Truth be told, I have not had much luck starting seeds indoors. It could be because whenever I got the idea to buy a "complete" mini greenhouse in a 24" X 36" planting tray, I just poured water on the dirt disks, threw the seeds in them about 2" too deep, lost the tags that went with each seed (which never really mattered because only 1% of them made it to sunlight), and killed the seeds that finally germinated because I just put them straight outside in my planting pots I had-not allowing them to 'harden off.' So, after spending time in botany prison researching correctly how to plant indoor seeds, I feel that I am going to be wildly successful this time around. Besides, the only vegetables and flowers you can typically buy that are ready-to-plant plants are the run of the mill standard varieties. Boring. After purchasing and receiving my seeds for 2013, I went through them all and categorized when I need to start each one. I wrote the date on each packet (according to the directions on the packet) when to start indoors by checking when my frost-free date is for my location and counting back however many weeks to sow indoors. After I completed that, I wanted to be prepared for all my seedlings and a place to start them all. I started researching best methods for starting seeds indoors and came across the following site put out by the University of Minnesota's horticulture extension:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/m1245.html

Great article about starting seeds indoors. In my set-up, I used this as my template to follow and will show you my step by step process that I took to make a complete indoor greenhouse ready for indoor planting.

Supplies

48" long shelving unit with 5 shelves $42

Small chain link $2.97

4 - 48" long fluorescent shop lights (for 2 T8 lights bulbs 32 watt) meant
to hang with chain $9.99 each

4 light bulbs that fit the shop lights in DAYLIGHT $7.98 each (pack of 2)

4 light bulbs that fit the shop light in COOL WHITE $7.98 each (pack of 2)

Needle nose pliers

8 standard black planting trays $1 each

8 Medium/small S hooks $1.99 pack of 8

Drill with drill bit (bit a little larger than the S hook to hang from)

Potting Mix $3.45 each

2 Spray bottles $1.99 each

Liquid or powder fertilizer $4.97

Segmented planting trays (6 spots) $.45

Plug-in 24 hour timer $6.97

Heating blanket or gardening heating mat $15 for heating mat - I had an unused
heated blanket, therefore it was free.

Directions

1. Put together shelving unit. My husband put the shelves upside down so that the side with a lip would be where your planting trays sit.

2. On both ends of the shelving unit, each shelf needs a hole drilled in it for the S hook to go in to. Shelving units have holes throughout the ends of them to hang things from, so in order to get the S hook in, find a hole in the center of each shelf end. Stick the S hook through it to make sure it fits and mark where the end of the S hook is and drill a hole there for the S hook to hang from. See pictures for clarification.

3. Take your lights out of boxes (some come with chains but in case they don't you'll have extra) and locate the pre-drilled holes on the ends to hang with chain. Attach chain to S hook. Leave 2-4" above black planting trays with segmented trays also or 4" pots inside. Remove the chain-link with the pliers and leave the link open. Put the open hooked end into the hanging holes on the light fixture and do so for the other side as well. The first light is now hung. Do the other 3 lights as the first.

4. Put 1 daylight light bulb and 1 cool white light bulb in all 4 light fixtures.

5. Plug all electrical cords for the lights into a multiple plug in. Plug the multiple plug-in into the timer and set the hours you want to have your lights on the seeds. Recommended 12-14 hours a day. I set mine from 7am-9pm the lights will be on. Nice to have the automatic timer so you can set it and forget it.

6. Fold the heating blanket a little larger than the base of the shelving unit. Put the blanket or heating mat under the base. See pictures for clarification. Plug the blanket into the outlet above the outlet that is being used for the timer. It is important to leave the heating source on constant even when the lights are out. If using a blanket, keep on the lowest setting and if you can't feel it, move the temp setting up from there. Not too warm just warm to the touch.

7. Put your potting soil, fertilizer, trays, and water bottles (be sure to label one that will have fertilizer in it) on top of shelving unit until ready for use. It is also a good idea to take the temp of the potting mix after the heating pad/blanket has stabilized. That way you can plant to the temp recommended on the seed packet. For example, melons like warm soil in order to germinate.

