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eNewsletter #27, May 2002
In this issue...

• Dear Organic Gardeners
• Farm Report: April 20, 2002
• Mother's Day Gift Ideas
• Four Sisters Farm Cut Flower Variety Trials
• Book Review: Hope's Edge, by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe
• On the Importance of using Organic Seeds
• Direct Seeding and Transplanting
• GreenPrints: The Lettuce Connection
• Photo Tip: One Gardener's View
• Calender
• Letters to the Editor

Throughout history and across the world, it is often traditionally women who tend the plants, grow the food, and nurture the earth. We've all seen the images of women in the fields with babies tethered to their bodies and small children hovering close by. So, it's appropriate that Mother's Day comes in spring, in this time of renewed connection to the earth and the plants that sustain us. It is to the mothers of the world, that we dedicate this newsletter.

To celebrate our mothers, we've created a special collection of flower seeds and offer a few other great gift ideas for the gardening mom. We've also reviewed the latest book by renowned author and activist, Francis Moore Lappe, written in collaboration with her daughter Anna. "Hope's Edge" chronicles the worldwide movement toward locally based, sustainable food systems, much of it engendered by women and centered on schools and children. Also this month, Research Farm Manager Micaela Colley visits the Four Sisters Farm, where mother and farmer Nancy Gammon, who named her farm after her four daughters, has been conducting cut-flower trials on many Seeds of Change varieties.

Our Farm Report this month, is once again by Emily Skelton, who is soon to be a mom herself. On top of all this, Steve Peters explains the many benefits of using organic seeds and we've got tips on direct seeding and transplanting. GreenPrints is back with another wonderful story, and our photo tip this month is a special look at one gardener's photographic efforts.

To all the Mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day! And to the rest of you, remember your mother!

Photo: Spring snow blankets the garlic bed at our Maine Trial Garden.

Spring is fully underway, and here at the Seeds of Change Research Farm we are all happily suffering from its fever. It feels wonderful to be outside watering carrots, poppies, and the seed crop of kale we planted last summer. All the perennials are up and growing. In the greenhouses tiny new starts are emerging daily. As Micaela Colley, our Research Farm Manager, and Steve Peters, our Agricultural Planner, organize the trials and create the field maps for this year, the rest of us are kept plenty busy with endless spring projects.

The cover crops we planted last fall are all mowed, thanks to Joe Martinez and his faithful Ford tractor. The winter cover crops that seem to work best in our climate are a mix of winter rye, hairy vetch, and Austrian winter pea. The rye grows fast and tall which shelters the nitrogen-fixing vetch and pea from the cold New Mexico winter. It provides cover very quickly in October and November and then remains dormant until spring. In the last few weeks it has grown from 3 or 4 inches to over 18 inches tall. Once the cover crop is mowed, we water it again and allow it to grow somewhat before we till it into the soil. After perhaps a week of allowing the cover crops to break down on top of and under the soil, we work the soil further by hand with digging forks and rakes before planting seed or transplanting starts.

The first greenhouse is almost completely full of our variety trial starts. There are hundreds of flats filled with vegetables, annual flowers, and perennials. The New Mexico climate is uniquely harsh on garden-variety starts in the spring for several reasons. There are often high winds at the farm with gusts up to 50 miles an hour and our elevation is over 5,000 feet which means the sun is particularly intense in the thinner atmosphere. In addition to that, the humidity in the spring typically is only around 20% and the temperature can fluctuate from a daytime high in the 70's to a nighttime low of 30 degrees. However, by our last frost date of May 20, when we transplant our starts the nighttime temperatures warm up to the forties and fifties.

To toughen up the tender 6-8 week-old plants and get them ready for these harsh conditions, we first put them into a shade house. The plants will stay there for two weeks. Then we will gradually expose them to full sunlight and other inclement weather. A week or two after we plant them out in the field, they generally take off and grow like crazy, which is a good sign that the transplanting process did not cause them too much stress.

This year, in addition to our field trials and seed crops, we are also growing our Scarlet Nantes carrot and an interesting Chinese carrot variety for continued breeding and selection work. We are building a pollination tent over the Chinese carrot to prevent cross-pollination with the Scarlet Nantes. A third carrot, an Asian type, is being grown on the farm of our newest team member, Dennis Roberts whose farm is more than five miles from the Seeds of Change Research Farm thus eliminating any potential cross-pollination problems. We are grateful to Dennis for his help and are excited to have him as part of our team this summer.

