Christy, you wrote: <<and the fact that we don't quite have the interest in managing a staff, our latest revelation is that the small percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, its really going to take everyone raising a garden AND buying from the farms. Hugh Lovel said this many years ago to his customers 'Please! Go ahead and put me out of business'.>>
The reality of this is, (from the perspective of someone who is learning how to garden, grow plants for medicinal and culinary use, emphasis on Learning) is that it would take a huge sea change for this culture to grow into one of family subsistence farms & urban cooperative farms. First of all, the price of land alone would stop many from realizing this dream. However, I also think even if we were all landowners, there’d be a lot of education needed to help folks like me realize a dream of growing all their own food. So there really is a need more than ever, for small community based farms to feed most of the population, even as they learn to grow some of their own food.
I think, ideally, we would expand on the csa concept and urban gardening concepts to guild out many of the needs of the community from dairy to clothing to medicine so that communities eventually could become more self sufficient, changing the very markets themselves.
It’s a good thing there are already good folks out there like you and Chris, to offer the educational opportunities to see how these ideals can be realized. Or like Jean-Paul Courtens, who consistently turns out not only great food, but great farmers who go off and continue bd or organic farms of their own for over a dozen years.
Must be a huge change for you and the farm. Keep us updated on your progress. Because we are still going to need the Hugh Lovels with market gardens, the large csa’s like Roxbury Farm and the small self sufficient homestead providing educational outreach (on whatever scale) for quite some time in the future, or forums like Bdnow, I find it hard to imagine that a surge in home gardens will put Hugh out of business. (or you guys!) Gardening is already America’s number one hobby, (I just read that somewhere last week!) so now if we can only change the food distribution system by getting more folks to grow their own!
Blessings,
Jane
From: "The Korrows" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 16:44:21 -0600
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Spring news
For a ground cover Chris suggests Strawberry clover, or New Zealand white clover. Add some calcium or rock phosphate since the clovers will really thrive in this. Plus violets might indicate some soil acidity.
