yearofplenty

The Goodwin Garden Seed Starting Schedule

I made my annual trip to Northwest Seed and Pet today to get my gardening game face on. It's officially time to start rattling around the greenhouse and get some early season crops started. Here in the Spokane area May 15 is the traditional last freeze date, so short of using a hoop house over the soil you want to plan your seed starting around that date. I recommend Irish Eyes Seeds, a locally owned seed company in Ellensberg, WA. They source a lot of their organic seeds from the Inland Northwest. Just like most commodities veggie seeds regardless of brand are likely from the same source of "who knows where." I like the local connection and local sourcing efforts of Irish Eyes. I noticed Seeds of Change Seeds at NW Seed for the first time. They are also a good choice.

Below is my game plan for the garden. I have a greenhouse which make managing larger plants easier. You might want to push it back 2 weeks if you're putting them by a south facing window.

March 1 - 11 weeks ahead of last freeze date

• Clean up greenhouse and get heater set up
• Map out this year's garden plan
• • rotate crops to limit disease (for example tomato, potato, eggplant varieties should not be planted in the same place from one year to the next.)
  • Be aware of plants that like each other and plants that don't. Go here or here for an overview.
• Start seeds for peppers, eggplant and onions.
• Plant parsnip seeds in the garden

March 15 - 9 weeks ahead of last freeze date

• Start seeds for tomatoes, perennials and some flowers (I'm experimenting with wildflower seeds I collected last year so I'll probably plant some trays of those for the fun of it.)
• I'll either start pea plants in the greenhouse or more likely just plant the seeds in the garden. It's so mild this year you could probably get away with it.
• Six weeks is probably more than adequate for starting most tomatoes but I like to make the most of the greenhouse. The bigger they are the more fun it is to give them to friends and neighbors.

March 29 - 7 weeks ahead of last freeze date

• Start seeds for squash, lettuce, kohl rabi and other "cole" crops like cabbage. I might start the cole crops earlier. Every year I swear off growing cabbage, kale etc. because we don't eat them. But the chickens sure do like it.
• I'll probably start a another tragic saga of the giant pumpkin somewhere in here too.

April 26 - 3 weeks ahead of last freeze date

• Go cry on the shoulder of Bruce Metzger from GEM Garden and Greenhouse and ask him why my plants are dying.
• Start seeds for cucumbers.
• Buy some of his starts from his greenhouse and put them in my greenhouse and feel a lot better about the green in my greenhouse.
• Plant pea and lettuce starts being sure to cover them at night if it freezes.

May 15 - historic last freeze date

• Empty the greenhouse and get it all planted except the tomatoes and peppers that really like it warm. June 1 is the usual date to plant out tomatoes and peppers around these parts.
• Beans really do best by direct seeding them into the garden so now is the time to do that. I don't bother with corn anymore. It takes up a lot of space, hogs water and fertilizer and generally disappoints come harvest time.

May 22 - one week before I told everyone on the blog to plant out their tomatoes and peppers

• Plant out tomatoes and peppers because I just can't stand taking care of them in the greenhouse anymore.

The best way to learn is to try and try again.

My new policy on the blog this year is that regular commenters get dibs on some plant starts from the Goodwin greenhouse (if your interested). Prolific Twitter retweeterers will also get serious consideration. Nancy has made me promise to not crowd the garden so much this year so I'm going to have to do something with all the starts. Let me know what you're interested in.

Almost Half of Western Washington Bee Colonies Suffer Collapse

I ran into Jerry Tate from Tate's Honey Farm at the Rocket Bakery this morning. I asked him how his bees are doing and he said they are great, but added that Western Washington Beekeepers are really hurting. I probed for more information and he explained that based on the research of the state beekeepers association, 45% of Washington bee colonies have collapsed (died) west of Ritzville. By contrast, only 25% of colonies to the east of Ritzville have suffered that fate, which is about average for beekeepers since the rise in recent years of varroa mites and the phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. The survey included all state beekeepers with over 1,000 colonies.

Jerry's hunch is that the late supply of nectar in the Spokane region helped eastern Washington bees whereas western Washington bees didn't have as much available late in the summer. From what I've read, the onset of colony collapse usually has a multiple factors that conspire together. It's a good lesson in the complex nature of the environment. We'd like to think there is one innovation that will fix everything, when it's actually the systems and the interactions of a variety of factors that need to be addressed.

One bit of trivia I learned from Jerry is that many western washington beekeepers send their bees to the Dakota's for part of the summer. He also mentioned that California bees also come north and spend some time in Washington before heading east to the Dakotas.

Jerry and others from the state association will meet with the state Secretary of Agriculture tomorrow in Olympia. Our state's economy is incredibly dependent on tree fruit, especially apples, and without bees to pollinate the trees there won't be any apples.