For all of us at the farm, it is exciting to be back in the fields, tilling the earth, seeding and transplanting over 1,000 varieties, weeding, and watering. It's satisfying to know that all our hard work goes towards creating new varieties to offer through our web site and catalog every December. It is good to be working out in the field again with such an amazing group of people.

Emily Skelton, Seeds of Change
Emily is a Research Farm Associate, Head Seed Cleaner, and frequent contributor to our enewsletter.

Photos:Joe Martinez mows cover crops with his trusty Ford tractor. Young seedlings thrive in one of our new greenhouses.

Fresh cut flowers are one of the delights we cherish most from the summer garden. At Seeds of Change we have long recognized the importance of growing cut flowers organically, whether in the backyard garden or in commercial production. As we develop our bulk seed offerings for growers, we are keeping in mind that producing organic cut flowers with organically grown seed is just as important as it is in vegetable production. We know from our research farm trials that many of our varieties make great garden bouquets, but until last summer we had not tested them in a commercial operation. Since commercial growers have stricter criteria than a typical back yard gardener regarding things such as stem length and longevity, we asked our friends Nancy and Robin Gammons of Four Sisters Farm to test some of our varieties alongside their favorites on their commercial cut-flower farm in Aromas, California and to tell us how our varieties performed.

At Four Sisters Farm, named after their four daughters, Nancy and Robin have been growing organic cut flowers, kiwi fruit, and greens for 25 years. As a team, Nancy focuses on the flowers while Robin looks after the kiwis and greens. Two of the daughters, Jill and Dusty, who were raised on the farm, still participate, making it a family affair. Located outside Watsonville, the specialty-cut-flower capital, Four Sisters sits in an optimum location for cut flower production, with plenty of warm summer days and a long season. Situated eight miles from the coast they avoid much of the fog that Santa Cruz County receives. However, if it heats up too much in the valley the fog will pull in and quickly cool down a 90-degree day. Four Sisters markets its produce throughout the bay area at farmers markets, including Santa Cruz, Berkley, Menlo Park, and Watsonville, as well as area grocery stores, and wholesale distributors. In addition, they offer custom flowers for weddings and special occasions. For more information about Four Sisters Farm see their web site at www.localharvest.org/farms/M1657.

Each summer the fields at Four Sisters are filled with some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. One of the signatures of Four Sister's bouquets is diversity. Along with her favorite zinnias and sunflowers Nancy always grows a wide array of lesser-known ornamentals, including Salvias, Godetias, and Delphiniums, which she has found to make great cut flowers. Nancy feels that flowers grown organically exhibit a certain luminosity that conventionally grown cut flowers don't have. Perhaps it's due to the health and vigor of being organically fertilized and cultivated, or maybe it is the loving care they receive. After seeing her flowers, one can only agree.

After growing our varieties Nancy was amazed at the vigor and germination rates compared with other sources. "They literally jumped out of the field. The Seeds of Change varieties germinated fast and grew quickly, she says. The Picotee Cosmos got so tall they were over her head. Other qualities she appreciated in our varieties included, the long stem quality and height of the Picotee and Yellow Garden Cosmos and the uniqueness of the Jerusalem Sunrise Lemon and Gloriosa Sunflowers, which added diversity to her regular array of sunflowers. These two polyheaded varieties were also lauded for their moderate flower size (about 5 inches across) which makes them fit well into a bouquet, as well as their branching quality, which yields many flowers to cut per plant.

Of course, we all have our personal taste and the Orange and Yellow Safflowers were Nancy's least favorite, as she prefers flowers with a softer appearance and lack of prickly leaves. In her moderate climate the extreme heat lovers Celosia and Safflower were slower growing and probably would do better in a hotter climate.

Nancy was impressed by all of the Zinnias she trialed including Canary Yellow, Purple Dahlia, Shades of Pink, and Pastel Dreams. In particular she was impressed with their large flowers (3-4 inches across), long stems (average 30 inches), and strong stature, which make them great as cut flowers. Of the entire trial, her very favorite was the Canary Yellow Zinnia for its big beautiful, bold flowers and brilliant color.

