Crop to Cuisine

A great site for resources, recipes, links and much more!

There is potential for national keynote speakers, bands and presentations for the 09 conference.

Teleconference For ACGA Members

I just read about this from the ACGA listserv:

TELECONFERENCE FOR ACGA MEMBERS

To Join ACGA Click Here

Join us for Involving Community with David King, November 28th, 7:00 pm Eastern time, 6:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Mountain, and 4:00 pm Pacific.

David King is the Gardenmaster/Director of the Learning Garden at Venice High School in Los Angeles and a member of ACGA's Board of Directors. David's horticultural blog is lagarden.blogspot.com.

Register today by emailing your name, organization, city, and short description of your garden/program to share with other particpants: info@communitygarden.org, or call toll-free (877) 275-2242. Those who register will receive a reply email from ACGA with the telephone number and access code you will need to use to enter the call. Conference calls typically last 60-90 minutes and involve a portion of time for questions and answers from the guest speaker and the audience. All Teleconferences are recorded and are available for download from the ACGA website. Click Here to access previous workshops.

Another great resource from the Ready Made Blog:

"Talk about beneficial growth: In the 1940s, San Francisco played host to some of the most productive Victory Gardens in the country. Sixty years later, the idea still has roots in the city: This past July, the greenspace in front of San Francisco’s City Hall was transformed into a Victory Garden as part of the city's Victory Gardens 2008+ program (conceived by ReadyMade darling Amy Franceshchini). The city hall garden will donate the fruits (and veggies) of its labor to the San Francisco Food Bank, and 15 more city gardens are on the way. Want to participate? Join the program's Garden Registry and check out the tools and ingredients you'll need to start a garden of your own."

Check out the community garden starter kit. So clever!

Master Peace Community Garden

I just read about the Master Peace Community Garden in the Garden Rant blog. I found a really creative video about this garden that will inspire you!

Sheet Mulching for Lovely Soil

I have been working in a beautiful garden for the past 5 weeks in Woodbourne, NY. The gardener there is Paul and he has been at it for 20+ years. He is completely self taught, too, which gives me lots of hope.

I learned a lot from him, but to begin, I wanted to tell you more about the sheet mulching technique that was extremely helpful for his volunteer based work force on an extremely rocky piece of earth in the Catskill Mountains.

This technique requires careful planning and waxed cardboard edging:

cardboard (soaked in water)

compost (this is cow manure and sawdust that has been sitting in a huge pile for a year)
newspapers
more compost

and results in this lovely mounded soil AND it did not require any weeding or tilling

Sheet Mulching Technique

Greater Plant and Soil Health for Less Work

Once you get the hang of it, sheet mulching can be used anywhere plants are grown in the ground. Sheet mulching may be used either in establishing a new garden or tree planting, or to enrich existing plantings. In both cases, mulch is applied to bare soil or on top of weeds. New plantings are planted through the mulch, and a small area is left open to accommodate established plants and trees.

The benefits of mulching justify putting the energy into doing the job right, using ample materials. Collect all of the materials, and complete the mulching process in a day. A reduction in maintenance and increase in plant vigor will reward the initial effort.

Sheet mulch is put down in layers to mimic natural forest mulch: well decayed compost, weed barrier, partly decayed compost and raw organic matter.

Step 1: The Concentrated Compost Layer
To prepare the site, knock down tall weeds and woody plants with a brush cutter, scythe, or simply by trampling the area. Then proceed to lay down the sheet mulch.

Whether you are mulching bare soil or weeds, the first step is to "jump start" microbial activity by adding enriched compost, poultry or stock manure, worm castings or the like at the rate of about 50 lbs/100 square feet. This high nitrogen matter stimulates soil life and gets things going. If the soil is acid, which it likely is if the area has been disturbed recently and treated with conventional fertilizers, add a layer of lime or crushed coral. A soil analysis will indicate the need for adjustment of pH or mineral amendments. This is the appropriate time to add the recommended doses of amendments such as rock phosphate and K mag.