8. Fertilize 1/4 ratio what you should for regular plants. Mix with water. Fertilize the seeds that need it.

9. Be sure the seeds that benefit from bottom heat are closest to the bottom (ie tomatoes). Or move the heating blanket/pad directly under the trays to maximize the heat on the lowest setting. Try to group the plants that need fertilizer in the same area so when you spray them with the fertilizer water bottle you aren't getting it on others that are not supposed to have it. You can also hang clear plastic around the shelving unit if you want your temps to be higher inside but a minimum of 65 degrees F is sufficient for most indoors seedlings. And lastly, do not put your plants by the window! Night time temps are so cold in March/April that it can be hard on seedlings.

And there you go! Your inexpensive, re-usable, lighted indoor plant stand!

Like Modern Roots on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ModernRoots.org?ref=hl and checkout my blog at www.modernroots.org for more ideas, recipes and fun chaos! 

If you've been wondering what you can give to your chickens as healthy treats this winter when they can't get out to forage, and produce isn't plentiful why not sprout some seeds or beans for them? It's inexpensive, easy and gives them much-needed nutrition when they can't forage for grass and weeds. 

 Join me on Facebook at Fresh Eggs Daily and also follow my blog Fresh Eggs Daily for more tips, tricks, advice and information on raising happy, healthy hens - naturally.

My mailbox has been filling up in recent weeks. While a part of me hates to think of the number of trees that have been sacrificed to produce this year's crop of seed catalogs, another part of me is jumping up and down with glee.

 It is finally time to begin planning the 2012 garden. That's right! Regardless of whether or not the world ends on December 21st (as predicted by the Mayans)we still want fresh veggies to enjoy throughout the summer and fall.

 I always approach the garden with such optimism. The plan usually includes some innovative design plot that I've seen over the years at nearby Cornell University. When I'm in garden planning mode, weeds drought and garden pests don't exist. Instead, every vegetable is envisioned in a blemish free state and is the epitome of perfection.

Despite all of the choices offered by the seed companies, we actually buy very little. We have lots of commercially packaged seed from prior gardening years. We are also fairly good seed savers with much of the saved seed coming from heirloom & non-hybrid vegetable varieties. This means that we will see fairly consistent results from the seeds that we collect each year.

Last year, we grew groundcherries for the first time. Related to the tomato, the plants were started in the greenhouse and did very well in our soil. Those seeds were the result of a particularly wonderful seed swap that we do with an internet friend in Wyoming.

We have seeds to grow the things that we like to eat & some for things that we don't!  Unloved seeds, like okra and rutabaga, are traded away to people that actually (shudder) like to eat them. Seed swaps are an excellent way to taste test new veggies and to see if they will do well in your type of soil.

Each year, we decide to try a few new varieties of something but we try to spend exactly $26. Why $26? Because many of the seed companies offer free shipping or discount coupons redeemable on purchases over $25. A good portion of that $26 is spent on permaculture. Things that we can plant once and reap the harvest from for a number of years. Though I love to garden, I really don't like to work so hard at it!

To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions. – Benjamin Franklin 

Broadway, Virginia; 37 degrees; 12:50 pm 

The sky has been spitting rainy mist for the past couple of days—good for the soil but hard on the bones! I haven’t been out to check on the garden for a few days. Don’t suppose much has changed yet; we haven’t had enough sunshine to warm up the ground. Those little seeds are picky. Conditions have to be just right before they will poke their little tendrils out of the dirt.

I’ve been researching the difference between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. I used to have an old paper towel covered in tomato seeds. An elderly lady gave them to me and said they were the best tomatoes on God’s green earth. Alas, I am not always a good steward of my possessions, and I mislaid the little paper square. I guess I’ll have to go with hybrids.  I know some seed companies say they sell heirloom plants, but to my way of thinking, the seeds are not authentic unless they have been saved year after year by some grandma in a bonnet and calico apron.

I usually plant a large, beefy tomato such as Beefsteak or Big Beef – one of those bovine-like names. I also like to put in some Roma plants as well as they make for good sauce, juice and salsa.  Edna wants me to enter the biggest tomato contest at the fair this year. I’m not much into competition unless I’m pretty sure I can win. I wish you could just wait and see how big the little fellows were growing before you put your name on the dotted line of the contest form. Unfortunately, they make you sign up long before you know the outcome of your crop. Maybe if I ever turn from a theoretical farmer to an actual farmer I will be brave enough to enter.

