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  • From: yarrow@sfo.com
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] locally adapted varieties, was DIET FOR A DEAD PLANET
  • Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 22:55:29 -0800

Title: locally adapted varieties, was DIET FOR A DEAD PLANET
You're asking 2 separate questions:
1. which crops give the most nutrition?
Jeavons has analyzed that question in his books -- calories per square foot, and most nutritious crops. I have seen other books that rank crops this way.

2. which species and varieties are best adapted to the local conditions?
To answer this, I'd look for people who have been saving seed in the area. One easy place to start is community gardens, if there are any in your area. In my community garden, lots of people have been very successful with a purple-podded bean. But we don't know the name, because we grow it from saved seed.

Also, people who save seed are, in effect, breeding a local variety by selecting seed from individual plants that produce best or taste best. So you won't necessarily find those varieties at any store, though you may find a variety that someone started with to breed their local variety.


"E. E. Mitchamore Jr" <emitch@att.net> wrote:
For any given area, there must be crops that give the most nutrition.  Surely someone can tell me what open-pollinated species and varieties to grow without me spending 10 years learning the hard way.  By way of example; I want to grow the Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash), so I asked at The Natural Gardener, Austin's best nursery.  The lady working in the seed department had grown many of the varieties there, but had never heard of the Three Sisters.  I also asked online:  One reply, and only about corn (samples, but no name).  I don't understand: I'm convinced and I know how to grow stuff, but I can't find out WHAT to grow.  "Everything" is not an option I can pursue.




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