This year we have increased the number of varieties Four Sisters will trial and have also sent a selection to three other growers around the country. The information we gain gives us broader knowledge of our varieties performance in various climates and in a commercial operations, where they are continually being harvested and sold. We will keep you updated as we gather more information on growing cut flowers. We extend many thanks to Four Sisters Farm for their time and enthusiasm in growing and evaluating our Seeds of Change flower varieties.

Micaela Colley, Seeds of Change Farm Manager

Photo: Nancy Gammons of Four Sisters Farm immersed in a field of Picotee Cosmos.

For many of us who came of age in the 1970's, reading Frances Moore Lappe's "Diet for a Small Planet" was a life transforming experience, shattering our conceptions about the root causes of world hunger and opening our minds to the possibilities of a plant-based, protein-rich, whole-foods diet. Thirty years and millions of copies later, the book still makes profound sense in a world where food resources are overly abundant for some, while painfully scarce for others, and the average North American diet consists of highly processed foods that are shipped thousands of miles to market.

With her newest book, "Hope's Edge, The Next Diet for a Small Planet," Ms. Lappe has teamed up with her daughter Anna to revisit and expand on the themes of the original book in the context of a world that has changed in ways no one could have predicted. The globalization and consolidation of our food system, the staggering loss of plant diversity, the continuing farm crisis, dwindling water and soil resources, and the genetic modification of our staple food crops like soy and corn, lead us to wonder if there is indeed hope for this small planet. "Hope's Edge" considers these issues, first by challenging the way we've been conditioned to think about them.

Is hunger really driven by scarcity, as the agribusiness apologists would have us believe, or is it an outgrowth of the lack of a "living democracy" throughout the world as the authors contend? Can we solve our ecological dilemma by dissection and applying the latest technological "quick fix," or do we need to think broadly and look at whole systems, including people and their cultures?

Page after page, "Hope's Edge" challenges our notions of what the real problems are and takes us to places where ordinary people are taking extraordinary measures to regain control over their food and their lives. For many, the results have been improved health, stronger communities, and conservation of the earth's resourcesÑall astonishing achievements in the face of our dominant "profits before people" paradigm in which over a billion people worldwide are underfed and malnourished.

"Hope's Edge" takes us to India where Vandana Shiva's "Navdanya" (Nine Seeds) Movement has helped thousands of farmers to recover their traditional agriculture by saving and sharing seeds, while others, having destroyed their farms with an onslaught of chemicals and increasing debt, commit suicide, often by ingesting the very chemicals they've been sold on borrowed money. In Bangladesh, the Grameen Bank's tiny loans have enabled thousands of women to lift themselves from destitution while the vast majority is still mired in some of the world's worst poverty. In Brazil, The Landless Workers Movement (MST), comprised of over 250,000 families, has taken over idle land, vastly improving their lives and cutting infant mortality by half, in a land where as many as one of every fifteen children die from malnutrition and treatable diseases. In Kenya, the greenbelt movement has planted 21 million trees and struggled to save countless others in an attempt to reforest their denuded countryside, while logging interests fight to squeeze more profits from the last remaining forest.

Here at home, in Berkeley, California, children are learning the joys of organic gardening and cooking natural foods in their public middle school while at the same time billions of dollars are spent to market nutritionally depleted, fast-food to our children. Time and again we are inspired to realize that we are not powerless, and that our actions are capable of engendering positive, fundamental change in the face of daunting odds. Time and again we are brought to "hope's edge."

In addition to these and other inspiring stories from home and abroad, and a plethora of statistics and information, we are also continually reminded of the joys of whole-food cuisines from around the globe. Each chapter has wonderful recipes that reflect the traditional foods from the culture being discussed. The final section, "Coming to our Senses" contains more than fifty gourmet recipes from some of our leading vegetarian chefs and cookbook authors including, Laurel Robertson, Molly Katsen and Anna Thomas, who, along with Frances Moore Lappe and others, started this revolution in the way we think about food. How far this cuisine has evolved from its humble vegetable stirfries and bean casseroles!

"Hope's Edge" is a deep, thoughtful, and provocative look at how we feed ourselves and how our diet affects our bodies, our communities, and our fragile and ever smaller planet. It issues an imperative to act; to support our local farmers; to teach the value of true democracy; to treasure our environment and to savor the gift of healthy, whole food. Read it and pass it on to a friend. As "Diet for a Small Planet" did for many of us thirty years ago, it could change your life.    S.V.

