It’s time to get started! Kelly and I are ready to release information about our 2009 CSA. For details, email us using the form on the right-hand side of this page. We have been planning this for almost a year, so we are terribly excited!

-Brian

To prepare for our spring plantings, I have been double-digging one of our raised beds in the greenhouse. It’s not an fast job, but it gives me time to think about the lettuces, spinach, radishes and other things we’ll be able to sell when the farmers market starts in May.

If you’re not familiar with double-digging, it’s a method of turning the soil. I dug out a section of the soil and then filled the hole with soil from the adjoining section. The goal is to flip the bottom to the top and “fluff” the dirt. Over time, this bed has become very compacted, so we needed to turn it before planting anything.

Here’s a picture:

We’ve also been getting some blossoms on our rosemary plant. It’s huge, and we’ve granted it permanent residence.

-Brian

Today, I stepped outside to face frigid temperatures.  Our outdoor thermometer read -10 degrees!  I can’t remember such a cold winter.  Generally this time of year, I start to get pretty crabby about the cold weather.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE living in a state that experiences four seasons and each one makes me giddy.  But once February comes, I am ready to get back in the dirt.  I’ve been a flower gardener for 10 years now.  Moving away from my garden that I spent 9 years developing was heartbreaking for me.  I became more okay with it once I was promised such a huge space for my “personal” garden.  I brought several plants with me when we moved, including my houseplants.  I have always loved my houseplants though I am not sure how much they love me.  I’ve been a sucker for tropical plants that really have no place in my house, since my house does not resemble a tropical rainforest at all.  Once I brought my plants out to the farm, it was a different story.  Within a few weeks, I noticed a transformation.   My once sickly, light-starved plants turned into lush, healthy plants that actually flowered! Today I ventured out to the greenhouse, where it was a balmy 7o degrees.  My plants looked great, and I felt great!  The only downside is that we have such a warm, roomy greenhouse and nothing planted there.  It makes me feel so wasteful that we have not been utilizing that space.  I don’t normally let things go to waste like that. 

But, as of tonight, the seed order should be complete and we will be getting started just as soon as those beauties arrive in the mail!

 ~ Kelly

Lately, Kelly and I have been spending lots of time with our new seed catalogs. I admit that I love this activity. During the frigid winter, it’s a wonderful chance to dream about the possibilities of new food.

But watch out! There are ugly things hiding under the glossy pages of some catalogs. The chemical giant Monsanto owns seed producer Seminis, which owns or provides seed to several seemingly friendly catalog companies. Yes, they sell “organic” seed. However, Monsanto is responsible for undermining genetically-pure food and producing harmful chemicals.

We strongly urge you to not purchase from these companies. They include:

Burpee
Cook’s Garden
E & R Seed Co.
Earl May Seed
FedCo *See retraction below*
Gardens Alive
Johnnys Selected Seeds
J.W. Jung Seed Co.
Lindenberg Seeds
Mountain Valley Seed
Nichol’s
Osborne
Park SeedRocky Mountain Seed Co.
Rupp
Snow
Stoke’s
T & T Seeds, Ltd.
Territorial
Tomato Growers Supply
Willhite Seed Co

-Brian

The biggest buzzword in the environmental movement right now is “sustainability.” Sustainable manufacturing, sustainable architecture, sustainable communities. It’s been applied to farming, too. Sustainable agriculture focuses on land stewardship, farm profitability and community health. The short version is that a farm should be able to produce food indefinitely without causing harm to the ecosystem or people involved.

I’m not sure that sustainability is enough. In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was more interested in something I call “adaptable farming.” Adaptability is more important because modern farming and the American lifestyle are not sustainable. The truth is that we cannot sustain ourselves.

It feels strange to admit our weaknesses, but let’s explore our situation. Historically, communities around the world were more or less sustainable based on their ability to produce food, goods and trade with neighbors. Imagine a traditional village in Europe, Africa, Asia or the Americas. Life focused on community and working to provide for the community. Everyone knew who made their clothes, raised their food and made the governing decisions.

In the United States, we know none of this. Clothes come from the mall, food comes from the grocery store and our government is twisted up with mega-corporations. During the last 500 years, the focus on travel and trade has transformed our earth and societies.

In the past, food came from farming and hunting. People grew plants, raised animals and gathered wild foods to provide for their families and communities. In the United States, nearly everything we eat is brought to us. Our farmers grow soybeans and field corn for industrial use and feedlot animals, and our produce comes from Mexico, Chile, China and California.

We do not grow our own edible food. Our households cannot preserve food. We cannot sustain ourselves. Imagine what will happen to us when oil rises above $100 a barrel again. It’s not a renewable resource, and we know it will expire. Soon.

Sustainable farming is not enough because it does not focus on the issues of oil depletion, community knowledge base and population demands.

Whew! Enough for one reading! I’ll be expanding on these concepts later, but I’d love to continue the discussion. Feel free to make comments or contact me with the form on the right side of this page.

-Brian