Edna is still fretting over Cousin Effie taking over the southern bedroom during seedling-growing time. I heard her talking to Hoyt Miller at the Farm Bureau the other day about the possibility of building a mini greenhouse behind her place. Some people sure take their gardening seriously. My biggest worries are the three Fat Kats that live in my house. They usually commandeer the sunniest spots and don’t take too kindly to little pots of plants lined up in their cozy corner. Farming is a never-ending battle with nature.

  

Our Tiny House will sit on the unofficially named Tiny Lane. There we will raise Tiny Goats and this year, have a Tiny Farm.

Unlike last year, we simply aren't ready to have multiple gardens full of organic produce and fruits. We will have to exchange the size of our 'salad bowl,' if you will, for something a bit more fitting for where we are in the move from Georgia to North Carolina. This minor setback (and I use the term setback very loosely) didn't mean we couldn't still have as much fun perusing through seed catalogues, mildly discussing exotic produce, and dreaming about the organic edibles we would one day enjoy from our own land.

So last week - at separate times, unfortunately - Crystal and I both spent time flipping page after page, comparing items from last in regards to growth success, growth potential, overall energy consumed to grow, and overall taste. With a wonderful cup of rasberry-peach tea on my desk in front of me I saw down and began with perhaps my favorite catalogue; Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

We still have a few seeds left from last year that are still quite viable including some cabbage, a bit of Carrot Chantenay Red Core, Lettuce Val d'Orges, and Cauliflower. While I had originally thought of giving them away in a contest, I have decided to save them and use them as a great way to begin some leafy greens anywhere I can find dirt worth sowing in.

Because we are limited on ready space this year we have talked about doubling our efforts by growing potatoes at Crystal's mom's house and even trying some sweet corn in the back field of her grandmother's place. Last year we we tried corn and had really mixed results. We had a case of ear whigs and many of ears came in small and lacking kernels. We're willing to try again though as it was our first time and we're bound to do better in a corn hotbed like the sandy soils of North Carolina.

We're definitely looking forward to doubling the size of our onion beds this year. Last year we harvested just at 124 onions and while they lasted up until mid-November we would love to have a supply that would take us into late-February or so. While the desire is there we are still trying to figure where we would get that size space for such an onion supply. We may have to resort to a bit of gonzo gardening and just plant bulbs all around being careful to remember when we have things growing.

I think the main focus this year though is going to be our beans and cukes. We serve early peas, snap beans, and bush beans all year round and while our cucumbers have done really well each year we can't seem to get enough to both eat and pickle. Crystal loves a good dill pickle and so we look to raise up cuke plants in every available vertical spot we can muster.

So what about you? Have you begun planning and ordering yet? If so, what is your favorite company to order from? Are you growing anything new and original? What are your old standbys that get planted year after year? As always if you like this post be sure to share it on Facebook or send the link out on Twitter. We appreciate you also taking the time to read the r(E)volution and be a part of the conversation! 

The Covington Planter Company of Albany, Georgia turns 100 this year, which only adds to the pride I feel each time I plant my garden with one of its products. While my machines wear Covington Planter’s sister brand, Cole Planter, they share a common legacy and collectively represent Covington Planter as the oldest planting equipment manufacturer in the United States. This stuff is hand fabricated in the U.S.A. by folks who take pride in sowing new chapters into Covington’s story each and every day.

My interest in Covington began as a result of my ownership of an older Brinly-Hardy branded single row vegetable seed planter that was designed to be pulled by my 1961 7-horsepower International Harvester Cub Cadet. The Brinly-Hardy single-row unit was actually manufactured by the Cole Planter Company (then of North Carolina). Covington Planter and Cole Planter merged in 2003 and that merger has helped ensure that small growers across North America have access to time-tested small to medium-scale planting equipment, including a walk-behind planter that’s built for serious duty. I no longer own that original Brinly-Hardy/Cole planter, but I now use Cole Planter’s walk-behind Planet Jr. model for the bulk of my seeding duties each spring.

