Thought you might be interested ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 10:24 AM -0400 From: "Gardener"@phobos.mars-inc.com To: "Gardeners"@phobos.mars-inc.com Subject: Seeds of Change eNewsletter #20 Seeds of Change eNewsletter #20, May 30th, 2001 100% Organic Seeds and Food Please see the easier to read eNewsletter with full graphics at: http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/enewsletter20.html Subscribe and Unsubscribe at the end of this eNewsletter. ........................................................................... ..... IN THIS ISSUE: * Dear Organic Gardeners * Farm Report: Transplanting Party * Soil Fertility Basics: Organic Matter * Garden Help: Foliar Feeding * Recommended Reading: Two on soil and one on cut flowers * New Products Available On Our Website * Organic Cut Flowers * Garden Story: White Rose, One Very Special Gift * Photo Tips for Gardeners: Photographs are Rectangles * Letters to the Editor ........................................................................... ..... DEAR ORGANIC GARDENERS, It's that time! It's the time when gardening reaches a frenzy. As the last frost dates pass in many parts of the country, we're all busy transplanting starts, working beds, planting seeds, making compost, incorporating cover crops, harvesting our first green salads, and maybe even digging a few new beds for everything that doesn't fit. (Who needs a lawn anyway?) It's also one of the few times when our soil is laid bare, a good time to get intimate with it as we imagine bountiful harvests and fragrant bouquets, and to ask the question: Does our soil have the nutrients, organic matter and biological activity that our plants need to thrive? This month, our Agricultural Planner Steve Peters sheds a little light on the subject of soil with the first installment of his series on basic soil fertility, while Research Farm Associate Lee Gearheart reveals some of his foliar feeding secrets. In conjunction with our focus on fertility, we are pleased to introduce the complete line of "Earth Juice" liquid organic fertilizers and foliar sprays to complement your soil building program. Micaela Colley takes a break from the Farm Report this month to share her passion for cut flowers, and in her stead I've put together a photo essay on recent activities at the farm. Last month's piece on GMO's created a wave of response, some of which you'll find in the Letters to the Editor. And as always we've got photo tips, a Garden Story and other goodies. Happy planting! Scott Vlaun, Editor ........................................................................... ..... FARM REPORT: Photo Essay, Seeds of Change Transplanting Party As you can imagine, they're busy out at the farm. With thousands of starts ready to be set out in the fields, the crew recently got a big boost from the annual transplanting party. Some office staff from Santa Fe and a host of other friends showed up Saturday afternoon, May 19th. By early evening, dozens of flats of tomatoes, brassicas and onions found their way from the cloches, where they were hardening off, to the fields that the farm crew had prepared. So check out the website, visit the farm and meet a few of the unsung heroes of Seeds of Change. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/enewsletter20.html ........................................................................... ..... SOIL FERTILITY BASICS: Organic Matter by Steve Peters The most important component for sustaining a healthy, living soil is organic matter (OM). OM comprises all organic substances in varying stages of decay including plant roots, stems, and leaves, microorganisms, and added organic materials such as compost, manure, and straw. When organic matter reaches its most mature and stable form it is called humus, a dark and fragrant, nutrient rich substance essential for long term soil fertility. OM, and in particular humus, serves many vital purposes. It attracts and holds essential plant nutrients. It acts much like a sponge by retaining moisture. It produces vitamins, hormones, and other growth substances important for plant health. It is also critical for maintaining good soil structure by binding the mineral portion of the soil into loose aggregates. This permits air to reach the roots, allows for capillary movement of water, and enables roots to penetrate the soil. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, organic matter is the food source for soil based organisms, including bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, soil-dwelling insects and earthworms. Without these living organisms plants would cease to exist. They perform a variety of critical processes including: 1) Converting organic nitrogen, which is unusable to plants, into inorganic nitrogen compounds (ammonia and nitrates) which are available to plants; 2) fixing atmospheric nitrogen and making it available to plants; 3) producing organic acids that make mineral nutrients soluble and available to plants; 4) living symbiotically on plant roots and aiding the plant in the uptake of many important nutrients and growth substances; 5) preying on pathogenic organisms that would otherwise be detrimental; 6) contributing to soil aggregation by producing gum-like polysaccharides; and 7) producing carbon dioxide (CO2) which is released into the atmosphere and is essential for photosynthesis. As a home gardener, the best way to increase the organic matter content of your soil is to add mature, high quality compost. Composting is that seemingly magical process that transforms raw organic residues into a stable, sweet-smelling earthy substance that contains a balanced blend of all the essential plant nutrients. Compost can be applied to the soil at almost any rate without fear of toxicity or loss of nutrients, although more frequent, smaller applications are preferred. Compost provides a slow and steady release of nutrients throughout the growing season, and can cure a variety of