ypsi~dixit

Y. picked up some heirloom "Lakota Sioux" squash seeds today at Downtown Home and Garden. This heirloom variety is said to be one grown by the Sioux. It makes little orange pear-shaped squashies.

I'll plant the beans and squash in a week or so when the corn is 6 inches high. Just glad the corn is in the ground.

Sunflower is in fact native to the midwest, and was domesticated by Native Americans not too far from here, along with another oily-seeded weed called (yum) sumpweed. Well, sunflower was probably created in IL/KY/TN along the big rivers. It didn't really take off as a modern crop until the Russians created the "Mammoth" variety in the 1800's, which I read that they did to get oil to use in lieu of butter for Lent.

At any rate, sunflower is totally appropiate in a Native garden.

I have heard that it is possible that Squanto (of Pilgrim fame) learned to plant fish in cornhills in the years he was a slave in England (he was kidnapped and spent about ten years abroad before he got back to Mass., only to find his tribe decimated by disease). Anyway, a friend of mine sprays fish paste of some kind on her garden for fertilizer, and says it smells just like a dirty fishbowl. But her plants love it.

Sandy: I am relieved to know that sunflowers are appropriate to a Native garden. I also am glad to know that the "Mammoth" variety is apparently another heirloom. Cool. I grew them 2 years ago and they are ;indeed mammoth. Giant towering plants with enormous drooping heads. Amazing plants.

Okedoke, the corn's in the ground to take advantage of tomorrow's rains. I hope that in a week I'll have seedling photos to post!

Squanto learned about fish-fertilizer in England? That is amazing (heads off to Google up the info...)

It used to be called "fish emulsion" and it's probably cheaper than pollack.

Well, you're far ahead of me. The Three Sisters project at Recreation Park is so far, ahem, a bunch of torn garden bags topped with compost. BUT, I hope to at least get the circle complete by tonight. I love your idea of adding sunflowers. Perhaps I'll add a ring of sunnies to the Rec Park garden, too. (The Three Sisters demonstration garden is located just SE of Rec Park Community Garden.) I will be using Blue Shackamaxon beans passed down from the Lenni Lenape. The corn & squash will also be heirlooms, but yet to be determined...

Ooh, heirloom beans, how cool! My beans are the weak link in my chain--they are not heirloom. Um, the corn is neither, come to think of it. I didn't have time this year to track down heirlooms--except for my Sioux squash.

I went wild with the sunflowers this year and got about 25 seed packets. I like to mix up the different kinds in a bowl and plant them randomly (most are "Mammoth" variety).

This weekend will see, knock on wood, the destruction of the remainder of my lawn and mound-construction and the final planting. Phew.

Michael: Yep, there is fish emulsion in my gardening catalogs. I might make some of my own, if I don't fume out the whole neighborhood.

Here is some chat about DIY fish emulsion, and even a recipe.

"If you are using fresh fish, you need to compost it separately in a 5 gallon closeable bucket. Fill bucket 1/2 full with extra browns like sawdust, leaves, or straw. You can add molasses to the fishy mixture in order to build up microbes in order to speed up decomposition. The sugars will also help control odors too. Open the bucket and stir the fishy paste daily or every other day in order to get air in the mix for better decomposition and better aerobic microbial growth in the emulsion. Let this paste rot for at least 1-2 weeks. The browns help control offensive odors and absorb organic nitrogen from the fish so that it is not leached out or evaporated."

"Emulsion" is clearly a euphemism, like "effluent" for "poop." It's just fish rotted into a slimy paste. But anyways.

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