Founded in Headland, Alabama by Will Frank Covington Sr., Covington Planter began its business during the reign of cotton in the South. The early planters were designed to be mule drawn but were reengineered into heavier models just prior to World War II for tractor power.  Post war, the company expanded its manufacturing capacity and moved to Dothan, Alabama. In 1947 Covington received accolades from the Alabama Farmers State newspaper:

“The W. F. Covington Planter Company had embodied for years what the State Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have recently been preaching. That is the supplementing of the farm with factory…Mr. Covington simply had a good idea for making planters, and distributors and the energy to put his ideas into practice. The growth of the firm proves that he had a good product … and people of the region feel a deep pride in having a manufacturer in their midst who understands their needs and is in position to fill them.”

In the late 1950s, Covington Planter Company moved to its current facility in Albany, Georgia. The planters continue to be produced in the proven classic Covington design with modern improvements that also keep the tools true to their tried and true design.

If you ever find yourself looking for a planter that’s more robust than most walk-behind consumer models but not so huge you need a 75 horsepower tractor to motivate it, and you appreciate good old fashioned quality of workmanship, then you need look no further than to a Covington or Cole planter. I know you won’t be disappointed.

     I ask not for a larger garden, but for finer seeds. – Russell H. Conwell

Many have asked where we have been; Pan and I. We haven’t gone far really. We’ve been enveloped in life as it has happened all around us. Since my last post I have put a few other things up but nothing of dire consequence and nothing more than therapeutic blog posts really. June was a busy a month bringing about another birthday for myself, the passing of my dear Granny Dot, the visitations of all my siblings and their families, mornings in the fields and evenings in the gardens, days spent in the kitchen trying to make sense of it all, and quiet times investing in my wife and our relationship. It has been good and it has been bad, all at once. But it has been life.

I have become more aware with each passing day what I value and what I find trivial; what I want and what I could do without. I have latched on to relationships I had been ignoring and let go of the death grip I had on some toxic people that were lingering for sheer nostalgia sake. And I came across a quote that summed my entire heart up.

Russell Conwell was the son of Yankee, Massachusetts, farmers. He fought for the Union Army in the Civil War. He attended Yale University. He was a Baptist Minister and a practicing attorney. And most importantly he was the founder of what is now Temple University. As one can imagine he was a fantastic orator having penned several memorable lectures and sermons and authoring even more well known quotes. But perhaps none so beautiful as the one above.

In my life I have made mistakes, and I have been redeemed. I have been greedy, and I have been broke. I have held thousands of dollars, and I have begged for change. But now I sit comfortably at a place I am proud of. I am wealthy though I have no more money than I did year ago. I have dreams, but I am grounded in reality. In essence, I would love a bigger garden. But I am perfectly happy with just having finer seeds.

My grandmother? An heirloom seed indeed. She produced blooms and flowers unparalleled in my book. My wife? An organic gem cracking open with purity and wholesomeness. My parents – hearty and strong – are seeds that have taken time to germinate but have become all the more rewarding because of it. And me? Well, I cringe to say it but do so with honesty; a GM seed. Not born into this whole gardening scene and certainly not raised with dirt under my nails but capable of adapting to the land and the surrounding and ultimately bringing about a crop and a sustenance, nonetheless.

So where have we been? Well, we’ve been right here the whole time.

We all want to get back to the simple life, and one of the ways that we all can do that is to plant our own garden. The benefits from eating from our own garden are many. You’ll know just where you food has come from, just when it was picked, and how it was grown.

Imagine going out in your own garden backyard, no matter how big or small, out on your deck full of pots, or even reaching down in between your flowers, and picking your own vegetables and having them for dinner that day. You just can't get it any fresher than that.

Then there is the exercise and the fresh air that you will get by getting out there and tending to the garden. Better than a gym and less expensive. It can be both invigorating and relaxing. Some of my best ideas and thoughts have come from being outside and tending my garden. Believe me, no one will bother you there!

The problem for many, though, is the start up cost. For a new gardener, it can be overwhelming. I just can't imagine if we all just went to the store and bought everything we need or think we need to start gardening. So, I thought of some tips that might help a new gardener get started, and they might help us “old gardeners” as well.