problems including high or low pH or a nutrient imbalance. Mature compost is particularly important in sandy soils which lack the ability to retain much water or nutrients. Another important source of organic matter is cover crops, which are grown specifically for soil improvement and are incorporated into the soil prior to growing vegetables and other garden plants. Cover crops can be grown any time of the year. Spring annuals (Oats and Triticale) are planted as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring. Summer annuals (Buckwheat, Cowpea, Sorghum) are grown only during frost-free months, while winter annuals (Austrian Winter Pea, Hairy Vetch, Winter Rye) are planted in late summer/early fall, over winter, and resume growing the following spring. For longer term soil-building, biennials (Yellow Blossom Sweetclover) and perennials (Red Clover) can be grown. Cover crops are not as effective as compost for building humus, but they stimulate a greater amount of biological activity. In heavy clay soils, fresh cover crop residues may be preferred over compost because they help open up the soil and provide drainage. Raw animal manures are not generally recommended for direct application to the garden because much of the nutrients are lost by leaching. They can also introduce unwanted weed seeds and pathogens, and can cause over-stimulated leafy growth because of excess available nitrogen. We recommend composting raw manures before putting them in the garden Many organic residues such as straw, leaves, and sawdust, are very high in carbon (C) relative to nitrogen (N). When incorporated into the soil, these materials will stimulate biological activity. The problem is, however, that because of a lack of N, the soil microorganisms tie up most of the available soil N, causing a nitrogen deficiency in plants. Eventually these microorganisms will die and release their N, but this could take weeks or months. Therefore, it is best not to incorporate these high-carbon residues into the soil but rather to use them in pathways, spread them as surface mulches, or to add them to your compost piles. There are soil tests available through many cooperative extension services and private soil testing laboratories, which can give you an idea of the organic matter content of your soil. However, this is often not cost effective for the home gardener. A simple way to measure the biological activity in your soil is to measure CO2 respiration, which is associated with the breakdown of organic matter by soil microorganisms. Higher levels of biological activity in the soil reflect healthier soils, which provide essential plant nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. The Woods End Institute, a leading soil and compost quality laboratory, has developed a simple method for the home gardener to test for CO2 respiration in soil and compost. Please look for the Solvita Garden Care Test in our product offerings below. Steve Peters, Agricultural Planning ........................................................................... ..... GARDEN HELP: Foliar Feeding by Lee Gearhart Foliar feeding is just that: feeding your plants through the foliage. When nutrients are applied directly to the leaves, they are absorbed quickly into the plant through the stomata, tiny mouth-like organs on the leaves that facilitate nutrient intake and gas exchange. Mostly they are located underneath the leaves, especially in the sun-loving plants, so when you spray, be sure to get underneath the plant's leaves and allow some to drip onto the soil to nourish microorganisms and plant roots. Never spray during the heat of the day, as the food and magnification principles of the water droplets can burn the leaves. Early mornings and evenings are best. I prefer evenings because this gives the nutrients to the plant during its nighttime respiration period when the stomata are most active. For large applications, a backpack sprayer is often used, but a hand held pump sprayer (try our One Gallon Tank Sprayer) works well for most jobs. As for the number of applications throughout the season, I like to spray before the full moons, as the full moon energy pulls up and out through the plant. New moon applications are especially good for root crops, as it pulls energy downward. Be aware that foliar feeding isn't meant to supersede a good organic, soil-building program, but it does add that extra nutrient boost at key plant-life events. Critical times include: in the nursery (in cell trays, flats, or containers), before and after food harvest to stimulate and inspire continued healthy production, and around early and late season frost times to lengthen the growing season and increase plant hardiness to environmental stresses. Spraying for frost protection works because the uptake of nutrients increases the soluble solids levels in plant tissues lowering the plant freezing point. There are a lot of foliar products available and just as many "recipes" to mix for their application. For large-scale farm applications, my favorite foliar spray so far is a blend of Maxi Crop, Algamin, Humex, and Therm-X 70. For garden-scale applications, or if you're not into blending your own mixes, Seeds of Change is now offering the "Earth Juice" liquid organic fertilizers and foliar sprays. Judging by the ingredient lists these should be very effective and can be used in various combinations depending on your needs. We'll keep you posted as we get results from our farm trials. Whatever you use, experiment, and come up with your own combinations. It's fun, and your plants will love you for it. They'll show their appreciation with such visible results: healthier plants, more, bigger, better tasting food, and taller, brighter flowers. Research backs it up, so give it a try. Have fun, and happy spraying! Lee Gearhart, Seeds of Change Research Farm Click here to join our Garden Help Forum. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/seedofchaneg.html ........................................................................... ..... RECOMMENDED READING "The Soul of Soil: A Soil-Building Guide for Master Gardeners and Farmers" http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/soulofsoil.html By Joe Smillie and Grace Gershuny, Chelsea Green Publishers, 173 pages, $16.95 "Soil: Rodale Organic Gardening Basics" http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/soilrodorgar.html Rodale Press, 108 pages, color photos, $14.95 We all know that soil, the living, breathing skin of the earth, is essential to our very existence. So why is it then that we know so little about it and the processes by which it is created and maintained? Learning about our soil is essential to successfully cultivating our gardens and farms and to creating a sustainable future for the planet. Grace Gershuny and Joe Smillie have devoted decades to unlocking the secrets of this mysterious and often maligned substance. They share their wisdom with us in this recent revision of a classic text. >From describing the major types, nutrient cycles and physical properties of soil, to lessons on composting and cover cropping, this book gives us the tools we need to understand the complex interactions that take place below our feet. Written for the lay person and professional alike, "Soul of the Soil" not only imparts a deeper understanding of the soil ecosystem, but also gives us the tools to evaluate and manage our gardens and farms. In many ways, this book is a gift to the world, as we work to turn the tide against the erosion, pollution and outright destruction of our soils. For those not interested in delving too deeply into the science of the subject, but who are looking for good common sense advice on how to build richer, healthier soils, "Soil" from the Rodale Organic Gardening Basics series is just the book. This basic guide spells out the do's and dont's of soil management with lots of good tips on everything from taking a soil test to composting and mulching. They also offer up suggestions on tools to work the soil, and how to learn from the pervasive weeds in your garden. Plenty of illustrative photographs, "quick tips" and side bars make "Soil" an easy read and a great first step in understanding the profound importance of this valuable resource. S.V. ........................................................................... ..... NEW PRODUCTS ON OUR WEBSITE EARTH JUICE IS HERE!................. Earth Juice Liquid Organic Fertilizers and Foliar Sprays give your plants what they need to thrive. We've searched far and wide for the richest, most complete line of liquid organic fertilizers and foliar sprays available and EARTH JUICE is it! Its complex active formulas are highly concentrated and easy to use. EARTH JUICE contains not only organic forms of the major plant nutrients, but an array of micronutrients, natural hormones, enzymes, vitamins and more. EARTH JUICE will not burn your plants or harm the soil, in fact it will improve your soil by encouraging microbial activity. Great for seedlings, container gardens, soiless and hydro-organic systems, and even lawns. EARTH JUICE products can be used alone or in combination to suit your plant's needs at critical times like transplanting, flowering, and fruiting. Available in pints and quarts. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/earthjuice.html EARTH JUICE GROW................. GROW is formulated for vigorous vegetative growth. It is a superb all purpose fertilizer that can be used through all stages of plant development, from seedlings though maturity. Normal dilution for gardens is 2-4 tbls/gal. of water (8-16ml/lit.) One gallon covers 100 Sq. ft. Recommended usage is once every 4 weeks. Listed by OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute) for use in organic production. Derived from oat bran, sea kelp, bat guano, steamed bone meal, natural potash, blood meal, and feather meal in an active organic base. 2-1-1 EARTH JUICE BLOOM................. BLOOM helps promote flowering and is best used prior to budding, flowering and fruiting to increase yields. Applied in the fall, it can help protect the root systems over the winter. Use alone or combined with EARTH JUICE GROW. Great for phosphorous loving plants like cactus. Listed by OMRI for use in organic production. Derived from ancient seabird guano, oat bran, sea kelp, bat guano, natural potash, steamed bone meal, and rock phosphate in an active organic base. 0-3-1 EARTH JUICE CATALYST................. CATALYST, "the crucial link" is a versatile and vital product containing an array of naturally occurring enzymes, hormones, vitamins, sugars, amino acids, chelates, plant acids, macro and micro nutrients and more. CATALYST provides what's missing in many soils and can be used through all stages of plant development. Best used in combination with regular fertilization programs. Can also be used as a foliar feed. Listed by OMRI for use in organic production. Derived from oat bran, kelp, wheat malt, molasses and yeast in an active organic base. .03-.01-.10 EARTH JUICE MICROBURST................. MICROBURST is a proprietary micronutrient formulation designed to correct nutrient deficiencies. Can be used as a foliar spray or in combination with other fertilizers. Derived from kelp meal, magnesium sulfate, borax, cobalt sulfate, ferrous sulfate, sodium molybdate and zinc sulfate. EARTH JUICE ESCENTIAL................. ESCENTIAL is a scented foliage spray. Gardeners looking for an alternative to toxic sprays will love this formula combining a host of traditional plant aids with newly discovered ingredients. ESCENTIAL is blended from kelp wild quinoa bran, hot pepper extract, distilled oils of eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, patchouli and tea tree, cold pressed orange oil and lemon grass. MAXICROP KELP EXTRACT................. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/maxkelex107o.html For the seaweed purist, MAXICROP KELP is extracted from 100% fresh Norwegian Ascophyllum kelp which has been shown to be a growth stimulant and provide increased resistance to frost and drought. "Maxi" is a great source of trace elements and enzymes and is a long time favorite on the Seeds of Change research farms. ONE-GALLON TANK SPRAYER................. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/garspray1gal.html Great for foliar feeding with Earth Juice or Maxicrop. This ergonomical design has a 22 inch spray wand, adjustable spray nozzle, easy pumping, wand clip, automatic relief valve which vents excess pressure, shut-off valve, and a large easy fill 4.5 inch opening. Tank, pump and sprayer parts are made of durable high-density polyethylene. Built to last a lifetime for the home gardener. MICAELA'S TRIED AND TRUE FLOWER COLLECTION................. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/walbehrowsee.html Selected this month by Farm Manager and resident flower maven, Micaela Colley, this collection will inspire the flower grower in all of us. Plant them all for a summer full of color and joy. Contains one pack each of Bachelor Buttons, Bouquet Magic Coreopsis, Picotee Cosmos, Blue Bell Larkspur, Pesche's Gold Marigold, Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist), Deep Orange Safflower, Gloriosa Polyheaded Sunflower, Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia), and Pastel Dreams Zinnia. ........................................................................... ..... ORGANIC CUT FLOWERS by Micaela Colley Fresh cut flowers are food for the soul. They make us feel good. As a gardener, growing, cutting and arranging your own flowers can be a deeply rewarding experience. It is a way to bring the beauty of the garden indoors, brightening your living environment and making every day special. I love bringing them to friends, the doctor's office or local shelters. People always light up when greeted with a big bouquet of beauty. My friend Carmen, who sells flowers at the Albuquerque Farmers' Market, attests to the therapeutic effects of being around fresh flowers. Since she started growing organic flowers on her farm, she says that she feels healthier and has increased vitality. Recognition of the health benefits of gardening and the presence of flowers has also shown much promise in the growing field of horticultural therapy. Whatever the reason for growing cut flowers, I know it makes many of us, like Carmen, feel really happy. When I do buy cut flowers I always try to purchase organically grown ones. I have been asked, "Why buy organic flowers? You're not going to eat them!" Actually, I have seen several children and pets put them in their mouths, but beyond that, I think of the effects of toxic pesticides on the people who work in the fields and greenhouses, as well as on the environment. The EPA's allowable levels of pesticide application are often significantly higher for flower production than for food crops meant for consumption. In part this is due to the consumer's demand for "perfection" which is especially stringent in ornamental crops. The commercial industry has also become strict in grading cut flower quality. Meeting these standards has led to increased pesticide use and lack of variety in the industry. Certain stem lengths, flower sizes, and lack of blemishes are required to make the grade as a #1 flower on the wholesale market. Therefore, flowers are often bred for intensive production or specifications of size or length rather than beauty and fragrance. Yet, flowers are a symbol of love and beauty. I feel there is beauty in diversity, irregularities, and imperfection. Doesn't it make sense that food for our soul should be as healthy as the food for our bodies? For many years the cut flower industry produced a select number of species for sale: roses, carnations, gladiolas, and a few others. In recent years, however, there has been a revolution in cut flower production. Because of innovative growers and the extensive research done by Alan Armitage (author of "Specialty Cut Flowers") at the University of Georgia, we now find flowers like Delphinium, Veronica, Larkspur, and Asters in many flower shops. Beyond these new selections there are endless possibilities for the home gardener. Growing your own flowers means that they travel straight from the garden to the vase and don't necessarily need to hold up for weeks, unlike a flower harvested, distributed, displayed in a florist shop, and eventually sold a week or two later. I like to experiment with cutting all kinds of flowers from my garden to see what will last. At the Seeds of Change Research Farm we are conducting variety trials this year to evaluate our cut flower selection. Some of our varieties have been grown as cut flowers for years and we already know that they perform well in the field and hold up in a vase. Through our variety trials we hope to discover new, interesting varieties to introduce as cut flowers in the future. In addition to vase-life, we evaluate potential cut flower varieties for overall beauty and fragrance, stem length, size of bloom, plant vigor, plant health, abundance of flowers, and length of harvest. This year each of our selections will be trialed at Four Sisters Farm, an organic cut flower farm in Aromas, California. (http://www.foursistersfarm.com) Four Sisters has been producing cut flowers for both wholesale and retail markets for the past 20 years. Their professional experience will give us information about the performance of our varieties in an organic production system. If you're interested in learning more about growing an abundance of organic cut flowers, please scroll down to our review of "The Flower Farmer, an Organic Growers Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers" by Lynn Byczynski. TIPS FOR GROWING CUT FLOWERS: - Start with healthy soil and healthy plants. Phosphorous availability is especially important for the blooming cycle in plants. Research has shown that healthy, un-stressed