Soak the area well with water when the amendments are dispersed.

Step 2: The Weed Barrier
Most cultivated areas today harbor untold numbers of weed seeds. There are also weed seeds carried around by wind, animals and people. Soil borne seeds are lying dormant and waiting for the right conditions to sprout. Simply pulling or killing growing weeds will not erase the weed problem: more seeds will sprout almost as soon as the soil is exposed to moisture and light. Therefore the next step in mulching is to put down an organic weed barrier. This barrier prevents the germination and eventual emergence of weeds through your mulch.

Underneath this weed barrier grasses and weeds die and quickly become food for earthworms. From now on, the worms turn and aerate the soil, as they do naturally when in the right environment.

Of the four sheet mulch layers, the weed barrier has no natural counterpart on the forest floor. In the forest, weeds do not sprout because there is "no room for them," which simply means a lack of space above and below the ground, and a lack of light. By planting an area properly, there will eventually be no room for weeds. The weed barrier is needed only for establishment of the mulch, and disappears with time. If your area is planted appropriately, weeds will not emerge after the decomposition of the weed barrier.

Materials for the weed barrier that work well are: 4-6 sheets of newspaper, cardboard, burlap bags, old rugs of natural fiber, worn-out jeans, gypsum board, or whatever you can find around. Banana, ape and ti leaves also work if laid down in several layers. Overlap the pieces of the material so as to completely cover the ground without any breaks, except where there are plants you want to save. Around these leave a generous opening for air circulation around the root crown. Care in laying down the weed barrier will save you the headache of emerging weeds later on.

Step 3: The Compost Layer
This layer is on top of the weed barrier - it must be weed seed free. Well conditioned compost, grass clippings, seaweed and leaves are ideal materials to spread over the weed barrier. Any weed-free material mixture at the right moisture level for a good compost will do. This should form a fairly dense layer about 3 inches thick.

Step 4: The Top Layer
The top dressing mimics the newly fallen organic matter of the forest. It also must be weed-free. Good materials for this include leaves, twigs and small branches, fern or palm fronds, straw, coffee chaff, macadamia nut shells, wood chips, sawdust, bark, etc.. The top layer will slowly decompose into lower layers, and therefore must be replaced periodically; it represents reserves of compost. This layer should be about 3-5 inches deep. Many materials suitable for the top layer often have a pleasant cosmetic appearance. What luck! For this reason, there should be no hesitation in using sheet mulch in all cultivation from landscaping to gardening to permanent orchard crops. In fact, as you use mulch, bare soil will begin to seem ugly and undesirable.

When the soil is amended and sheet mulch applied properly, there will never be a need to turn the soil. Earthworms do the tilling. The only task left will be to keep the soil covered by replenishing the mulch.

Garden Tools

Here are some helpful tips to caring for your helpful garden tools from The Garden Helper:

• Always remove all of the soil from your digging tools after each use.Usually hosing is all it takes, but use a screwdriver to remove dried mud.


• Never put your tools away wet. Allow them to dry completely before storing to prevent rusting and handle rot.Once each garden season, rub linseed oil into your wooden handles to help preserve them.


• After each use, wipe the metal parts of pruners, shears, and loppers with an oily rag. Alternately, you can wipe your tools dry with a clean rag, and then spray lightly with a penetrating oil such as WD40


• Sharpen your cutting tools as well as the blades of shovels and spades during the gardening season. A hone or whetstone should be used for sharpening cutting tools. A file should be used to remove nicks and smooth the edge of your shovels and trowels.


• Thoroughly clean any tools which have been used for chemical applications. Fertilizers and other chemicals will rapidly corrode any metal parts.


• For extra rust prevention, fill a 5 gallon bucket with builders sand and pour a quart of new motor oil over it. Use this as a shovel cleaner/oiler each time you put your tools away. Push each tool into the oily sand several times. You can also use this bucket as a shovel stand.