The subject came up recently on the Seeds of Change eGroup as to why one should use organically grown seed rather than conventional seed that is produced with chemical inputs. The following are a few of the primary reasons why we at Seeds Of Change believe that organic seeds are the superior choice.

1) Organically grown seed is better for the environment.

The same principle applies to fertilizers. Conventional inputs such as anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, and di-ammonium phosphate are highly soluble and disruptive to the carbon cycle and to the soil biota, including microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes), nematodes, beetles, worms, etc.. In contrast, organic growers use slow-release amendments such as compost, green manures, greensand, and colloidal rock phosphate, which have positive effects on the soil's biological community. Additionally, these nutrients (particularly nitrogen) are much less likely to be leached out into the groundwater.

2) Organically grown seed is better adapted for organic soil/farm environments.

3) Purchasing organically grown seed supports organic farmers throughout the world.

At Seeds Of Change we continually strive to develop superior varieties of organically produced seed. We grow out our varieties each year at our research farm to evaluate them first hand for a wide array of characteristics including: vigor, trueness to type, flavor, hardiness, and time to maturity. We also work to improve our varieties through field selections and breeding efforts conducted both at our research farm and in the fields of our network of certified organic growers. By working directly with organic farmers, we know that our seed is not only produced organically, but in a sustainable manner, and we are able to evaluate our varieties' performance in an organic production system. In addition, we are conducting replicated field trials on commercial organic farms against standard conventional varieties. We believe that this level of involvement is necessary to provide our customers with the best organic seed possible.

Have a great season!
Steve Peters, Seeds of Change Agricultural Planner

When to Plant
Whether transplanting your starts, or direct seeding to the garden, you'll first need to determine the optimum time to plant. Find out the "frost free" date for your area and follow the instructions on your seed packs. If you don't know the average date of the last frost for your area, ask other gardeners in your neighborhood or contact your local extension service.

Soil Preparation
When your soil has dried out enough to work easily, prepare your beds by working the soil as deeply as possible without disturbing its natural layering. Double digging is a great way to accomplish this. For a brief description of the process, see the double digging "short course." Or, for an in depth explanation with illustrations, check out John Jeavons' How to Grow More Vegetables...

You'll find working the soil much more satisfying when you use a digging fork rather than a shovel. A digging fork penetrates the soil more easily , works around sticks and stones and breaks up the soil better than a shovel. It's also easier on your precious earthworms. If your soil is too dry and compacted, soaking the area a couple of days prior to digging can be a great help.

Work mature compost and other organic amendments into the top 4-6 inches of the soil using your digging fork, then level the surface of the bed and rake it smooth. These steps should be sufficient for transplants, but for direct seeding, you'll want to rake out the top two inches of soil until it is free of any debris or clods. This will provide an optimum environment for germination and allow your seedlings to emerge unimpeded. Some say it's best to let the soil "rest" for a day or two before transplanting.

Double Digging, The Short Course

1. Loosen the top foot of soil in the entire bed using the digging fork. If this is a new garden, remove the sod and reuse it or compost it.
2. Down one side of the bed, dig a trench in the loosened soil one foot deep (or the depth of your topsoil if it is less) and one foot wide. Set the soil aside in a cart or on a tarp.
3. Loosen and aerate the subsoil in the trench with the fork. Work in an inch or two of organic matter, and then fill the trench with the topsoil from the next one-foot section of the bed.
4. Repeat this process until you get to the end of the bed. Use the soil you set aside to fill the last trench.
5. Rest

Direct Seeding
As you lay out where everything will go, take companion planting possibilities into consideration to increase you garden's potential. (see "Recommended Reading" below) Also, be sure to rotate your varieties to a different place in the garden from the previous two years to reduce pest problems. Once you know what's going where, dig a furrow in the soil to the planting depth indicated on the seed pack. We generally sow 2 to 3 times as closer than the desired plant spacing, then thin out the weaker plants before things get crowded. For leafy greens you might want to plant even closer as the thinnings make great early salads and denser planting can help in weed suppression.

Place the seeds in the bottom of the furrow, backfill, and lightly tamp the soil over the seed. With its pointed blade, our farm-tested Warren Hoe from Bulldog is a great tool for this job and general cultivating as well. For squashes, melons, and cucumbers, we often plant three or four seeds a few inches apart in a "hill," or mound, keeping our hills about five feet apart. This will allow plenty of space for the vines to run and allow you to concentrate your compost and other fertilizer where it's needed most. A little depression in the center where you plant the seeds will help with watering. If you've got a big garden and you're not looking forward to spending a lot of time on your hands and knees planting seeds, or you just want to save time, check out our new Walk Behind Seeder. Finally, remember to treat your peas and beans before planting with a legume inoculant. (available at your local garden center.)