plants also produce longer lasting cut flowers. - To significantly increase the vase-life of the flower, cut your flowers when they are just beginning to open. Each variety has its own optimum openness for cutting, but this is a good general rule to follow. Almost all flowers will continue to open after cutting. Cutting flowers when they are too open and shedding pollen is often the biggest mistake new flower growers make. - Harvest early in the day or in the evening. Morning time plants have had all night to take up moisture making stems more turgid and longer lasting. During the heat of the day plants shut down and will quickly wilt if cut. - Place cut flowers immediately into water. I like to carry along a five-gallon plastic bucket with 5 in. of water in it and place each flower straight into the water in the field. It is even a good idea to re-cut stems (especially hollow stems) under water. - Cut the stems long so that you have more length to cut off later as you arrange your bouquets. This also keeps the plant from getting shaggy looking and will redirect plant energy into the remaining shoots still growing. - To increase stem length, cut back the apical (top) flower on plants like Zinnias, Asters, and Cosmos, that branch from a central stalk. Many plants such as these have what is known as apical dominance which means they are programmed to grow to a certain height. Once the lead flower has reached that height the side shoots slow down in growth. Cutting the lead flower back triggers a response in the side shoots, which then try to reach the height of the lead flower. This results in more side shoots with longer stems. Cut the apical flower before it blooms, just as the bud begins to elongate. - Add about 1 teaspoon alcohol (any kind); about 1 teaspoon sugar; and an aspirin, a squeeze of lemon, or a dollop of vinegar to the vase or bucket water. The alcohol helps kill microorganisms in the water, which break down the stems and make the water smell bad. The sugar serves as a food for the flower increasing vase life. The acidic additives (aspirin, lemon or vinegar) lower the pH of the water. Slightly acidic water is more easily taken up by the stem and also inhibits growth of microorganisms (Allan Armitage, Specialty Cut Flowers). - Stagger plantings so blooming times continue throughout the season providing an ongoing supply of flowers for harvest. When selecting varieties for your cut flower garden, try to imagine how they will come together in a bouquet. Certain colors and shapes naturally compliment each other, but everyone has their own taste and sense of style. I like bold colors that set off one another. I call them Crayola colors: deep blue, bright yellow, vibrant red, and rich purple. Another approach is the calm beauty of an all white bouquet, or a subtle contrasting purple against predominately white. My best friend's wedding bouquet (which we composed together) was an unusual, eclectic mix of rich peach, and deep maroon set against chartreuse-colored foliage. Whatever your taste, let the artist in you compose your own creations. SEEDS OF CHANGE FAVORITE CUT FLOWER VARIETIES: - Bachelor Buttons: Everything looks good next to blue. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/bacbut.html - Calendula: Especially good for early spring and late fall when not much else is flowering. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/calendula.html - Celosia, Orange: Bold unusual flower, eye-catching in arrangements, likes heat. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/celceroror1.html - Cleome, Purple Queen : Long stems and large, flowing purple petaled flowers. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/cleompurquee.html - Coreopsis, Bouquet Magic: Open spray of flowers makes a nice framework and filler for bouquets. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/corcerorbouq.html - Cosmos, Picotee: Abundant producer as long as old flowers are deadheaded. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/coscerorpic.html - Feverfew: Clusters of small yellow and white flowers make an excellent filler and contrasting background for other bright colored flowers like Cosmos or Mexican Sunflower. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/feverfew.html - Larkspur, Blue Bell: Tall stately spikes of blue give added height and dimension to arrangements. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/larcerorblub.html - Marigold, all varieties: Bright bold colors, long-lived cut flowers. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/mardubpinmi.html - Nigella, Love-in-a-Mist: Light, airy flowers and foliage give a soft look to bouquets http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/nigcerorlovd.html. - Rudebeckia, Gloriosa Daisy: Classic country garden look. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/daiscerorglo.html - Safflower, Orange or Yellow: Unique, unusual flowers with tufts of orange or yellow petals http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/safceroror.html - Sunflowers, Gloriosa Polyheaded, Evening Sun, Tiger's Eye Mix: http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/sundismix.html - Tithonia, Mexican Sunflower: Bright orange flowers with velvety stems, nice mixed with yellows and blues. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/sunmex.html - Zinnia, Pastel Dreams, Shades of Pink, Canary Yellow: The classic cut flower, a must for every garden. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/zinmixbeutp.html - Micaela's Cut Flower Collection: Bachelor Buttons, Bouquet Magic Coreopsis, Picotee Cosmos, Blue Bell Larkspur, Pesche Gold Marigold, Nigella, Orange Safflower, Gloriosa Polyheaded Sunflower, Mexican Sunflower, and Pastel Dreams Zinnia. http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/miccutflowco.html RECOMMENDED READING: THE FLOWER FARMER, An Organic Growers Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynski, Chelsea Green, Softcover, Full color, 208 pages, $24.95 http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/flowerfarmer.html Have you ever wanted to sit down with a professional, organic cut flower grower and pick her brain? Lynn Byczynski has given us an opportunity to do just with "The Flower Farmer, An Organic Growers Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers." Lynn shares years of experience, her passion for cut flowers, and endless, practical, how-to advice on everything from choosing varieties to harvesting and creating bouquets. If you have ever thought of growing cut flowers for market, Lynn offers a wealth of information such as: how to stagger plantings to lengthen harvest times, how to time cutting to prevent insect damage and maximize vase-life, and how to best preserve cut flowers after harvest. Although Lynn's book is geared toward aspiring market growers, much of the information is also useful to the backyard flower gardener, for example: which varieties are best direct seeded or started indoors, how to support long stems to keep them growing straight, and styles and techniques for arranging flowers. The how-to information Lynn provides is useful and informative, but what really sold me on her book was her clear dedication to growing organically. This is the only book on growing cut flowers that I have come across which is specifically geared toward the organic grower. In addition to advice on organic methods for pest control and fertility maintenance, Lynn addresses the important question, "Why organic cut flowers?" This is the book I recommend to those interested in growing cut flowers and perhaps the most often lent book on my own book shelf. Micaela Colley, Seeds of Change Research Farm ........................................................................... ..... GARDEN STORY: White Rose, One Very Precious Gift" by Sondra Last When my daughter settled down, she quickly became a gardener. She had grown up living in a number of major cities, and her love for the soil and plants seemed, at first, to have come from nowhere. So I told her all about her plant-loving relatives in my family. But when she asked about gardening relations on her paternal side, I had to think back many years: her father and I had divorced when she was only six. Then I remembered, and wrote her this story. I started college after World War II, but then abandoned it to marry a young man who lived in a house only a few blocks from my parents' apartment. During our first months of marriage, my new husband, Stan, and I lived with his family. Stan's father was a nice man who longed for a quieter, lovelier life than Brooklyn offered. Theirs was a row house, familiar to most northeastern cities. No backyard, and out front, just a driveway and a small 4' x 4' yard bathed in automobile exhaust. On this little plot of ground he ardently tended and nurtured one white rose bush. The bush had only bloomed once, a few years back, but it was still alive, and he carefully pruned and fertilized it every year, confident that it would bloom again. Within a few months, Stan and I moved to Los Angeles. In short order, I discovered that I was pregnant. This was the first grandchild on both sides of the family, and everyone was thrilled that a new generation was beginning. Suddenly my main interest in life was keeping my stomach contents in my stomach. Months passed, and my time was filled with visits to prenatal clinics and learning how to cook. It was the beginning of spring, and I was entering my eighth month feeling frightened and lonely. Here I was in a strange city with no family, married to a man I now realized I hardly knew, and trying to deal with all these strange things happening to my body. Much more than physical discomfort had me depressed. One evening the phone rang. My husband's brother was flying into L.A. from New York on business and wanted to stay with us. We were happy and excited. I cleaned and cooked. Stan even bought a secondhand car (we were planning to get one, anyway, to get me to the hospital when the time came). We took a trial run to the airport to be sure we could find it. It was right where we thought it would be. That weekend, spring was full of bright glory and promise. We drove to the airport to pick up our special visitor. I rode in the back-it was easier to get my bulk in and out of the back seat-and chatted happily all the way. Stan parked the car, and, trying to keep up, I waddled behind him to the terminal. He settled me into a chair close to the entrance while he ran to the Arrivals area to meet his brother. He assured me they would gather the luggage, then come and get me. I enjoyed watching all the people and the hustle and bustle, but it didn't help my depression. Here were all these people with important things to do and interesting places to go. Me, I had become a dull homebody. The passing women were slender and smartly dressed. I was huge and dowdy, without enough money to afford a decent maternity outfit. They carried the latest books and sported businesslike briefcases. I was reading an old Family Circle. I no longer knew me. I had become exactly what I swore I would never become. I fought back tears, not wanting my brother-in-law to see me any uglier than I already was. In a few minutes, I saw both men making their way toward me, carrying more suitcases than I had taken for the move across country. I stood up as my brother-in-law broke into a grin, hurried over, and gave me a big hug and kiss. He held me at arm's length, patted my swollen belly, and commented on how happy everyone was about the baby. Then he told me to sit down-he had a special present from my father-in-law. He reached into his breast pocket, gently took out a tin-foil packet, and carefully placed it on my lap. As the two men watched, I opened the packet to reveal a fresh, white rose framed with deep green leaves. Drops of dew were still on the petals. The rose bush in Brooklyn had again bloomed with this one beautiful rose, and my father-in-law had sent it, with great love, to my baby. Green Prints Magazine, The Weeder's Digest, is published and edited by Pat Stone, and his family in Fairview, NC Copyright Green Prints. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission by GreenPrints, http://www.greenprints.com. ........................................................................... ..... PHOTO TIPS FOR GARDENERS: Photographs are Rectangles The next time you're gazing through your camera to record that special bloom for which you've been patiently waiting, stop to consider the rectangle within which it sits. Rather than thinking of everything besides the flower as unimportant "background," think of it as an essential part of the picture and ask yourself a few questions. Does it enhance or distract from the overall effect? Are there any objects like hoses, fence posts or plant markers that might distract your eye in the final print or slide? Do the margins of the frame provide an interesting texture or color to beautifully "set off" the flower, or provide an interesting context, or hint at a larger profusion of flowers? Sometimes a minor adjustment in the position of the camera can make the difference between confusion and clarity. If you're working on a tripod, sometimes it helps to take the camera off to quickly survey your options for interesting juxtapositions. While looking at the picture will never match the experience of the real thing, considering the whole rectangle when you make the picture, might bring you little closer to the thrill of a newborn bloom. S.V. ........................................................................... ..... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, I laughed with delight at the photograph of the crocus in the last newsletter. I had written this haiku the day before; the two images were surely drawn from the same well. The writer in me pokes from snowy fecund earth: a purple crocus. Lisa Moore Harrison, Maine ........................................................................... ............ Concern with GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) ........................................................................... ............ To whom it may concern, GMO's constitute an important issue in our lives. Insertion of genes from one unrelated organism to another (from bacteria to plants, for example) creates chimaeras, living examples of mythical beasts containing pieces from various organisms like the Sphinx of Egypt which is part man, part bird, part lion. Now we are making organisms that are part virus, part bacterium, part fungus, part plant and part animal. The idea is both seductive and attractive. In terms of healing, medicine, aging, wellness there are many reasons for wanting molecular biology to improve our lives and cure our ills. However, many of the organizations developing biotech are motivated by greed, profit and ego, not the wellbeing and health of humanity. Then the science of gene insertion is underdeveloped. Gene transfer is sloppy, inexact and hence of a various set of potential dangers including the activation of viruses latent in our own genetic material. We are tampering with Pandora's Box. Care and patience are critical as we experiment with life itself. We are living in the time of technologies; radioactivity, computers, nanotech, biotech. Some were introduced into our lives as great developments in science, like radio-isotopes, which has given us weapons of atomic dust and uncleanable pollution. Better living through chemistry was a slogan of my childhood. Now we are reaping the consequences of misuse of toxic chemicals, cancer and other chronic illnesses, poisons in the soil and the food. And now we are asked to accept the genetic manipulation of our food under a wide umbrella of reasons. The often repeated claim that we need GMO's to grow enough food to feed the world is a lie; distribution and access are the reasons for famine and poverty. And genetic pollution of the biosphere is the unavoidable consequence. And why are we in such a rush to transgene our foodplants? Ownership, property and control. Yet the plants pre-existed us, have their own domain and are truly a resource for all of us. So under the scheme of genetic engineering are another set of agendas that reduce the diversity of the biosphere, the value of our lives and the health of humanity. Alan M. Kapuler PhD Peace Seeds, A Planetary Gene Pool Resource and Service Corvallis, Oregon (Dr. Kapuler retired as the Seeds of Change Research Director in 2000.) .............................................. Dear friends, I've just discovered your excellent site & eNewsletter & I read your factual outline of the GMO controversy with great interest & appreciation. As an interested party, I should like to extrapolate, & "editorialize" on, some of your facts. 1. A vast experiment is being conducted by a very few powerful corporations & by the USDA (& FDA?), some would say; certainly with the blessing of this agency (these agencies), insofar as the USDA (& FDA) can be distinguished from the mega-corporations they are supposed to regulate. 2. This vast experiment could result in vast benefits to every one & everything on the planet - & maybe beyond our planet! Who knows? Once a chain reaction is set in motion in a universe that is connected, as evidence suggests ours is, where might it stop? It could also result in the most devastating of consequences to every one & every thing on the planet - & maybe beyond! Who knows?... Consequences so horrific that devastation would be the preferred outcome, rather than the endurance of abnormalities & deformities that ordinary people would prefer not to even think about. 