Food movement forgets one important element

Remember the song mothers don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys?  Well now farmers are singing the same tune, "Don't let your children grow up to be farmers".  In an adverse cultural change in the current food movement there is one important piece that is being overlooked, the farmer.  Crunched in between slim margins, farmers markets, Big Farms and making a living wage, almost 98% of all family farms are operating in the red, often only propped up by government subsidies to keep them afloat, but still barely making ends meet.  Dealing with the norms of life, health care, education and the mortgage and taxes, most are struggling and often living below the poverty level.

While our approach at Zombie Jac's is not farming, it has led to the concept of farming as part of the overall business model, to be considered.  Our focus is food product creation and the concept of farming comes from the need to make a quality product featuring local produce in the product as well as keeping cost at bay.  On average it takes us about 1 lb. of FRESH habanero peppers for the base of our habanero hot sauce to create 15 5 oz bottles.  Habaneros are grown only in a few areas of the US and Mexico commercially and typically you can only order habanero powder or dried habaneros and in our product the end quality suffers not to mention that same 1 lb. of habaneros can cost as much as $30 to $80 to get in New York.  Right there that would require us to sell the sauce for almost $20 a bottle just to break even (once we get the product to market).  On the flip side I can grow almost 10lbs. of habaneros in New York for about $30 or less depending on if I plant seedlings or start from seed.  That already starts to make dollars and sense!

Read the following article and see what the farmers are really saying about the hype and look at the realization of what and were the real damage and dangers are.

Happy gardening, farming and eating!

Don't Let your Children grow up to be farmers.

From left, Josiah Venter, Noah Patrone-Werdiger and Toby Fischer remove rocks at Ro-Jo Farms in Bethany, Conn. CreditLili Holzer-Glier for The New York Times

Could your state ban seed libraries?

After reading several articles and doing some leg work it seems there is a very big issue of the legality of seed libraries.  Early last year I had a short discussion with a local growing and sustainability advocate and friend, Abby.  We discussed a long list of topics one being the possibility of utilizing our local libraries wasted cabinet space with building a seed library, using local grown plants, heirlooms and other excess seeds from other residents to generate stock.  Not a bad idea for an economically disadvantaged city of 50,000 who for the most part are progressive thinking.

Since that time I have been researching on the possibilities of starting this concept then I come across some legal issues, then this article that really sums up the problem we are potentially encountering.  I won’t go as far as the author and say there is agri-terrorism involved or acknowledge it is real, but there is a real problem with hybridization and mono-permaculture farming that does place the food sources at jeopardy.

Read these two articles and we will get to the technical stuff next

Department of Ag Cracks down on Seed Libraries

The Simpson Seed Library before its opening this past April. Credit: Rebecca Swanger

Setting the record straight on the legality of seed libraries

The problem with the many commercially available seeds at your garden center is hybridization.  Often the seeds are single generational varieties that will grow once and future seeds will be either sterile and not produce fruit or not even produce a viable plant.  Heirloom species come with their own inherent problems such as the inability to handle infestation or prone to blight or other fungal problems, most can be remedied by using companion planting. 

While I find the department of ag’s argument weak at best, it could be a possibility that agri-terrorism is a real threat on a national level, not a local one.  Would their methodology not be to taint wide spread commercially available seed products?  Or is it more effective to taint packets of 100 seeds?

These seed banks are put together by residents and neighbors wanting to utilize this type of service and harvesting seeds from plants can be difficult and time consuming.  Most of us who do save generational seeds (especially for all those lovely hot peppers we grow) it is a skill and has its risks.  Again that would be just having seeds that do not produce.  The thought that they would be poisonous plant seeds is ridiculous since when I harvest zucchini or cucumber seeds the worst possible thing that can happen is I mix up the two.  If I happen to mix up a carrot or a Queen Ann’s lace, well they are both edible, the same family but obviously the root will be different.  The fact that the seeds are not sold from the bank or library should right there be exempt from the state or feds regulations.

All in all this is another step of ridiculousness of government overreach; they will allow open genetic modification of plant stock but not allow a seed library.  I say keep trading and keep saving those seeds.

Happy gardening, farming and eating!

Cedar mulch – Friend or Foe?