If you would like more information, you can check out my previous posting.

This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader

I am reading a fantastic book by Joan Dye Gussow that my friend Elaine gave to me. Thanks, Elaine! Gussow's narrative is informational and engaging. By page 40, I have already learned how to grow and store sweet potatoes, how to garden to feed yourself for the whole year, and a great technique for building up soil. I can't wait to find out more.

Raised beds and double-digging

I recently discovered what double digging really means, and wanted to share, so here is some information for you:

This is the best way of preparing square foot beds. It's hard work, but these beds are small, and if your soil is quite good it won't break your back. If the soil is bad, this is how to fix it once and for all. You only need to do it once, never again.

You need a digging spade and probably a digging fork (or spading fork). D-handled tools are best for this. If the cutting edge of the spade is blunt and burred, sharpen it.

Mark off where you want the beds. Leave space for 15-18-inch-wide paths. Cover the path area with boards so you don't compact the soil by trampling it too much.

Cover the whole surface of the bed with a layer of compost (up to 3" thick), and sprinkle some ground limestone over it (or garden lime if you can't get ground limestone) -- a thin sprinkling, like icing sugar on a sponge cake.

Start by digging a trench across one end of the bed a spade deep and a spade wide. Take thin slices (try half an inch), mixing in the compost as you go. Thin slices are much easier on your back and mix the soil better.

Put the soil in a bucket or a wheelbarrow and dump it at the far end of the bed. Cover the bottom of the trench with another 3" layer of compost sprinkled with lime. If the soil in the bottom of the trench is fairly soft, use the spade to loosen it, again a spade deep, mixing in the compost as much as possible. If it's too hard for a spade, use the fork instead.

Now dig a second trench alongside the first one (thin slices!), moving the soil into the first trench, mixing it well. Compost the bottom of the second trench, dig it or fork it, then dig a third trench, and so on right down the length of the bed. You're left with an open trench at the end, which you fill with the soil from the first trench.

Now you've loosened and conditioned the soil to a depth of about 16" and added about 6" of compost, and loosening the soil will have added some height, so the surface of the bed will be at least 6" higher than the path.

Lawn, Compost Bin, AND Water Collection Update

I take back everything I said about my lawn. I think it looks great and I am sticking with my organic fertilizer and pull-the-random-weeds-myself-once-a-week method. It works and I feel good about putting the grass clippings into the compost bin. I have to admit that I did resort to a grub control insecticide (Grub-Ex or something similar) because they were out of control.

I also LOVE and highly recommend a water collection system from Rain Brothers. I have the barrel on a side of the house without a hose/faucet, and it fills up completely in just a few minutes of rain. This really amazes me because it is on the smallest roof of the house. If I was a mathematician, I bet I would have figured out a pretty cool formula. Anyone want to try? I will measure my roof for you!

Here is our updated compost bin; still schnazzy (if I do say so myself), but more efficient. We cut the chicken wire inside, added two hinges, and two locks at the bottom all to create access to the bottom of the compost pile. There is actually beautiful, productive, rich compost down there! Whoo hoo!

Garden Story on WOSU

Have you been watching Garden Story on WOSU/PBS? The most recent episode featured community gardens in New York City, especially on the Lower East Side. The episode before that talked about educational gardens. This series is really fantastic.

It makes me think of what my own garden story might be. Have you thought of yours? Do the members of your garden know it's story? Perhaps co-creating and performing a history of the "___" Community Garden would be an exciting and energizing activity for your CG.

Let us know your stories/histories if you get a chance!

AVERAGE SHOPPERS ARE WILLING TO PAY A PREMIUM FOR LOCALLY PRODUCED FOOD

Photo by Jo McCulty, courtesy of Ohio State University.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that the average supermarket shopper is willing to pay a premium price for locally produced foods, providing some farmers an attractive option to enter a niche market that could boost their revenues.

