Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["E. E. Mitchamore Jr" <emitch@att.net>]

I think that startup farming/gardening is intimidating on two fronts:

 

1) Lack of confidence.  I know this is true because, after 5 years of trying, I still don't think I know "enough" (never will!).

 

2) Most of the time we try to startup while continuing to do everything we did before.  Probably better to stop doing something old to make room for something new.

 

E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.biz

----- Original Message -----

From: TradingPostPaul

To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 10:52 PM

Subject: [Livingontheland] whither the farmers market?

We came across this item in the paper from Soccorro, NM.
Saturday, May 19, 2007 Farmers Market expands
Sales will expand to Magdalena and Alamo later this summer
http://dchieftain.com/news/71452-05-19-07.html

I only bring this up because I see so many efforts to expand farmers
markets and promote them in local communities. No doubt the demand is
there; people have the spinach scare. But the one thing I don't see is ways
to encourage local growers to grow more, or more people to get into market
gardening. I asked the question at a farmers market meeting near us, why
don't more people grow for market? One answer, too much work. I take it to
mean too much work for too little money. It seems pretty obvious to me that
you're not going to get a lot more growers unless it gets more financially
attractive than it is.

Bottom line: can't really raise prices so you have to cut costs. I've
stressed the practices that do just that, and I see that as the only
realistic route to great expansion of farmers markets in this country.
Since relocating last year we modified our own gardening to include all
those practices that work to produce more at lower cost. It's true the
startup or changeover to permanent no-till beds takes work, but from there
it's all downhill. Not halfway through the season yet, but I'm sold on it.
We're all learning, but to me the direction is clear.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net




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