There has been discussion of the use of Cedar mulch and can it be dangerous to the plants?  Really that depends on many variables but lets look at some of the known issues, the process it inhibits and some alternatives.

Sensitivity -Some people may be sensitive to the cedar fragrance, and they may find that it exacerbates allergy symptoms through either contact or smell.

Decomposition - Cedar will draw away nitrogen from the soil.  Typically only a problem when mulch is tilled into the soil.  Some argue this is a myth but for any of us who have used cedar extensively can attest that shredded cedar mulch decomposes quickly and requires it to be removed each year for fresh much.  An option is add it to a compost pile the year prior and let it begin to decay and if your compost is ready add it to the soil your planting in.  Make sure to take a pH reading of the compost before using it and compare it to the soil your planting in.

Acidic soil types - Cedar and pine mulches can add acid to the soil.  If you already have a low pH level cedar mulch can cause a problem.  You may want to add wood ash or lime to the soil if amending with cedar mulch.

Wet areas - low beds or wet spots can create an addition issue, but when adding mulch to it the problems grow significantly by promoting root rot.

Young plants - Cedar has been found to be toxic to young plants and seedlings.  Make sure if wanting to use cedar it is not in sawdust form or do not use on plants that have very shallow root systems such as celery or asparagus.

Beneficial bugs - The biggest benefit to cedar is it naturally repels insects.  But not just those pesky ones but also ladybugs and mantis, the ones we want around our plants.

So what is happening it the soil and the hubbub about Nitrogen.  We often use words inaccurately and using Nitrogen as it is, is one of those.  During natural decomposition you have organic material and to break down it needs oxygen, water and bacteria.  The oxygen and water start the process of decay, but decay is not enough.  Plants do not have mouths so they need to have their food is a water soluble form.

The decaying is a mixture of organic material, oxygen and water this process is called nitrification and creates Nitrites.  Once it reaches 72-78 degrees the bacteria move in and look for the Nitrites.  It is theses Nitrites the bacteria need to create Nitrates.  Nitrates are what the plant needs.

Back to the Cedar, this process takes longer, a lot longer and with natural inhibitors already in the wood it takes more for the process to take hold often directing the bacteria away from materials already needing to be converted and the essential oils in Cedar have been shown to kill these bacteria.  So now we need to amend the soil and we find ourselves in the catch 22.

So what can you do?  Cedar mulch is fine to use but on the balance of nature, sustainability and conservation you might want to avoid shredded cedar mulch except for trees, and hedges and perennial gardens based on items discussed if you want to use cedar in your vegetables choose cedar bark or chunk type mulches and be sure that no coloring has been added.  Many cedar mulches have a red dye added to give them a red appearance, cedar is actually an off orange, tan to brown color.

Remove the cedar before planting the next season and compost.  Replace with fresh mulch each year. Also water the ground heavily prior to placing mulch down.  After the mulch is down it will take up to 10x's more water to get it down to the roots of the plants.

Another option is to lay strips of ground fabric between plants, about 6" away from the base of the plants and place most of the mulch along those strips, keeping a thin layer near the plants.  Square foot planting will also reduce water consumption because the plant leaves will assist in keeping the soil at the right temperature and maintain water levels.  A good example would be zucchini.  A plant that requires to be planted in full sun but the leaves are often so large they shield the ground.  These large leaves serve multiple functions, photosynthesis and providing proper soil protection for the things the plant needs.  The sun is for the flowers, once set and pollinated it has done its job and now produces the fruit.  Mulch is not a huge help here.

If you are like me and love raised beds mulch may not be much of a help.  Often mulch will keep soil too wet and root rot will be a big problem.  My suggestion here is use leaves.  If you have a leaf shredder save a pile from the fall and use that as mulch.  It retains the same amount of water as the mulch, and it restricts weed growth.

No matter what you choose, keep in mind what you place in your gardens can always benefit or hinder your garden and each season needs to be addressed each year.  Meaning more rain less mulch or less rain more mulch, also keep an eye on where you get your mulch.  In recent years there have been reports of  lead in mulch coming from China and India as well as Canada, it is always a good idea to read the label or visit your local garden center, many of which sell locally produced mulch products and often cost far less than a per bag from a chain store, unless you only need to do a small area.  A cubic yard of mulch (about a ton) usually cost me about $35.

Happy gardening, farming and eating!