Watering
Consistent moisture is a key to good germination so be sure to keep your beds damp but not soaked and use caution not to wash delicate seeds out. Our mist nozzle works well for this. For seeds sown close to the surface we often mulch with a thin layer of straw. This allows light to penetrate but helps keep the soil from drying out. For most seeds, you can lay a board on the soil to keep it moist, removing it at the first sight of sprouting. Once your seedlings emerge, allow the surface of the soil to dry out between waterings. When the plants are established irrigate according to the needs of the variety as indicated by the watering symbol on the pack.

Transplanting
Now that you've worked your beds deeply and enriched the soil, hopefully you've got a bunch of sturdy seedlings which have been hardened off (see note below)*, as well as a good sense of when to transplant, based on your frost-free date and the plant's hardiness. To ease the shock of transition, it's ideal to transplant on a calm, cloudy day. If this isn't possible, evening is the next best time, or try early morning if necessary. Always avoid transplanting in the heat of the day.

You'll want to plant your starts to the same soil level as they had in their pots, so make your holes about the same size as the root ball. Gently ease the plant out of its container, immediately place it in the hole and gently pack the space around it with soil. Making a small depression or "well" around the plant will help in watering. If you've used peat pots, be sure to soak them with water first, and bury them completely so that the roots can penetrate. If cutworms are a problem in your garden, you might want to make some cardboard collars to place around the stems of your transplants. The collars should encircle the stem from an inch below the soil surface to about 2 inches above the surface.

For tomatoes we've had good luck planting our starts on their sides and burying a portion of the stem after removing the lower leaves. The stem will sprout more roots in the warm soil and your plants will love you for it. If you want to get a jump on the season, protecting your plants with our solar bells or garden tunnels can buy you a couple of weeks and help get your plants off to a fast start. Our wallowaters, (or is that wallsowater?) can allow you to get your transplants out there even earlier, by as much as a month.

More Watering
Keep your newly transplanted starts continually moist for a week or so. They might look a little limp at first but they should snap back in a few days. You can decrease watering frequency as the plants plunge their roots deeper into the soil. A light mulch will help retain moisture and control weeds, but can also keep the soil from warming up. So it's best not to mulch too heavily until the soil is good and warm. Remember, these little babies will grow, so follow the recommended spacing on the seedpack. An occasional application of a liquid organic fertilizer or side dressing with compost should keep them going strong, right through to the harvest.

A Note on Hardening Off
As your seedlings mature, and starting a couple of weeks before you're ready to transplant them, you'll need to gradually get them used to the idea of being outside in the sun, wind, and cool nights. Do this by setting them outside in a protected place for an hour or two at first, and then gradually increase their exposure until transplanting day. Be sure not to overdo it at first and remember that they will dry out much faster outside. Using cold frames or cloches is a great way to harden off, as you just open and close as the weather dictates. Our new Deluxe Cold Frame even has an optional, Automatic Vent Opener to help prevent overheating during the day and freezing at night.

For further information about planting your garden, check your local library, or consult one of the excellent gardening books available through our catalog or website. We've reviewed a couple of great ones in our "Recommended Readings" section below. And, as always, feel free to e-mail us with your questions.

Photos Top to Bottom: Seeds of Change crew wielding their digging forks, Direct seeding in furrows helps hold moisture in dry climates, Transplanting seedlings.

Contents | Seeds of Change Homepage

Lettuce is the star of my garden show. I coddle my romaines, looseleafs, and butterheads the way some gardeners do roses. Both lettuce and roses are good garden company, but I'm partial to lettuce. After all, lettuces have hearts; roses have thorns. Besides, what other plant gets described by seed companies as "undemanding," "tender," "reliable," "firm," "sweet," "quickly maturing," "attractive," "not fussy," and "hearty." A recent upscale catalogue called one old-fashioned romaine "whimsical" and "fun." What perfect companionship! Give me friends and colleagues with lettuce personalities! Lettuce has also been a guiding star in my life, beginning one exquisite spring morning when I was six and still a stranger to gardens, except in stories and rhymes. Until that spring, my mother's iceberg salads, drizzled with homemade French dressing, were my only acquaintance with lettuce.