3. The possible benefits would NOT be the "benefits" usually claimed or promised, such as "feeding the hungry" - it is the policies & practices that perpetuate & exacerbate poverty that cause hunger; "averting disease" it is malnutrition caused by poverty, the consumption of junk food laced with toxins & pollution perpetuated by greed that cause most diseases; or "reducing the use of chemicals" - the use of GM crops tends either to oblige growers to INCREASE the use of chemicals or to implant the chemical into the crop systemically. So what such benefits could be has to be imagined, because the claimed benefits are either the subject of dispute or have been shown not to exist. 4. Unlike the benefits, the possible harms that could result from GMOs have been many and disturbing, ranging from allergic reactions, some of which could be fatal, to gross deformities & even the death of certain species such as Monarch butterflies. Extrapolation from established effects of GMOs is a nightmare. 5. Sane people might conclude that sanity & peace of mind require that we not conduct such experiments at all. More adventurous sane people might suggest that such experiments be conducted on a very limited & controlled basis, just in case some great good may emerge. 6. It is very bad, if not catastrophic, news that vast, global experiments are already being conducted on an unlimited & uncontrolled basis with the blessing of government(s) (at least the US Govt) & courts of law - eg, the Canadian court that recently held the farmer, whose crops had been contaminated with GM seeds, responsible for producing a GM-contaminated crop, even though it was conceded that the wind might have been responsible for the contamination. In discussing this case over the BBC Worldservice, Monsanto (the corp. that prosecuted the farmer) conceded that their GM experiments might already have contaminated ALL crops in North America. 6. You & I & every other human being is the victim of this vast experiment if there are indeed any benefits, only future generations will know. Its consequences could contaminate, deform &/or devastate not only the human species but also every other species on this planet (& beyond?). A sane response to this possible calamity is to be very angry & to punish every corp. we might buy from & every govt. we vote for; because they have perpetrated upon us & upon future generations what could become the most monstrous crime of the 21st century. So I hope that you good people of Seeds of Change will not only stay on the correct side of this potentially awful situation, but also do what you can about it - by whom you support with your buying power & whom you vote for & perhaps in other ways that I haven't thought of. Yours sincerely, (The Rev) Kenneth N. Carstens Albany, Maine .............................................. Dear Seeds of Change, I am concerned that the hasty proliferation of GMOs in the market undermines my existing control over what I consume. If GMOs are to be used, we must work to ensure we know what products may/do contain them, and what organism's genes went into the base species. An example label would be in the ingredients, so peanut butter might read INGREDIENTS: Contains roasted peanuts (with genetic material from Brazil Nut), partially hydrogenated soybean oil (with genetic material from Cattail), and dextrose (derived from corn with genetic material from Bt). No preservatives added. Consider me somebody to add to your list of interested people. Steve Carlson, Environmental Consultant Maple Grove, Minneapolis ................................. Mexican Bean Beetle ................................. Dear Gardener, in your recent newsletter you said: For example, this year we are continuing to investigate the potential of interplanting flowering cilantro with our bean crops to attract the parasitic wasp, "Pediobius faveolatus", which feeds on cilantro nectar, and parasitizes the Mexican Bean Beetle, "Epilachna varivestis." I have found another 100% effective way to control Mexican Bean Beetle. I plant my beans on or after July 18th. Since I started doing this, I've never seen any Mexican Bean Beetles on my beans. I suspect that the Mexican Bean Beetle life cycle begins and ends early in the season and that by the time my beans are up, the beetles have gone through their life cycle for the year. I "discovered" this technique much by mistake. One year, I neglected to plant any beans early in the season. Then when I had a patch of space available I thought... Well, let me see if I can get any beans between now (July 18th) and the end of the season. I expected to harvest around September 18th. That year, my beans were perfect. So, the next year I did the same thing. Same results year after year. This year I'm going to plant a little earlier (maybe July 11) and see what happens. Have you heard from others about using this technique? Thanks, Allan .............................................. Response from the Research Farm: Yes, here in New Mexico, we too have had luck planting our beans late spring (early July) to avoid damage by the Mexican Bean Beetle. I don't know about 100% effective, but it certainly seems to significantly reduce bean beetle pressure by avoiding their peak population in early spring. Just be sure to check on your area's first frost date in the fall and count back the needed days to maturity to ensure a long enough season. Also remember that dry beans and seed crops take a longer season than fresh beans. Many thanks for your input, Micaela Colley, Seeds of Change Research Farm Manager ........................................................................... ..... Please send letters regarding this eNewsletter to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]. Letters should include your full name and location and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. Subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter here: http://www.seedsofchange.com/unsub.html Subscribe to our Garden Help Forum here: http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/seedofchaneg.html http://www.seedsofchange.com Copyright 2001 Seeds of Change. All rights reserved. 1-888-762-7333 ---------- End Forwarded Message ----------