• Buy used: Consider buying your gardening tools like rakes, hoes, shovels and tillers used. A lot of people are getting out of gardening about the same time you are getting into it, and you can find many deals at early spring garage sales or on Craigslist. I have also found many canning jars this year that have come in handy. While you’re at it, look for gardening books, the more resources you have to help you out with your questions the better.

• Free fertilizer: You can make your own free fertilizer by making sure you compost. I have a compost bin, but that is not really necessary, you can start composting in just a pile.
  
• Buy seeds on sale: Seeds can be costly to order from the seed catalogs, and of course if you’re new to gardening you don’t have any seeds saved. Now is a great time to find them in the clearance section and don't worry, they still will be good next year.
  
  Even though I've saved and traded seeds, I never seem to have enough, so I just recently was able to by some seeds for 5 cents a package at a clearance sale.

• Seedlings: If you think you might start seedlings indoors, start saving your egg cartons and plastic cups, such as yogurt cups and cottage cheese containers. They make great seed starter pots.
  
• Share: Become friends with other gardeners, most of us love to share plants and seeds from our gardens and maybe help you when you need some advice. My neighbor, Wilma, really helped me when I first got started.
  
• Pot gardening: If you don’t have lots of room for a garden, consider growing plants in pots on your deck or plant a few tomato plants in with the marigolds.
  
• Don't start too early: It’s so hard not to get out there and start gardening the first sign of spring. Of course, you can plant early spring crops like peas, but to plant tomatoes or other plants that are not hardy, our date for vegetable gardening here in Michigan is Memorial Day. That doesn’t mean we haven’t made this mistake a few times and lost a few plants.

I hope these tips will help you start a garden next year and reap all its rewards – inexpensively.

It feels more like Monsoon season in Kansas these days, but I am looking forward to spending some time with friends this weekend at the 9th Annual Spring Planting Festival at the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company’s farm and Bakersville, the company’s replica pioneer town located near Mansfield, Missouri. All of this is happening on Sunday May 3 and Monday May 4 from 10 AM to 7 PM (both days).

Proprietor and festival founder, Jere Gettle expects that more than 6000 visitors will have the opportunity to visit with at least 100 vendors, listen to the music and humor of more than 60 performers, and have the opportunity to hear a number of gardening personalities speak at this year’s Spring Planting Festival. The lineup of presenters is impressive and includes GRIT editor in chief, KC Compton.

I have been asked to give a presentation on the Oscar H. Will Co. seed and nursery business, which was started by my great grandfather in 1881. I will admit to having an emotional few days of plowing through old family history to put that talk together. But I am proud that my ancestors made a lasting contribution to agriculture and gardening. I am living proof that growing things must be a genetic trait, because I feel compelled to garden every year.

You can find your way to the 9^th Annual Spring Planting Festival by pointing your vehicle to Mansfield, Missouri and following the signs to Bakersville. The company offers free tent and RV camping; no need to register. There are also hotels in the local area. Food will be available at the festival. Admission: $5.00 per person, pay at the event. Children 16 and under are free.

I hope to see you there.

Figure 1. 1770s vintage painting of a warted pumpkin.

In an interesting move in the wholesale garden seed supply industry, Siegers Seed Company in Holland, Michigan has been quietly pushing an all-encompassing patent application through the system that would essentially allow them to own a piece of genetic history in the pumpkin and squash families. Siegers’ move appears to be aimed at owning the rights to virtually all warts on pumpkins and their relatives. And they want to own the rights to all patches in which warted pumpkins appear. Huh? My ancestors grew warted gourds, pumpkins and squashes long before Siegers was even in business, and they received the seed from Native American gardeners who had warted cucurbits in their patches for who knows how long.

Figure 2. Warted pumpkin photo included in the Siegers patent application.

The pumpkin patent application states: In a large commercial field of multiple unknown pumpkin varieties, a single fruit was discovered displaying a greater degree of warting than has ever been observed in prior experience by the inventor [the inventor is listed as the director of marketing for Siegers]. On rare occasions in years prior to this discovery, pumpkin fruits had been observed to possess rumpled or bumpy surfaces as described in FIG. 1. The discovered fruit had a high frequency of bumpy skin as described in FIG. 1, and a lower percentage of warting as described in FIG. 2. The fruit was collected and seed was saved. 

