Of Glaciers, Volcanoes , Rock Dust, And Nutrient Rich Soils.

Here's the question of the day : " What do glaciers and volcanoes have to do with growing great fruits and vegetables ? " ...Well , directly these gigantic blocks of ice and fiery mountains of hot lava don't really work wonders for us in the garden.

However it's the aftereffects of these processes when added to our soils in the form of rock powder that can totally transform our fruits and vegetables into mineral rich produce.

Over thousands of years , glaciers crush rock onto the earth's mantle. Volcanoes erupt spewing forth minerals from deep within the earth. Other forces of nature such as wind blow the dust known as loess all over the globe.

Rushing rivers deposit mineral-rich alluvial deposits.

Within the silicate and glacial moraine that are the end result of these forces of nature are rich deposits of up to one hundred minerals and trace elements necessary to the well being of all of life and the creation of fertile soils.

Glacial moraine and other rock powders can be added to our soils to create a sustainable and superior alternative to the ultimately harmful overuse of synthetic fertilizers , pesticides, and herbicides.

The New " Micro Eco-Farmers "

Gerald Celente, founder of the Trends Institute who correctly predicted the 1987 Stock Market crash and the break- up of the Soviet Union years before these events occurred , also predicted that by the 21st. century, organic microfarms of ten acres or less would begin to challenge the food-giants.

According to the USDA , farmers' markets, one of the main outlets for small organic farms , grew in record numbers , increasing by 63 percent by the end of the last century.

That increase grew to 79 percent in the last nine years of the 21st. century.

The Rodale Institute reported that community supported agriculture , a form of small sustainable farming, was booming across America.

Meanwhile, the Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association reported up to 75 calls per day from people looking to connect with a small , local farmer.

Today, many people are realizing that corporate agribusiness is failing them when it comes to obtaining fresh, healthy foods. The gaps the industrial farms are leaving are fast being filled by the local growers.

Food Fascism And The Food Safety Modernization Act.

Back when small farms were our main source of food production for the surrounding communities, free enterprise reigned supreme.

Today with food industry giants such as Monsanto, Cargill, and Tyson ruling the roost, farmers have basically become indentured sharecroppers.

As subsidies are pumped into big agribusinesses , they grow what the government tells them to grow.

A few days ago I came upon an article addressing this very issue by someone named Eric Blair.

In his article he says: " The food engineers at General Mills and others weave corn, wheat, and soybeans into chemical concoctions that end up in brightly colored packages -- some even come with free Chinese-made toys. The finished product develops from a Genetically Modified base, using multiple poisons to glue it together, demonstrating that the monopolies and their regulatory lapdogs care not for our health. "

I couldn't have said it any better than that. Take a look around your local supermarket and you'll have to agree that the majority of the groceries that we bring home to our pantries are slickly packaged chemicals , preservatives , and taste enhancers , disguised as real food.

Blair goes on to say :" But what about voting with our pocketbooks, isn't that a free market? Surely that is what we have been taught. Yet, all 16 flavors of Cheerios -- which give the appearance of free choice -- are all made by General Mills from a genetically modified corn base. This illusion of choice hides the monopolistic nature of food."

Now enter Senate bill S.510 Food Safety Modernization Act , which has apparently already passed the House as HR2749. Some believe the bill to be the ultimate in food fascism , claiming that the FDA will regulate and micro manage even small farms and co-ops to the point where it will become illegal to grow, share, trade, or sell homegrown foods.

Eliot Coleman, Author of The Winter Harvest Handbook, Speaks About His L...

"The Winter Harvest Handbook" , A Review

" The goal of deep-organic farming is to grow the most nutritious food possible and to respect the primacy of a healthy planet. "

- Eliot Coleman



Back in January of this year, as the cold north wind blew against our house, and the icy chill of winter set in , I found a cozy corner of my bedroom and began to read.

The book I chose to keep me company that frigid winter evening was not a murder mystery. Nor was it an adventure novel. It was titled: "The Winter Harvest Handbook " by Eliot Coleman.

Probably most of you who have been involved in gardening for very long are familiar with the name Eliot Coleman. He is considered by many to be one of the foremost spokesmen for the "organic" farming movement , and is definitely a "master" of the master gardeners.

In the "Winter Harvest Handbook ", Coleman explains in exacting detail how to grow beautiful, nutritious, and flawless cold hardy vegetables in unheated hoop houses in the dead of winter.

The intriguing thing about his growing techniques is the fact that he lives in coastal Maine where the winter temperatures many times drops to minus 25 degrees below zero.

The " Winter Harvest Handbook " is full of beautiful pictures displaying Coleman's "mobile" greenhouses full of multi-colored lettuces , and other cold hardy vegetables. The neat, straight rows and what appears to be an incredible diversity of healthy and vigorous produce is motivating and inspiring to say the least !