The study also showed that shoppers at farm markets are willing to pay almost twice as much extra as retail grocery shoppers for the same locally produced foods. Both kinds of shoppers also will pay more for guaranteed fresh produce and tend to favor buying food produced by small farms over what they perceive as corporate operations, according to the study.

“Our conclusion is that if a farmer wants to consider producing food for local distribution and marketing it locally, there are people who are willing to pay more for it,” said Marvin Batte, a co-author of the study and the Fred N. VanBuren professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at Ohio State University. “We are not saying that we should be producing all of our foods locally, just that this may be a viable, profitable activity for farmers.”
And what’s good for farmers also benefits consumers in this case, said Batte, director of the research project.

“This is an indication that certain groups out there value locally produced food and if farmers deliver that, it makes these consumers happier, so it’s good for them, too,” he said.
Most of the survey was conducted in late 2005. Batte said the findings – and his contention that not all food should be produced locally – still apply today, even in the face of rising fuel and food prices. Many food crops that thrive in specific types of climates cannot be efficiently and affordably produced for local distribution elsewhere. And, he said, those who buy local food to support nearby growers likely would be even more motivated to lend that support in a flagging economy.

The study is published in the May issue of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
The researchers surveyed shoppers at 17 Midwestern locations, including seven retail grocery stores, six on-site farm markets and four farmers’ markets hosting sellers from multiple farms. The researchers used data from 477 surveys.

"We were able to determine how important price was, how important where the strawberries were produced was and whether the freshness guarantee was a factor,” Batte said. “Basically what made the biggest difference was local production.”

The survey presented shoppers with two product options. Both were baskets of strawberries, but they were presented under 80 combinations of price, farm location and farm type. Some scenarios also included a freshness guarantee. After presenting the options, the researchers asked shoppers which basket of strawberries they would buy.

“Statistically, we sorted out what explains each person choosing one basket over the other. We were able to determine how important price was, how important where the strawberries were produced was and whether the freshness guarantee was a factor,” Batte said. “Basically what made the biggest difference was local production.”

In the study, local production meant the berries were grown within Ohio. The average retail shopper was willing to pay 48 cents more for strawberries produced locally, and shoppers at farm markets were willing to pay 92 cents extra. With the base price for a quart of berries set at $3, farm market shoppers were willing to pay almost a third more for the local produce.
The freshness guarantee also held meaning for shoppers. If shoppers were promised fresh produce that was recently harvested, farm market shoppers were willing to pay 73 cents extra and retail shoppers indicated they would pay 54 cents more.

The researchers also tried to test shopper interest in supporting small vs. large farms by naming one fictional berry producer “Fred’s” and the other “Berries Inc.” Shoppers in grocery stores were willing to pay 17 cents extra for a quart of berries from Fred’s, and farm market shoppers were willing to pay 42 cents more for the perceived small-farm produce.

“We suspected people who go to farmers’ markets go there for a reason, because they are willing to pay more, hunt it down and travel there. But we also found that the typical shopper in a retail grocery store is willing to pay more, as well. And in fact, we’re seeing that grocery stores are figuring this out by prominently labeling locally produced food,” Batte said. “So we were trying to see if that group of people who shop at retail groceries are willing to pay X amount, and determine what that amount is.”

Though the study was conducted in Ohio, Batte said the findings could easily extend to the rest of the country. However, the definition of local would be likely to differ in California, a large state with multiple growing regions, and New England, where several small states are clustered closely together.

“The shoppers are expected to be there in each kind of shopping venue nationally, but ‘local’ would need to be defined more precisely for various regions,” Batte said.

Though not all farmers would be able to set up a niche operation to grow and sell their produce to nearby consumers, Batte said some smaller farm owners could consider adding hand-harvested local production with the expectation that they can charge a premium for that produce.

“Farmers could actually be a little less efficient on the production side and still be more profitable on the revenue side if they can capture that premium price,” he said.
This work was supported by the National Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Fred N. VanBuren Program in Farm Management at Ohio State, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Co-authors of the study were graduate student Kim Darby, outreach program leader Stan Ernst and Professor Brian Roe of Ohio State’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.