I am surprised that Siegers' inventor seems so unaware of the long warty history of pumpkins, squashes and gourds … at least as I read the patent application. I don’t have an issue with Siegers wanting to protect their investment in a particular pumpkin hybrid, but it bothers me to no end that they seem to be attempting to own the warty history of all members of the squash family.

Read more about this patent application here.

Read the Siegers press release on the new pumpkin family here. 

What do you think? Should Siegers own the warts on a random pumpkin line you develop in your backyard and prevent you from selling it at your farm stand?

The color plate is from: Botanical illustration, ca. 1770, reproduced from H. Paris, “Paintings (1769-1774) by A. N.Duchesne and the History of Cucurbita pepo,” Annals of Botany 85, 2000, p. 820.

The black and white is reproduced from U.S. patent application US20080301830A1.

Kate and I have started garden seed in all manner of haphazard fashion over the years. It used to be in cut-off milk cartons on windowsills. We eventually moved to those same containers on a cobbled up light table in the basement … covered with a sheet of plastic. Eventually, it was in our very own greenhouse, but we sold that along with the farm a couple of moves ago. This year, we decided to buy a proper light cart to start our seeds and nurture the seedlings.

Since we had a window nook in one of our bathrooms, we decided to search for a light cart that would fit the space. Growers Supply has many different styles and sizes of carts, and since they are among the very best out there, we went searching for the best price on their G48 model, which takes up about 9 square feet of floor space in a 3-foot by 3-foot package. The G48 Light Cart has four shelves … each hold a pair of flat-sized trays.  After a bit of searching, we found Robert Crespo’s website … named buyPlantLights.com.

Placing the order online was a breeze and communication with the company was adequate. Growers Supply doesn’t sell to consumers directly, but they do drop ship products such as the G48 Light Cart to consumers on behalf of businesses like buyLightPlants.com.

The Growers Supply Light Cart arrived about a week after we ordered it. Setting up the G48 Light Cart was a joy … I can’t think of the last time I put together such a beautifully engineered product.

The first step in the process was to install the caster anchors and casters in the bottoms of the G48 Light Stand’s legs. This was a matter of pressing pieces together. Next, I used Kate’s Craftsman cordless drill to screw cross members to the legs … it took about 10 minutes to get to (and complete) this step. Next, we installed the light-support rods and the lights … about another 10 minutes of effort. All that was left was to set the trays in place and install the optional plastic cover … we included the cover with our G48 order to keep the humidity and heat in.

The G48 Light Cart’s lights are independently operable, so you can turn off any that are not needed. We placed Kate’s basil plant and herb seedlings in the Growers Supply G48 Light Cart, and I can tell you that several days later they look much happier than they did on windowsill in the kitchen.

So far, the G48 Light Cart has motivated us to choose more seed for the garden than ever before. It is really fun to have a beautiful, clean, convenient, and easy to use and move seed starting station in the house. This is one of the best gifts we have given each other ever.

Since we've had this wonderful downtime in which to recoup and collect ourselves, there have been a lot of ideas floating through my [Becky's] head. This post will try to capture a few.

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We recently finished reading a great book lent to us by a great friend. Thanks, Jill! A free dozen goes out to you! It's called: Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party), by Rod Dreher. Whew, long title. I guess there has been a reprint and the subtitle is changed to: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots.

Whatever. The point is that this book defines just about every viewpoint that Andy and I hold dear. It was amazing to listen to Rod Dreher speak in each chapter because we just kept looking at each other (we read it out loud over the course of a month) and saying, "I KNOW!!" An excerpt from his intro gives a basic analysis of what the book is about:

A Crunchy Con Manifesto

1. We are conservatives who stand outside the conservative mainstream; therefore, we can see things that matter more clearly.

2. Modern conservatism has become too focused on money, power, and the accumulation of stuff, and insufficiently concerned with the content of our individual and social character.

3. Big business deserves as much skepticism as big government.

4. Culture is more important than politics and economics.

5. A conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship – especially of the natural world – is not fundamentally conservative.

