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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Any Info Would Be Useful

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Alex Mcgregor" <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Any Info Would Be Useful
  • Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 10:45:59 -0400

What we call annuals in areas where we have killing frosts and freezes can
be grown indefinitely. But you have to know something about plant
physiology to do this.

Any "annual" will keep producing fruit (or seed pods) if it has the right
amount of water, light, nutrients, disease/pest protection through a
diverse biosystem and the "fruit" are picked before the seeds start
maturing. There's a hormone released by the seed pod/fruit when seeds
start maturing that causes the plant to slow down or stop flowering, root
growth, top growth, etc. (given that these aren't damaged enough that they
need to be replaced by the plant) and stimulates the plant to put most of
it's resources into producing offspring- seeds.

Dr. Ivan Smith told one of the classes in Biointensive Farming at OU about
an experiment with a potato plant at a university that was grown
hydroponically. They kept removing the immature potatoes to see how long
the plant would live and keep producing. He said they put the poor thing
out of its misery after 3 years or so.

I include this in the plant physiology part of any class I teach on
gardening or farming to illustrate the importance of picking regularly to
prevent plants from stopping the flower/fruit cycle.

Hope someone out there finds this useful

Alex McGregor
Walden Farm

> >Ok, I understand that an annual is an annual and that it's gonna grow,
set
> >fruit, and die.
>
> I don't think this is necessarily true. I think many of the
> plants we grow as annuals in areas with cold winters would
> be 'perennials' in a location without freezing weather.





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