Disappearing bees

The Earthly Gardener by Bobbi A. Chukran
February 28, 2007

Something a little more serious this morning….In more than 24 states across the country, bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to Ann Johansson of the New York Times and other journalists across the country, this is not only threatening the livelihood of beekeepers, but is also a threat to many of our important crops, such as the almond industry in CA. Not to mention our entire food supply!

Researchers aren’t sure where the bees are going. Some hives have died off, some have simply vanished.

For sure, widespread pesticide spraying of agricultural crops can kill bees, as can small doses of spraying, such as a homeowner might do in their gardens or yards. That’s just another reason that organic gardening is friendly to the environment.

Our entire food supply relies on pollination by bees and other such insects. There are many alternatives to synthetic pesticides on the market today. Next time you’re at your local garden center, look for the natural or organic section…see what’s there, and follow the directions on the label.

dig it!

bobbi c.

A simple method of gardening...

Dear friends,

A few years ago, I noticed that more books were out on the whole simplicity movement. Since I've always considered myself a "simple gardener" or one who likes doing things the easy way, I proposed a book to my publisher at the time on simple gardening. The editor told me that the "simple movement" was out of date, and that people didn't want to do things the simple way.

EXCUUUUSE ME? LOL!

Well, I disagreed with her vehemently. After writing the Earthly Gardener blog for several months now, I find that people need easy and simple solutions for their garden more than ever. We don't have time to putter in the garden all day, or at least, most of us don't. And if we do, we want to do the fun things, not the back-breaking stuff.

So I decided to start this blog to talk all about natural, simple gardening---done the organic way, the easy way, the sustainable way. Why make gardening harder than it has to be?

So please bookmark this site and come back to see what's going on in my garden! And please, help me spread the word by telling your friends, too!

dig it!

bobbi c.

Welcome to the new Earthly Gardener blog!

Dear friends,

Hope you can make this a daily stop on your visits around the 'net! I'll be writing about natural and organic gardening, why it's important, and simple solutions to your home gardens. I'll be covering container gardening, and gardening the easy way! Book and product reviews, fun photos and more to inspire you in your gardening projects.



Until tomorrow....

dig it!

bobbi c.