Whitworth Theatre Group Plans Michael Pollan Inspired Play

As I reported yesterday I spent some time with the Community Based Theatre class (pictured above) at Whitworth University, sharing about our family's year long experiment of consuming everything local, used, homegrown or homemade. They are in research mode, meeting with local folks like Fred Fleming of Shepherd's Grain and the Mike and Trish Vieira of Spokane's Family Farm, and reading Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma." 

They've started a blog called "What's In a Meal" where instructor Brooke Kiener explains the project;

As a class, we are reading a book together (The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan), conducting interviews, watching films, and going on field trips. We are examining our own beliefs as well as the ideas and opinions of others. We are talking to our family members, our good friends, and to complete strangers. And we will use all of this information and experience to create a play, that we will perform on Saturday, May 8th (time and place TBA). We are by no means experts on this subject, and our play won't be a final conclusion on these issues. Rather we see ourselves as engaged citizen-artists, using our intellectual and artistic abilities to connect with our community, to re-frame a problem, and to imagine potential solutions. We'll keep you updated on our progress through this blog, and we hope you'll share your thoughts, questions and comments with us...but beware, we might just put you in our show!

Stop by their blog and give them a shout out. It's a fun project. The food/local consumption conversation needs more artists, poets and playwrights. Thanks to Brooke for inviting me to participate.

Attack of the Agricurious Crop Mob

In the latest young adult social networking "mob" trend, there is a group in North Carolina participating in monthly Crop Mobbing incidents.

The Crop Mob, a monthly word-of-mouth (and -Web) event in which landless farmers and the agricurious descend on a farm for an afternoon, has taken its traveling work party to 15 small, sustainable farms. Together, volunteers have contributed more than 2,000 person-hours, doing tasks like mulching, building greenhouses and pulling rocks out of fields.

“The more tedious the work we have, the better,” Jones said, smiling. “Because part of Crop Mob is about community and camaraderie, you find there’s nothing like picking rocks out of fields to bring people together.”

The affable, articulate Jones, 27, is part of the group’s grass-roots core, organizing events and keeping them moving. The Mob was formed during a meeting about issues facing young farmers, during which an intern declared that better relationships are built working side by side than by sitting around a table. So one day, 19 people went to Piedmont Biofarm and harvested, sorted and boxed 1,600 pounds of sweet potatoes in two and a half hours. A year later, the Crop Mob e-mail list has nearly 400 subscribers, and the farm fests now draw 40 to 50 volunteers.

Local Food - The Play

I'm heading over to a Whitworth University theatre class this afternoon to talk about local food. They've been learning about food systems and are going create a play based on what they learn. Should be interesting.

Doma Coffee Roasters a Model of Sustainability

I had the pleasure last week of hanging out with the folks at DOMA Coffee Roasting Company in Coeur d' Alene/Post Falls. Our experiment of eating locally for a year opened up to us the world of Spokane area coffee roasters. Before I go on, let me just say that there is no reason for anyone who lives in Spokane to buy coffee beans that aren't locally roasted. There are plenty of local roasters to choose from and DOMA is right up there with the best of them.

I was most intrigued to hear about their coffee buying co-op. They have taken relationship coffee and fair trade to the next level and joined a co-op that makes long term commitments to growers and villages. You can actually go and track the various lots of coffee they have purchased through the co-op by viewing the original shipping documents. Considering that coffee beans are the world's largest food commodity it is impressive to have that kind of access to the source. Commodity food systems thrive off the lack of source information. I wish I could fair trade proof everything I buy.

One comment they made is that other fair trade purchasers, outside co-ops, rarely hear feedback from growers about problems in the grower/buyer relationship. By contrast, there is plenty of healthy back and forth in the co-op. Because of the long term commitments to growers and villages facilitated by the co-op, the farmers have the freedom to advocate for their interests. Growers without that kind of security and partnership are afraid to speak up lest they lose out.

Again, I wish that I could have this kind of assurance with everything I buy. Committed relationships between consumers and producers is a key to ensuring justice, fairness and sustainability along the supply chain. DOMA is doing their part to strengthen these relationships. When you buy DOMA you're buying the coffee beans and the relationships that come with them. Maybe that's a good way to think about everything we buy. It's not just the price tag and the brand name but all the relationships along the supply chain that brought that item to market.

And by the way, did I mention that their coffee is awesome. 

DOMA coffee beans are available at these retail locations:

Moscow Co-op

Pilgrim's Natural Foods

Boise Co-op

Main Market

Fresh Abundance

Winter Ridge

Atticus Coffee Shop in Downtown Spokane a Pleasant Surprise

I've lived most of my life near world class urban centers - Seattle, Los Angeles, and Houston and the one thing I miss living in Spokane is the grittiness and vitality of a big vibrant downtown. Downtown Spokane has its charms though.