6. Small, Local, Old, and Particular are almost always better than Big, Global, New, and Abstract.

7. Beauty is more important than efficiency.

8. The relentlessness of media-driven pop culture deadens our senses to authentic truth, beauty, and wisdom.

9. We share Russell Kirk's conviction that "the institution most essential to conserve is the family."

If you have the time, check it out from your local library. We highly endorse!

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When we went to Colorado in November, we listened to a book on tape that we'd heard much about and knew a basic premise for. You may be very familiar with Michael Pollan or you may never have heard of him. The book he wrote is called The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. This edified our choice to grow sustainable, organic and slow foods for ourselves and our community. It was eye opening about the modern food industry and how deceived the American public is about what they eat. He carries a relatively objective view, though. We even learned how to capture and grow yeast for bread making! This is another great winter read. Please check it out!

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Back on the farmstead, we are planning our gardens for next season. We have poured over at least a dozen different seed catalogs and have a few more in the mail. We ordered over a hundred dollars of seed last year and I think every seed company in the nation caught wind of it. Haha, joke's on them; they don't know that this year we're poor! (Just kidding ... sort of.) But seriously, we are doing our research about what types of heirloom varieties grow best in our Zone 5/Zone 4 climate. And they don't have to be heirlooms as a rule. We just want varieties that we can save the seed from. That means no hybrids. We'll keep you up to date on what fun tomatoes, peppers, onions and corn we find.

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I've been reading a book called You Can Farm by Joel Salatin (of famed Polyface Farm), and he has a lot of great, sustainable and money-pinching ideas for beginning farmers. One of his ideas has stuck in my head, and I can't shake it. He advocates using animal power in place of people power whenever possible. He's not talking using horses instead of tractors. He speaks about the natural inclinations of animals on the farm and how to utilize that for the farm's (or your) benefit. For example, this year we let the hens roam free in our front and back yard, and they cleaned up a ton of bugs and even dethatched our lawn! A great side effect. But, the more I think about the possibility, the more I just gotta do it! I want to fence in our large back yard/orchard and run our ewes in there once a week to mow, fertilize and clean up the apple orchard and drainage ditch.

Crazy you say? This is what's crazy: Running a riding lawnmower for two hours a day, twice a week (in peak grass season) and burning gas. Then, hand picking and raking up windfall apples, loading them in a wheel-barrow and hauling them to the sheep paddock 400 yards away. Finally, taking a gas powered Brush Hog-type weed whacker and cleaning out all the areas a large mower can't reach (i.e., under pine trees, the drainage ditch and near tree trunks). All in all, a general yard pruning session can run up to four hours! THAT is what I call crazy. Of course, this is not every time we mow, but it must be done every couple weeks in order to keep the appearance of "ship-shape."

Enter the sheep. Naturally built to eat grass down to an inch or two and amazingly agile when eating around objects projecting vertically from the ground (trees, posts, bushes), these guys LOVE fresh grass! They love tart apples and the interesting plants that spring up from ditches. Suddenly, we have a hired crew that can browse picturesque beside the house all afternoon leaving Andy or I two hours to accomplish other projects. Best of all? They don't gripe about overtime and at the end of the day, you've got a freshly fertilized lawn for FREE. No gas expense, just the cost of heating that electric fence for a few hours, then shepherding the ewes back home and shutting it down.

Sounds like the perfect set up to me. Now, if only my parents (who own the yard) will agree to this plan...

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Finally, we are looking into buying some heritage breed hens next spring. Heritage breeds are similar to heirloom species in gardens. Farm animals have been bred for efficiency in factory settings and many breeds are on the verge of extinction. We already have 13 Milking Shorthorn dairy cows, who are on the endangered list (we didn't actually know that at the time of purchase, we just knew that they weren't Holsteins and that was good enough). The hens we currently have are a mix of several common industrial egg farm varieties. That doesn't make them bad hens or that we've bought into the industrial model. We just want to look for a bird that knows how to forage for herself and free-ranges more productively than the ones we have. A heritage hen will probably be multi-purposed in that it can give eggs AND meat. You may not have been aware that modern laying hens leave a lot to be desired in the slow cooker because they've been bred to put all their energy into egg production. They are very thin stewing hens. A multi-purpose breed will give eggs (though certainly not as prolifically) throughout her life and then give a family a nice meal at the end. And we are all about not pushing our hens to the limit ...