Coleman begins this book with the three basic components for growing through the winter months : Grow cold hardy vegetables , practice succession planting, and protect your cultivation (hoop house) .

He then goes on to discuss the history of small scale and space efficient gardening , tracing the first practices of extending the growing season for market vegetables back to Paris , France 150 years ago.

Subsequent chapters deal with getting started , sunlight, the "cold" greenhouse , the " cool" greenhouse ( slightly heated) , soil preparation , year-round intensive cropping , marketing and economics...etc

In "Winter Harvest Handbook " , Coleman has masterfully combined all the elements it takes to grow your produce year round with very little energy output.

After reading this little book, I was inspired to put into practice the first steps to growing quality, fresh fruits and vegetables year round.

In February I ordered a hoop house kit from a company in Tennessee . Although I am living on a corner lot in town with limited space, I still was able to set up a 16 foot wide by 36 foot long hoop house with room to spare ( see picture above ). In another post I'll discuss how I plan to use it this winter and beyond. I will also post some pictures of the hoop house project and discuss some of the pros and cons of buying a hoop house "kit" versus making the hoop house yourself with some simple tools.

In the meantime, get the "Winter Harvest Handbook" and read through it this Fall. You'll find Coleman's thoughtful commentary on building "deep" nutritious soil and his profound understanding of what it takes to grow delicious and nutritious produce worth the price of the book.

Today's Factory Farms And Dire Consequnces.

The large, industrialized farms of today have let us down. Agriculture cannot be placed in the "factory" model without dire consequences to our overall health and well being.

Wendell Berry, in my opinion, one of the most profound and influential writers of our time, has written much about the dramatic changes that have come about since the demise of the small farm and our complete dependency on "industrialized agriculture" as our only source of food.

In an article written back in 2002, Berry writes: "...the faith in industrial agriculture as an eternal pillar of human society is getting harder to maintain, not because of the attacks of its opponents , but because of the increasingly manifest failures of industrial agriculture itself : massive soil erosion, soil degradation, pollution by toxic chemicals, pollution by animal factory wastes, depletion of aquifers, runaway subsidies, the spread of pests and diseases by the long-distance transportation of food, mad cow disease, indifferent cruelty to animals, the many sufferings associated with agricultural depression, exploitation of "cheap" labor, the abuse of migrant workers.

And now, after the catastrophes of September 11, the media have begun to notice what critics of industrial capitalism have always known :The corporate food supply is highly vulnerable to acts of biological warfare."

Strong words , but we need to hear them...and take action. Some of you can begin by putting in a few raised beds in the backyard and over wintering hardy greens.Another may build a hoop house and start growing early tomatoes and small melons to take to market. The opportunities to make a difference in our local communities are endless!

It is my hope that through these articles, commentaries , and discussions, that we can mutually enhance our gardening experiences and encourage those that are around us to become part of a process that can add quality and beauty to their lives.

I welcome all advice, ideas, recommendations, and criticisms as we begin this process together.

Thinking Small...Small Scale Agriculture That Is .

I have been a passionate gardener, nurseryman, and landscaper for the past 30 years.

To me there is nothing like the smell of rich black earth freshly turned in early Spring, being readied for snap peas and an assortment of colorful lettuce, or the sight of a red rambling rose sharing space with a mass of bright yellow Rudbekia growing along a stone wall.

I know that there are many of you out there who feel the same way. We are an odd lot. I mean odd in the sense that we would rather be turning a compost pile or planning a new section of garden, or tinkering in the greenhouse than almost anything else.

The purpose of my blog is twofold. First and foremost , I want to create a conversation between those of us that have a shared vision and passion for bringing back to our local communities , fresh, healthy, home-grown foods .

Secondly, I want us to be in a position of empowerment through shared knowledge. Acquired knowledge can help us to change and improve our farming and gardening practices, to enhance our understanding of the natural world and finally to take control of our own health and the health of our local communities.

I want to emphasize here that this blog is not necessarily for teaching purposes, but to begin a dialog between like-minded people.

I am the first to admit that I have much to learn when it comes to gardening and horticultural practices.

My desire through my articles is to inspire others to share their expertise and knowledge.

One person may have years of greenhouse or hoop-house management experience.

Another may be an expert in soil fertility and composting. Yet another may have strong marketing and administrative skills that can be applied to setting up productive local farmer's markets and CSA's .

Still another may have a background in integrated pest management, and would be willing' to share his or her expertise in combating the many pests that assault our vegetables and ornamentals.

Bringing valuable information to the table through shared gardening experiences is what I want this blog to be about.

It is my belief that there is an urgent need for many more urban and rural small farmers and gardeners in every corner of our fair land.