On this particular morning, I had an intense case of spring fever on top of my usual, six-year-old magical mental state. As I walked down our hill, on my way to a friend's house, clouds of dogwood and redbud blossoms, perfumed breezes, butterflies sipping in sunlit puddles, and steady warmth on my bare legs dazzled me. By the time I had reached my friend's house, I was deep in trance. I rang the front bell, but no one answered. The new, green grass and yellow daffodils in the front yard jumped into my eyes while I waited. I gave up and was on my way back around the house when I noticed that their basement door was wide open. I drifted inside to the familiar, gray spaces where my brother and I frequently played with our friends. A splash of color grabbed my attention. Spread out on a table, spotlighted by a sunny window, was an array of seed packets, the first I had ever seen. The bright pictures on the small envelopes enchanted me, especially the sunlit-green portrait of lettuce. I picked up, stared at, squeezed, and shook the packet next to my ear; the packet that was still in my hand when I left the basement and set off towards home. About halfway there, the spell broke. What had I done? Forgotten one of my parents' top rules-taken something that wasn't mine. If only I could sneak it back, but I was afraid-what if the neighbors returned? Overcome with shame, I couldn't bear the humiliation of others knowing what I had done, or of trying to explain actions that bewildered even myself. I needed a simple solution.

By the time I turned into our driveway, I had decided to get rid of the packet before my mother spotted it. Pure instinct led me straight to a pine tree, not much taller than I was, in a corner of our back yard. I ripped open the small envelope and shook its contents into my palm. That was all? Those tiny gray flakes? What did they have to do with that picture of glowing, emerald leaves? Just for the fun of it, I slowly paced three times around the pine tree, sprinkling pinches of the seed beside me as I walked. I don't remember how I disposed of the torn packet, but I vividly recall the conversation between my mother and father two weeks and a few rains later. We were at the kitchen table, having just finished breakfast.

"Did you plant some lettuce?" my father asked my mother. "Lettuce?" My mother sounded surprised. "Where would I plant lettuce? I don't even know how to plant lettuce."

"There's a circle of lettuce around the pine tree in the backyard," he said.

My thumb shot into my mouth. "That's impossible," my mother said.

"I'll show you," he said. They clattered their coffee cups into their saucers and marched out the back door, with me at their heels. We all made a beeline for the white pine, crouched down, and gaped at the bright circlet of chartreuse leaves capering around the scraggly little tree. The scene amused-and entranced-me. It was love at first sight.

"Why, how strange," my mother said. "Someone must be snooping around, planting lettuce seeds in our yard." (Seeds! Those tiny flakes were lettuce seeds!)

"I doubt it," said my practical father, who had some gardening experience.

"Someone must have planted the seed last fall, and it waited until spring to sprout."

"It seems like an odd place to grow lettuce," my mother remarked.

"Lettuce is a pleasant plant," my father said, kindly. "I'm not going to worry unless something else happens." If at that moment either of them had asked me, I probably would have confessed all, but they seemed satisfied with the planted-last-fall explanation.

"Would you like to water these baby lettuces?" my mother asked me. "Maybe they'll grow."

"They won't get very big," said my father. "Too much shade."

"I want to water them!" I said eagerly. And I did water them, with the blue pitcher my mother provided. Until they dwindled a few weeks later, as my father had predicted, I made daily pilgrimages to the miraculous lettuce garden.

