磚雕、竹南玻璃等工藝大鎮，都可在此展覽中綜觀全局，一次欣賞大苗栗的各種特色工藝，希望帶動國內深度文化觀光。


1月11日當天還有百龍獻藝、音樂表演等精彩開幕活動，歡迎民眾報名免費體驗陶藝DIY活動。展覽訊息：展期2012/1/1-06/10，地點：苗栗市水流娘巷11鄰8-2號，電話：            037-222693      分機105高小姐


苗栗工藝園區:http://www2.ntcri.gov.tw/miaoli