Continuation of natural gardening experiments in 2008

In midsummer 2007, I read Masanobu Fukuoka's "The One-Straw Revolution" and was forever changed. My studies at the California Institute of the Arts left me seeking for a deeper meaning. I was taken over by a hyper critical way of thinking that was described by my mentor as "a fever of rigor" which had me questioning some of the most fundamental materials involved in the production of my work, namely the basic technologies of modern telecommunications: transistors, micro processors, digital to analog converters (and visa versa), etc. There was a whole hidden world of signification that opened up and pointed to the histories of electronic media (radio, telephone, computer, telecommunications networks, satellites, etc.). What became clear was that without war, there would be no need for the global discourse networks currently in place, that there was even a possibility that by making art with any form of electronic technology one was somehow condoning all the atrocities of the wars beginning at the turn of the 20th century up through present day. Virilio made the link between technology and war clear. The Iraq war opening in 2003 has been a war about the geostrategical positioning of a fossil fuel powered economic hegemony led by the United States. The rest of the developed world has benefit from a symbiotic economic relationship where their complicancy and outright support of military action result in a greater share of cheap ("secure") oil. Masanobu Fukuoka's book provided another clear link between war and technology, between the ideology of total dominance of nature and the industrialization of the food chain. There have been massive forces at work in our legislative houses mobilizing an army of machinery and human capital (consumers and exploited laborers). All this because of a lack of self-determination on our behalf. We failed to have the courage to possess the curiosity and uncover the truth behind the labels of the products on our shelves. I believe that this is slowly changing; however, Masanobu Fukuoka made it clear that we must go beyond demanding better of our industrialized practices, that we must abandon them altogether. His work with alternating rice, barley, and winter rye crops over a 50 year period resulted in a practice which uses no tilling, no synthetic fertilizers, no pesticides, and no clover. Crop yields, the ultimate determining factor of any agricultural practice no matter how radical, were equal to those of his neighbors using highly chemical and labor intensive "conventional" methods. After reading through "Natural Way of Farming" and "The Road Back to Nature" I felt and still feel that in my heart that natural gardening is the only way forward. From the winter of 2007 onwards---I feel it safe to say that all my work in electronics from this point out is only an ellaborate form of procrastination---if my work feels as though there is a void within it, if there is something terribly amiss or completely omitted, it is because of this: I belong with the earth and for each day that my feet fail to meet the soil, I feel that I am failing the whole world.

These photographs are taken of the experimental garden which took only partial advantage of Fukuoka's teachings. I employed a method of seeding which involved the creation of little clay pellets with seeds and compost mixed together. I also direct sowed crops in addition to using primitive hole poking methods. The vegetation from the 2007 garden was left practically intact, only the tops of plants were cut down or covered in straw. The pictures speak for themselves as to the level of success; however it is worth pointing out that without irrigation, this garden would not have happened in the desert hill of Val Verde, north of Los Angeles. During late August, there was also a terrible infestation of stink bugs which ate practically everything. After trying castile soap and cayenne pepper mixtures, I resorted to diatomaceous earth which seemed to help. Stink bugs will eat anything and it is exceedingly difficult to get rid of their eggs. I didn't want to kill any of them directly so I simply tried to discourage them.

Varieties Planted:

Winter Squash: Acorn
Winter Squash: Butternut
Winter Squash: Seminole
Winter Squash: Delicata
Winter Squash: Japanese Futsu
Summer Squash: Zucchini
Summer Squash: Yellow Crookedneck
Basil
Tomato: Heirloom Mixture
Tomato: Roma
Swiss Chard
Melon: Cantaloupe - Hale's Best
Kale: Russian Red
Green Bean: Kentucky Wonder
Bean: Pinto
Bean: Cow Pea
Bean: Black Turtle
Bean: Black Tepary
Corn: Indian (Decorative/Sweet)
Corn: Black Aztec
Corn: Blue Hopi
Corn: Bloody Butcher
Corn: Peruvian Purple
Sunflower
Marigold
Red Noodle Bean
Eggplant
Purple Tomatillo
Lettuce
Arugula
Turnip
Beets

Images:

May 25th 2008

June 2nd 2008

June 21st 2008

June 26th 2008

July 7th 2008

July 20th 2008

August 1st 2008

August 30th 2008 - my camera dies a dramatic death following this batch of photos. The corn, beans and squash were delicious and comprised 75% of my weekly produce. For a two month stretch I was only buying $10 worth of onions, garlic, ginger, and fruit from the farmer's markets each week.