Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Doing something is better than nothing ;-) I don't envy fighting bermuda 
grass, but sometimes bringing in fresh soil over weed barrier on the bottom 
is the only way to beat the hassle. As for varieties I recommend heirlooms, 
all open pollinated, for reliability and good taste. They've survived for 
generations handed down through families or held a place in old seed house 
catalogs. Seed starting is great to get that head start on the season. And 
yes, fun for the kids. I do seeding mostly in 3 1/2" pots in plastic flats 
that hold 18 of them. A LOT of flats. Roots get less damage transplanting 
out. Even squash which isn't supposed to survive transplant well.

We grow for market as well as home storage, but we're happy to recommend the 
varieties that do esp well for us. Like Lakota squash 
http://www.nativegardens.net/lakota.htm .


paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 5/21/2008 at 6:12 PM Laurie Ann Powell wrote:

>I thought I'd give a quick update on A Farm Called Providence (or "News
>from an almost-but-not-quite-hopeless Suburban Soccer Mom attempting
>agriculture"). In the midst of the global disasters and domestic
>politics, maybe a little good news will go a long way? Yes! Food will
>grow! I am a witness!
>
>I've been "building up" for almost three years, now. The battle of the
>Bermuda Grass goes on, but since the Ice Storm of 2007 created a surfeit
>of mulch, I've settled on finding anything that appears to be food and
>surrounding it with wood chips.It doesn't remove, but does slow down,
>the growth of the grass, and seems to allow the seedling half a chance.
>
>While I don't have an abundance of any one vegetable, I've been getting
>really creative with salad and stir fry. A handful of early Alaska peas
>or one good sized mustard leaf give a little variety to the daily fare
>of Bunny Luv carrots and Earthbound broccoli. The majority of asparagus
>seems to be boycotting this year, so even that is  serving more as
>garnish than as a harvest. Perhaps something in the weather? Green leaf
>lettuce in 50 gallon buckets has done  well, but I have to be careful
>not to serve salad at every meal, lest there be a peasant revolt :)
>
>I've begun broadening the experimentation a bit. I planted squash and
>corn on the south-facing hill created by the horse pond diggings, where
>the soil is quite a bit lighter, and both seem to be coming up well.
>I've discovered that doing Jeavons-style seed flat planting is essential
>for the garden area - almost nothing comes up straight out of the
>ground, whether because I haven't remediated enough or because of the
>weather I'm not sure. It works out pretty well, though, as I've a front
>porch where the little things thrive, and I was able to get some things
>started really early that way. It also gives my littlest boy a do-able
>job to do every day.
>
>We're a long way from self-sufficiency, but I'm delighted to have a bit
>from the garden to add wholesome nutrition to our diet every day this
>early in the summer.
>
>Laurie Ann
>Foyil, USA
>
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