My wife and I spent the night at the Davenport last night for a birthday celebration and we had a great time and I was pleasantly surprised on a morning walk to stop by Atticus Coffee Shop and Gifts. It was open early and has a cozy feel to it. They have coffee beans from several local roasters on tap, including Doma and Roast House. They also have a sampling of baked goods from local bakeshops like the Rocket. They also have a nice selection of gifts.

It's owned by the same folks that run Boo Radleys just down the corner from this location. Thanks for making an early morning stroll in downtown Spokane more pleasurable.

Friday Linkorama

A veggie garden in front of New York's City Hall?

It's not just farmers and consumers who are in a tizzy over Michael Pollan;

But there is another cultural divide coming to the fore in our society, this one between farmer and farmer. The best current example of this phenomenon is the flare up of opposition to Michael Pollan’s books criticizing industrial grain farms and animal factories. Agribusiness has suddenly realized it can no longer just ignore the opposition. A large scale corn and soybean farmer, Blake Hurst, went online with something he called the “Omnivore’s Delusion” to blast Pollan’s “Ominivore’s Dillema.” The crap really hit the fan. Industrial farm supporters and pastoral farm supporters went at each other on the Internet like a couple of tomcats, the former labeled sneeringly as factory food producers and the latter called, even more sneeringly, “agri-intellectuals.” Fast farming vs. fake farming.

Are Spokane's locavores Spokavores or Spocavores? At least I haven't heard anyone say Spocalvore...yet.

Atkinson elementary in Portland is feeding their kids locally grown Rutabagas. It's been awhile since I reminded the readers of the blog that our family had a Grand Champion Rutabaga at the Spokane County Fair a couple years back. It's kind of the Oscar or Grammy of root crops.

If you don't have enough anxiety in your life and want to get freaked out about farm raised salmon go here.

A friend of a friend has a new book out on the intersections of environment and faith. Tending to Eden by Scott Sabin. Scott is the Exec. Director of Plant With Purpose, a Christian mission agency that focuses on enviormental/land issues for impoverished people in small villages. They're doing amazing stuff in Haiti. Our church has been planting trees with this organization instead of buying Poinsettias for Christmas and Easter Lilies for Easter. Go here to plant a tree in Haiti.

Speaking of books, there may be a Year of Plenty book in the not too distant future. More on that later.

Have a great weekend.

"Fresh" Movie Now Showing at the Magic Lantern

"Fresh," a new movie about food, is playing at the Magic Lantern in downtown Spokane tonight, Feb 18 at 7pm. The site indicates it will be playing through Feb. 21.

Here's the synopsis;

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

The People Formerly Known as Consumers

 

I have been noticing a lot of back and forth between farmers and non-farmers on Twitter and this statement by @follownathan really caught my attention. He says, "I am growing very tired of hearing the word "consumer" It's a design for a disconnect #ag4all #agchat #food"

Nathan rode his bike across the country learning about and telling the stories of the farms and farmers he encountered along the way. But he has discovered in the process that his input on farming has not always been welcome. He has expressed often that he is dismissed as a "consumer" in conversations about agriculture. I have felt some of the same tensions in my conversations with farmers.

His comment reminded me of sentiments expressed in an article by Jay Rosen from 2006 titled, "The People Formerly Known as the Audience." In describing a rapidly changing media landscape where the audience no longer stands by passively he says;

The people formerly known as the audience wish to inform media people of our existence, and of a shift in power that goes with the platform shift you’ve all heard about.

Think of passengers on your ship who got a boat of their own. The writing readers. The viewers who picked up a camera. The formerly atomized listeners who with modest effort can connect with each other and gain the means to speak— to the world, as it were...

The people formerly known as the audience are those who were on the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another— and who today are not in a situation like that at all.

It really is amazing how dramatically things have shifted when it comes to media. I'm just a lowly local blogger but in a strange twist of Google economics my blog post about your business just might be considered more important than your business' web site. My 7 year old daughter just published her first book on Blurb. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for stock photography I can go to stock exchange and find it for free. And not only that, I'm even willing to upload my own stock photo library and let you use it for free. It's been a crazy time of upheaval in media. The audience is now the performer and the performer is the audience.

I wonder if it isn't time for an article titled, "The People Formerly Known as Consumers." Could it be that the same dynamics that have turned upside down the media landscape are also at work in the world of food and consumption? Is it possible that the free flow of information and opinion is overturning the old consumer producer/farmer relationship? Are we entering a time where awareness has grown enough to say that we're all farmers now, even if that isn't our vocation. I don't make a living as a photographer, or a journalist, or a food critic, or a publisher but I am all those things. I am a consumer...but I'm also a farmer.

The people formerly known as consumers are no longer content to stand by passively in the midst of our food systems and consumer lives.

To be continued...