Lettuce has taught me many lessons. Over a century ago, Dr. George Washington Carver, whose work and wisdom would one day deeply inspire me, said, "I love to think of nature as wireless telegraph stations through which God speaks to us every day... "The small evergreen with its necklace of lettuce seedlings was my first "station," where I received many understandings, not in words, but in flashes of insight about the nature of spirit and the spirit of nature; where I tuned in with all my senses, my heart an open window, my mind an open mouth. Occasionally I pulled up a seedling, examined the tiny roots, and poked them, hopefully, back in the dirt. Now and then, crouching like a small rabbit beside the fairy ring of lettuce, I sniffed and nibbled a frilly leaf or two. Sometimes, filled with regret, I moped like a small rain cloud over my jaunty plants, close to confessing just to get the trouble off my chest. But then the magical merry-go-round of seedlings, backlit with morning sunlight or bejeweled with raindrops, would make me smile from the heart out. I would think, "They look like little dancers with wavy green skirts!" And then, "This lettuce came from seeds that I planted, something my mother doesn't even know how to do!" These were thoughts like rainbows, dispelling gloom and guilt. I was safe; all would be well. Someday in the future I would make amends for coveting and stealing my neighbor's lettuce. I kept my secret and, in the fullness of time, as a gardener and a garden educator, I have made amends. For years I've loaded up friends and neighbors with bags of crisp, bright lettuce leaves and packets of my own heirloom mesclun seed. In school gardens I've helped a thousand eager children create their own lettuce shows. (One year, when it was so expensive the city school system refused to buy it, I helped 16 classes grow enough lettuce in their school gardens to supply the cafeteria salad bar all spring-for a fraction of the grocery store cost.) In my own garden, lettuce still gets top billing, especially during Act I, when overwintered young plants become so exuberant they begin to flounce out from under their row covers. They kick off the season, their vivacity and cut-and-come-again generosity charming me, as usual; their easy cultivation convincing me, once again, that I'm an agricultural genius. When troubles cloud my life, or personal relationships get thorny, I still seek out the rousing company and visual tonic of gala green frills, rosy ruffles, and dancing seedlings in chartreuse rows. Trowel or hose in hand, I muse and meditate among the lettuces until my mental skies clear, and I take heart.

Green Prints Magazine, The Weeder's Digest, is published and edited by Pat Stone, and his family in Fairview, North Carolina Copyright © Green Prints. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission by GreenPrints. Subscribe to Greenprints at www.greenprints.com

This month our photo tip takes a different twist with more inspiration than information. Laurie Tumer, a member of our Garden Help Forum recently shared her photographic work with us. As many of us were excited to see her unique and personal approach to recording her experience of the garden, we've asked if she would share it with our eNewsletter readers as well. She has graciously agreed. Especially interesting for gardeners would be her portfolios entitled "Planted" and "Cultivated Subjects" of which we show examples here. Her "Glowing Evidence" series will reassure us all as to why we grow organically. Please visit Laurie's website at www.laurietumer.com

"In the winter, after a luxurious reprieve, I begin to plan and dream about next year's garden, making silly drawings and poring over seed catalogs. Inside I watch the gourds dry, photographing them mostly at this time because of how the light is low and enters the rooms in my house. I try to show in small photographs the large drama of growing things."

"In the spring I begin by fixing the fences and trellises that the dogs and gourds have weakened. I buy new soaker hoses, amend the Anazasi soil, and buy seed and seedlings. And of course there is the sacred part - filling the little dirt holes with seeds."

Laurie Tumer, Organic Gardener and Fine Art Photographer

Photos: Vertical - Delphinium, 1998, from the "Planted Series." Horizontal - Mamorata Gourd, 2001, from "Culitvated Subject."

Sustainable Building Workshop
Tuesday May 21st, 6:30-8:30, San Luis County Library, 995 Palm, San Luis Obispo

Dan Chiras, author, green building consultant, and educator, will focus on homes, our most valuable possessions, examining their hidden impacts on the life-support systems of the planet and exploring a host of simple, cost-effective ways to build and remodel homes that are nurturing, healthy, aesthetically appealing, and environmentally friendly. In this Tuesday evening event, sponsored by Sustainable Building Council and HopeDance Magazine, Dan will share his 25-years of experience in the areas of sustainable living, green building, and renewable energy, offering practical advice and philosophical guidance.

Seeds of Change will donate certified organic, open-pollinated seeds for those attending the event. Come learn about this growing movement and what it takes to build a dream home that protects our natural resources, reduces pollution, and provides healthy, affordable shelter.

For more information contact
Sustainable Building Council
7900 El Camino Real
Atascadero CA, 93422
466-6737 ext 205
sbccc@calinet.com

Gardening for The Future of The Earth
A series on human-scale sustainable agriculture, inspired by the Seeds of Change Book, "Gardening for The Future of The Earth," continues at the Blue Ridge Center in Purcellville, VA (http://www.brces.org), Thursday evenings at 7pm in the big tent. Call or email to reserve a chair. Allan Balliett: 540-668-6165

May 2 - Alan Chadwick and French Intensive Biodynamic Gardening - Video: Garden Song

May 9 - John Jeavons - Biointensive Gardening - Video: Circle of Plenty

May 16 - Masanobu Fukuoka - One Straw Revolution/Nature Gardening - Video: The Close to Nature Garden

May 23 - Elaine Ingham - The Soil Foodweb - Video: Life in the Soil

October 4th-6th, 2002
Plan now to attend the 2002 Mid-Atlantic Biodynamic Food and Farming Conference at the Blue Ridge Center. Featured speakers include Howard Shapiro, Glen Atkinson, Elaine Ingham, Hugh Lovel, Hugh Courtney, James Demeo, Jerry Brunetti, Will Winter, and Mark Shepard. For more info, contact Allan Balliett at igg@igg.com or 540-668-6165

Dear Jill,

Thanks for your suggestion. We also think highly of Wendell Berry's work and have sold his books in the past and will again. Berry's "Life is a Miracle" contains a valid critique of E.O. Wilson's 1998 best-selling book "Consilience." I can't imagine that critics will find "The Future of Life" nearly as polemic as Wilson's earlier work. For me it stands as a highly illuminating and clear synopsis of the challenges we face to save our planet and as much as possible of the biodiversity that remains.

Editor

Dear Editor,

Before you get too hyped on EO Wilson's teachings, perhaps you should read Wendell Berry's book: Life is a Miracle. It clarifies what some of Wilson's ideas are about.

Cheers,
Jill Davies

Dear Editor,

Just wanted to say I enjoyed greatly your recent newsletter and the article on permaculture. It can be so discouraging living in the States, wondering if the whole world is going the way of chemically-laden foods, grown a plane trip away. The article was inspirational.

Thank you,
Kathleen Weldon, Cambridge, MA

Dear Editor,

I am not sure how many people will respond to Bill Mollison's statement about American women being the one's "buggering everybody up". Bill states that 80-90% of capital invested in non-sustainable companies is invested by American women and concludes that this must be true of the whole world. I would appreciate some sources if he is going to make such outlandish statements. Someone needs to tell him that you can not make offensive conclusions from incomplete information and that he may be an expert when it comes to permaculture but concerning the social cause of unsustainability he has no right to pretend to be an expert.

After reading these statements I was highly offended and could not understand why company that stands for so many good things would allow these statements in print. I don't think Bill has the entire picture. Because if he did he would see that most statistics have concluded that more women buy organically produced items than men. Can I thus conclude that men don't care about the environment and we need to educate all men so that they stop messing everything up? I am deeply confused that a man who has obviously done great things can have such narrow viewpoints. It really scares me that in today's world someone can make these kind of statements that blame American women for causing unsustainability. Does he understand the old proverb that when you point a finger at someone there are four fingers pointing right back at you. We all contribute. Please ask Bill to send me the sources that he has found to come to his conclusion that women of America need to reformed. Because if he is correct (which is highly impossible), then of course we should do something. But he has no right to make these offensive and untrue statements. I am not sure what he is trying to say but his statements make me think that he does not like women and thus is trying to make them out to be the problem.

Please do not let this type of thinking become associated with permaculture. Permaculture is all about a holistic view of an environment. Holism should not be limited in the garden, but should include the entire world.

Melissa VanTine, West Virginia

Seeds of Change Responds:

Dear Mellissa,

Thanks for writing. I wish I could have talked to Mr Mollison about this (and a number of other things) after we got the transcript, but he's notoriously hard to contact, so I was on my own. I guess I always try to err on the side of inclusion rather than censorship. His opinions certainly don't reflect the policies or ideals of Seeds of Change as a company.

The reason I left it in the piece was because, in this day of money market funds and 401K plans, I thought that it made the point about how little most of know about where our money is actually invested. I don't think he meant it as a slam toward women, I rather took it as implying that women are much better at saving and investing money than men. Couldn't it be that 85% of investments are by women or jointly held by women and men? That said, I can't imagine that a whole lot of the stock market could be considered an investment in sustainable enterprises. So maybe it's not entirely implausible. But I think the idea is important, regardless of the proper stats. I wonder how many women who are driving the boom in organics unknowingly have investments that they would consider less than sustainable?

Again, I apologize for any offense.
Editor

Dear Editor,

I am so grateful that you'll use this type of technology. It does let me stay in touch while reducing the feeling of being isolated. I particularly enjoyed the permaculture interview and like being able to click on links scattered through out the newsletter. I appreciate all the team work that goes into creating Seeds of Change.

Carol Judy, Roses Creek, Tennessee

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