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... which reminds me: Our layers have been steadily declining in egg production since we combined flocks in mid-December. We were averaging over 100 eggs a day in late November and now we are in the middle 40s. Andy and I were concerned at first and tried giving them more food, more access to grit (what they need to digest food) and deeper nesting bedding. But as we read about it, we realized that they are in their winter slump. It's amazingly common with layers. As the nights outlast the days, they sort of shut down. (Though they still eat like they were laying!) This is when a lot of folks break out the extra lighting in the coop to give the illusion of daytime and encourage more eggs. We discussed this option, but after reading more of Joel Salatin, we opted against it. Why? Because all animals need a sort of downtime in which to recoup from the previous year's events and production. This gives their bodies a chance to focus on repair and rest, instead of always producing and putting energies into that. "Let's give the hens a break," I said earlier this week. They earned it. Soon it will be lighter later and they'll pick up again. Right now, they are enjoying "Chicken Downtime."

 The numbers are in for 2008 and they look good for the seed industry. They look even better for folks who want to grow vegetables from seed and save money in 2009.

By some estimates, garden seed, especially vegetable seed sales, were up by anywhere from 40 percent to well over 100 percent compared with recent years. In fact, some industry watchdog organizations suggest that seed companies in North America and much of Europe experienced their best year ever in 2008. We’re talking record seed sales … AND they project another record for 2009.

So, what is the fuss all about?

Easy, people are looking for a safer food supply, while adapting to a tighter economic outlook. If you have never grown a vegetable garden, or started your own garden plants, there’s still plenty of time to save money in 2009 by growing your vegetables from seed. If you are like me, you will be amazed, and thrilled, by all the different varieties of vegetable species from which to choose. If you are looking for that little early-maturing tomato called Bison from your youth, you can find seed and save money by growing your own in 2009.

 

Even the American government recognized the value that a garden-growing public could offer to a war-embroiled and slow economy. They no doubt also recognized the community building value in making it easy for folks to grow with one another in the garden patch. At those times, it was much more important to feed the folks at home and share the excess with others than to worry about E. coli-infested spinach … oh, that’s right, we hadn’t pushed our agricultural production models so far, back then, that E. coli and other fairly benign microbes had yet to figure out how to be pathogenic.

Our government called those programs War Gardens during World War I and Victory Gardens during World War II. I don’t know what to call the new wave of gardening frenzy, but I do know that it is exciting, and will, no doubt, play a role in healing our culture.

When you consider that a package of tomato seed might set you back a couple of bucks, and that you might get 50 viable seeds in that pack, it doesn’t take much math to figure out that you can grow hundreds of pounds of tomato fruit from that $2 pack of seeds. Even if you factor in the value of a little labor (it can be hand labor, mind you), a small piece of ground, a source of supplemental water and a few miscellaneous supplies, those tomatoes will be cheaper than cheap. But more importantly, the growing, nurturing, eating and processing will pay that elusive dividend of extreme satisfaction; no amount of store-bought or farm-stand-bought tomatoes CAN EVER bring that. Farm-stand tomatoes, when grown locally, do have added value in the dividend department, because at least you are supporting the local economy at its root level.

 

Add the pleasure you will receive from spending time AT HOME and WITH FRIENDS and LOVED ONES working in, marveling at, and generally enjoying your garden, and those tomatoes pay even more. And if you happen to have an extra-giant bounty, think of the joy those tomatoes will bring as you share them with others in need … or sell to pay for that tank of propane when winter arrives.

The way I see it, if the pleasure from that $2 pack of tomato seed replaced the pleasure of just one latte at the local coffee shop and the fuel needed to drive there and back, you are at least $10 ahead. That’s right, folks, vegetable gardens can pay big time if you only let them.

If you are skeptical of my analysis, check out Paul Gardener’s personal blog and follow his annual fresh food tally. He and his family produce a significant dollar-value of crops in minimal growing space. And they don’t factor the weight of family fun, joy, etc., into the formula to inflate those numbers.

Look for all kinds of gardening resources on this website and at Mother Earth News for everything you need to know about how to prepare for and plant a vegetable garden from seed that will save you money in 2009.