Senate Bill on Food safety

I have been learning about the issues with food in our country. The cause of contamination of many different food can be solved by a change in consciousness in part from the people who consume the food. For example the spinach contamination, the cookie contamination, the multiple meat contaminations, and the many others that have caused sickness and long term illnesses in America and abroad. We can not be complicit. We must demand for new safety standards or a large scale overhaul of food system in the U.S. and abroad.

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Senate Bill on Food Safety Is Stalled

Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann

Small Rental Gardening Techniques

I have been growing plants in my back yard year round. I have very little space to work with so I must maximize what I have. I built a small grow box with wheels on it to move it to sunny spots. I have four tomato plant containers that were very successful this year because I could move them around into sunny spots on our rental property. Also I grew some beans this year that also did well. I had started some strawberries this year and expect a large bounty next year. This is a garden in addition to the yard that I am sharing in the beaumont neighborhood. I stay very busy.

What I like about my raised bed design it that it protects from some pests. Slugs and little caterpillars were a might force this year and i was able to slow down the slugs with the old fashioned beer can technique, cut it in half and bury it in the ground with beer. it caught a ton of those pesky slugs.

This year I was not very focused on yield because the summer overall was bad and I bet on some plants that did not do well. Next year I plan to grow more kale, squash, beans, and other vegetables that can grow into the winter. Portland's climate is mostly wet year round but a few summer months. My crops will be better planned out next year and I will try not to waste energy on carrots or any plants that require lots of sun. I also plan to use the indoors to grow some starts.

Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann

Indoor Garden Techniques

Indoor incubation is great. I have been doing it for several months now. Here are a few pictures of my plants. I have had a bit of learning curve to this. I have some plants doing great like my pepper plant while some of the plats are getting light burns from being too close to the plant. I have had a bit of increase in bugs in this room. Some times it smells too. I am using a hydroponic fertilizer that I apply in small amounts to a 2 gallon watering can then I water each plant individually. I am also experimenting with growing multiple plants in each sack. Tobacco, tea, sage, basil, peppers, and parsley are just a few plants that I am learning how to grow. These plants are growing inside a small box lined with reflective paper and two hooligan lights. These plants have a 12 hour timer for the lights and are in full darkness during the night. I am planning on rebuilding the structure next season so that I have put a water drip system in, and a better water overflow collection. The salvia and aloe vera are growing on a south facing window cil and they are doing well.

Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann