natural & Sustainable Gardening & Farming
“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” Thomas Jefferson
Mission Statement
EarthWise is a 501(C) (3) Non-Profit Entity dedicated to:
Educating the general public on how to start and maintain their own backyard gardens.
Offering guidance and support at no cost to the participant on how to garden sustainably and organically.
We additionally donate a basic assortment of popular vegetable and herb seeds for participants to get started.
Composting and Regenerative Soil management are included in our training programs.
We also offer, free of charge, food baskets from our two acre vegetable gardens to anyone in need or who cannot grow their own food.
Healthy, living soil in which to grow our food is essential now more than ever. Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s Agrarian principles we have adopted a way of gardening and farming which is aligned with his vision of Natural agriculture as the central focus of any culture and being absolutely vital for the ability for a society to thrive.
Common sense should dictate to us that if the soil from which we derive our sustenance is vibrant , life giving, and healthy, then we will undoubtedly thrive and prosper.
We, as visionaries, believe strongly that we can regenerate the soil through giving back and treating the soil as the living being that it is. Natural and Sustainable farming is the surest method of accomplishing this. Composting organic materials, Bokashi kitchen composting operations, the application of Effective Micro-organisms, Leaf and grass clipping composting, and many other simple recycling methods are being employed on our ‘Mini-Farm’.
In Germany and here in the US, we have revitalized many backyard gardens and taught others how to maintain their gardens sustainably.
We continue to offer:
Simple, and universally applicable methods to produce healthy, living soil. * Composting and Recycling. * Practical natural and sustainable gardening methods. * Growing Nutrient Dense Foods including methods of preparation and preservation. * Home production of Micro-Greens and Sprouts. Furthermore and as a matter of course, we will offer courses on ‘The Art of Living Simply’ or... How living with Less truly is More.
Our combined knowledge, experience, and wisdom in Natural and Sustainable Farming has helped us to grow exponentially. We are farming on a 2 acre plot of now fertile organic soil, we have a thriving Composting operation, a 20’ x 40’ greenhouse Hoop house and Cold frames, a small but growing Heirloom seed bank, and a passion for building healthy soil and nourishing crops.
Monika and I have studied various methods of natural farming including Perma-Culture and Natural/Organic Farming and most recently Biodynamic farming. We studied extensively for the past several years, (intensely in Germany). We feel that we are quite proficient at what we do and... we are still learning and experimenting daily.
We have recently begun implementing Biodynamic principles on our humble farm.
A Biodynamic Farm Is a Living Organism
Each biodynamic farm or garden is an integrated, whole, living organism. This organism is made up of many interdependent elements: fields, forests, plants, animals, soils, compost, people, and the spirit of the place. Biodynamic farmers and gardeners work to nurture and harmonize these elements, managing them in a holistic and dynamic way to support the health and vitality of the whole. Biodynamic practitioners also endeavor to listen to the land, to sense what may want to emerge through it, and to develop and evolve their farm as a unique individuality.
Biodynamics Cultivates Biodiversity
Biodynamic farms and gardens are inspired by the biodiversity of natural ecosystems and the uniqueness of each landscape. Annual and perennial vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, fruits, nuts, grains, pasture, forage, native plants, and pollinator hedgerows can all contribute to plant diversity, amplifying the health and resilience of the farm organism. Diversity in domestic animals is also beneficial, as each animal species brings a different relationship to the land and unique quality of manure. The diversity of plant and animal life can be developed over time, starting with a few primary crops and one or two species of animals (even as small as earthworms or honeybees), and adding more species as the farm organism matures.
Biodynamic Farmers Cultivate Awareness
Biodynamic agriculture invites us to develop a conscious and creative conversation with nature. By observing, sensing, and listening to the land, we develop intimate relationships with our unique farm organisms and expand our capacities for perception, reflection, and imagination. Biodynamics is not a fixed recipe or prescription. Cultivating awareness strengthens our ability to work creatively with the dynamics of the land and wider bioregion to bring the vibrancy of the farm organism to full expression.
The Future looks quite bright for the kind of operation we are developing and we are very confident we will thrive. Given the current world situation, more of us with basic common sense and even an entry level of natural/organic farming experience need to step forward and get ‘Back to the Land’.
A Basic Plan for Marketing and Distribution
Farmers’ Markets * Local Home Delivery * Provide fresh produce to restaurants and shops * Preserves & Homemade products for sale * Micro-Greens production and Super-foods cultivation * Dried Herbs for sale * Fresh flower stand Donate to Food Banks and Homeless Shelters
Thank you for your interest in our humble project. In our way of thinking, there is no more valuable investment at this time than regenerating and maintaining healthy, vibrant soil and thereby enriching the lives of our community and beyond through good, healthy nutrition.
Sincerely,
Charles Kuhn & Monika Schneider
Charles@EarthWise.Live * Monika@EarthWise.Live
Our website is a wealth of information on all topics related to Living and Gardening Sustainably. EarthWise.Live
We further recommend the following additional resources from some of our favorite and most inspiring teachers.
Books
Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway
Natural Farming & Sustainable Living by Nicole Faires
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour
You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman
Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel
Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
Videos
The Need to Grow documentary film https://www.earthconsciouslife.org/theneedtogrow
Thrive I & II documentary film https://www.thriveon.com/
Websites
Bokashi Composting https://bokashiliving.com/
Effective Micro-organisms https://EarthWise.Live
Nutrient Dense Foods https://EarthWise.Live
Micro-Greens https://EarthWise.Live
Super Foods https://EarthWise.Live
A Few of Our Ongoing Community Projects
Regenerative Soil Projects…
One Backyard Garden at a Time. You can help support our mission of planting organic seeds (both literally and figuratively) and transforming backyard, and community gardens into healthy, living, and sustainable soil. Click on the button below. Thank you!
Build Your Own Cold Frame
Extending your Growing Season is not as difficult as you might imagine. If you are handy and have the desire to eat fresh greens and other hardy vegetables throughout the winter months, then building this simple cold frame can be fun and rewarding.
A Mini Hoop-Greenhouse - Easy and Fun to Build
With some basic handy person skills, you can create a raised bed mini greenhouse in your back yard. Extend your growing season up to 3 zones…
A Few of Our Ongoing Community Projects * One Time Soil Tilling, Compost Bins from Used Pallets * Homemade Fire Pit * November Sunflowers * Mini Hoop Greenhouses * Firewood Shelter from Used Pallets
Effective
Micro-Organisms
There is a solution: Easy & Efficient Gardening with Effective Micro-Organisms
“ The world is currently facing a time of great change and upheaval. I believe this condition has arisen mainly because of our present civilization becoming increasingly structured along the lines of competitive principles. An excessive reliance on competition certainly does not excite feelings of generosity and sharing.” Teruo Higa, 1996
In the 1980’s Dr. Teruo Higa (University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa) did some experimentation with Microorganisms. Growing oranges on a big farm by using chemicals he saw the damage it did to his own health and to the environment. After many trials and errors he nearly gave up but inadvertently discovered the perfect combination of organisms that enriched the soil in a way that is miraculous and makes all chemical spraying obsolete.
His development of Effective Micro-organisms has brought him international recognition.
The key is the combination of microbes
EM 1 is an innovative bio-organic product. EM stands for Effective Microorganisms. EM1 concentrate consists of organic substances only.
It is based on lactic acid bacteria, photosynthetic microorganisms, true yeasts, and other biologically active components.
Once in the soil, the substance naturally begins fighting infection and viruses, fixing nitrogen, and enriching the soil. Already after the first application it accelerates plant growth significantly.
Co-Existence & Co-Prosperity
“ In order for human society to prosper, it is essential that the environment, food supplies, and medical treatment be considered the common property of every man, woman, and child on earth. Once we are able to establish a system by which this may be accomplished, humanity will move closer to a state of truth and people will attain greater maturity, receive veneration as they get older, and be able to serve as assets of society. In order to attain such a state, it is necessary that human kind abandon its penchant for competitiveness and develop a new way of life based on coexistence and co-prosperity. ”
Dr. Teruo Higa
As you may notice these are complete different approaches and understandings of the everyday principals of life. We have been trained to believe that nature and bacteria are something dangerous that need to be combated. We were taught to believe that nature is based on competition and survival of the fittest. Meanwhile the contrary is true. Nature works on the principals of Co-operation, Symbiosis and Balance.
Cultivating a deep understanding of these Natural Laws provides us with real solutions from the living Earth itself to solve all the problems we are facing right now as a species.
Here are some of the benefits of applying EM
You can use your garbage and turn it into valuable compost
You can skyrocket the food production without using any pesticides because the plants are more resistant to disease and pests
The treatment eliminates the need for dangerous and expensive chemical fertilizer
You can regenerate contaminated grounds and desert areas. (large amounts of
EM were used after the horrific accident at the Fukushima Power plant in 2011)
EM fights different kinds of pollution
Sustainable House Care
You can use EM-X Gold also to heal your bodies by re-balancing the microbial flora in the gut
We applied EM 1 very successfully in several garden projects in Germany and the USA. Infertile and dead dirt turned into lush soil. Vibrant vegetable plants, Berry bushes, and Fruit trees developed in miraculous ways. We were able to bring other varieties of trees back to life and transform almost dead lawns into fresh and green grass. The whole process only took a few weeks.
We highly recommend to use EM in your own garden for it also creates a healthy ripple effect both in the atmosphere and in the surrounding soils. It is quite a bit more than just a truly miraculous soil amendment!
You can also start making your own EM by simply using Brown Rice, Water, Milk and Sugar. You will need to experiment to find the right combination of Effective Microorganisms. There are several videos on Youtube and articles on the internet on how to do that.
“With EM products, common problems faced by human beings - food crises, environmental degradation, health care, etc., can be solved. Growing crops using EM products can help make both producers and consumers healthy and will enrich the ecosystem. EM will help farm sustainably, protect the environment and maintain people's health. It will help agriculture, animal husbandry, the environment, and society to transform into cyclic and sustainable, and will enable us to live in a society based on Co-Existence and Co-Prosperity.”
Dr. Teruo Higa
Effective Microorganisms EM and EM・1 are the trademarks of Em Research Organization, Inc., Uruma City, Okinawa, Japan.
We are using our Bokashi Living System to get a tea and compost out of our home food waste!
=> https://bokashiliving.com/
To order just klick on the link below and don’t forget to mention EARTHWISE.LIVE