gardening

As I watched my girlfriend plant the asparagus roots in the freshly tilled soil this past weekend, the thought finally hit me: I might yet stand a chance.

Seeds are amazingly simple in design for what they are meant to do. Soil, water, warmth and a bit of faith creates a plant that provides food, generates more seeds and nurtures the soil, all while cleaning the air and water. It was the cultivation of a few seeds that gave me a completely new perspective on absolutely everything in my life.

The best physical results come when you take care of the whole person — mind, body and spirit! You could say I am a big fan of anything that will help change your mood and attitude, like affirmations, meditation and, yes, flowers too. In Minnesota, where things have been pretty drab and covered with snow for months, it is mood-changing to see all the flowers and foliage blooming.

Gaiam garden volunteers have harvested and enjoyed a bounty of delicious organic fruits and veggies this summer from the Gaiam community garden at our headquarters in Boulder, Colo.

We began harvesting our plentiful red-leaf lettuce in June and now have a healthy new crop of green-leaf lettuce.

After asking you to vote on four composters we selected from your suggestions, the first round of the Gaiam Compost-Off has come to a close and only two composters remain standing. Here are the results:

Finalists:

Orb Composter – 51% Votes
Earthmaker Composter – 29.5% Votes

Voted Out:

Green Cone Composter – 15% Votes
Wigwam Composter – 4.5% Votes

If you’re a Gaiam fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or are a member of Gaia, you’ll recall that we recently asked for your input on how to make the best compost, best materials to use for composting, and suggestions on your favorite composters. Why, you may ask? Because we want to step up our selection of composting products to make it even better — and we want you to help us pick the next composter we should carry in our catalog.

“Our garden has gotten people so fired up,” says Kate Weaver, a lead volunteer in a team of Gaiam employees who’s bringing a new organic garden to life at our Boulder, Colo., headquarters. “I’ve never seen so much heart go into anything.”

There comes a time in any mother’s trajectory when she can clearly look back and see when she lost her mind. My moment of insanity occurred last week. My six-year-old and I were enjoying a lovely morning outside — me poking around in my garden while she, bug bucket in hand, sought out toads or creepy crawlies to examine. I was mentally congratulating myself on my perennials, which (if I do say so myself) are looking quite spectacular.

It’s summertime. You want to water your garden and lawn so they don’t go brown. But remembering to water is a hassle. So you installed an automated system. Problem is, your system goes off even when there’s a downpour, wasting both water and energy. What to do?

I could barely contain my surprise when my brother asked me a few months ago which compost bin he should buy from Gaiam. We’re talking about a guy who arguably has the cleanest fingernails on the planet (he’s a heart surgeon) and who has absolutely no tree-hugging tendencies. His SUV gets 13 miles to the gallon. He doesn’t have a single compact fluorescent light bulb in his entire house. He occasionally bikes to work, but mostly to avoid becoming like one of his patients. But his 13-year-old son came home from Boy Scouts one day and said, “Dad, we have to start composting.”

Look back at 2008 and find your most memorable good memory. Spending some time recognizing good memories can help make you aware of what you want to draw to you in the future.