Contact: Marvin Batte, (614) 292-6406; Batte.1@osu.edu

Written by Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; Caldwell.151@osu.edu

The Future of Food

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/ is a great way to learn more about Genetically Modified Foods and was suggested by my fabulous friend, Annie!

Which 2 vegetables are Perennials?

Rhubarb!
Asparagus!

Great CG Article

These wise words are from "Oh My Aching Debts" Blog:

http://achingdebts.com/it-takes-a-community-to-build-a-garden/

If you have no room to garden and don’t think a few pots will be enough, try finding some like minded neighbors and start a community garden. Community gardens go back to the 1940’s when the U.S. Government requested that people plant Victory Gardens to provide their own fruits and vegetables according to Living History’s Farming In The 1940s.

Margaret Rainbow Web tells the story of her grandfather’s victory garden at City Farmer. She tells of the beauty and productivity of a garden that fed 6 families. What they didn’t eat got chopped up to feed the chickens and rabbits that they also raised for food. It is a story that is filled with warm memories of times spent with the family and neighbors.

I would be the last person to argue with the government when they say that we are not in a recession or a depression but it is funny that homesteading and community gardening are coming back into fashion. I watched a segment on Martha Stewart today where they were talking about community gardening.

Starting a community garden is as simple as finding a few people in your neighborhood that are interested and then finding a place for it. Vacant lots, roof tops, and common areas can all be turned into a community garden if you can get permission.

Once you have interested people, set up an organizational meeting. Decide what type of garden you want to grow. While for our purposes we would want to produce food, there are other types as well. You could have a community flower garden or children’s garden. Will everyone have their own square foot plot or will they work a common garden and share the produce?

Find a spot. Is there a vacant lot nearby? What a great opportunity to turn an eye sore into a community project. If you live in an apartment, could you use the roof top? I have seen some beautiful rooftop gardens and think of all the sun they get! If you live in a townhouse development or condominium, is there a sunny area in the common spaces where you could get permission for a garden? If there are enough neighbors involved, it really should not be a problem to get permission to put one someplace nearby.

Look for sponsors. To me, this is the best part. Is there a neighborhood business that might be willing to sponsor the garden? They could provide building materials (assuming you are going for square foot gardens) seeds, fertilizer, plants, tools and other expenses. It’s great good will and there could be a plaque involved.

Set the dates. Set up a time schedule with work dates to get the garden underway. Enlist people to clean up and build and others to plant and harvest. You can be involved in the garden without necessarily gardening.

Reap the benefits. Community gardening is more than a frugal way to provide great food for your family. It is also a great opportunity to build more community spirit, get to know the neighbors and beautify your community.

You can find more tips on starting a community garden at The American Community Gardening Association. The Municipal Research and Services Center also has a community gardening section. It is even recommended as a benefit to the food security. Several cities across the Nation have community gardening programs similar to this one in Portland Oregon.

VermiCompost, ya heard?!

Learn how to compost with worms and support a local small business!

Home Depot Garden Club

http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/gc-server/web/main

I joined the garden club at Home Depot. I feel a little like a sell-out, but the organization of information on their site is fantastic. This is a great resource for community gardeners.

Asphalt Gardening

The Graham School student, Maya Girves, attending the workshop titled "Asphalt Gardening" at the American Community Gardening Conference on April 5 & 6.

Columbus ArtZine

I don't have the video yet, but here is a link to the page describing "April's ArtZine Features": http://www.wosu.org/television/local-programs/program-artzine/

The video is fantastic! It features Trish at Weiland Park, Bill Dawson from Franklin Park, and other gardens connected by Growing to Green. Eventually, the video will be on this link: http://www.artzine.tv/view.html

If you are looking for more information on CG in a video form, try typing in "Community Gardening" into http://youtube.com/

Interesting Video on Community Gardens