Farm Report: June 2003

Long days and warm weather indicative of summer lead to intense productivity for both the plants and the people who tend them here at the Seeds of Change Research Farm. It is as if we all sense the narrow window of opportunity that nature allows us to complete an essential cycle. This time of year finds us in the middle of a data collection cycle for the hundreds of plant varieties grown here annually. As the enormous diversity of seeds sown in our greenhouses and fields fall from my fingers, I am continually reminded that seed is the foundation of what we do here.

The flower garden is already full of blooming perennials, biennials, and reseeding and newly seeded annuals. As droves of pollinating insects visit the myriad flowers, an observant eye cannot help but notice how an assortment of flower shapes, colors, textures, canopies, and aromas fosters a diversity of fauna. It makes one feel so alive to walk the garden paths! This spring Purple Dame's Rocket, White Peshwar poppies, Bachelor Buttons, and Chinese pinks provided the earliest splash of color to the gardens. Today, flowering Lamb's Ear adds softness of color and texture. Belladonna delphinium serves as a dramatic backdrop for Blue Bell and Blue Spire larkspur, as well as Wild Purple and Foxy foxglove. Peach Leaf campanula is a stunning contrast of color to the surrounding Classic and Orange Zinger calendula. The Nemorosa and Victoria sage are especially attractive to the numerous species of bees inhabiting the farm. I particularly enjoy the soothing scent of 'Munstead' English Lavender, the grandeur of 'Yellow' and 'Olympic' Mullein, and the unique flavor of Beetberry in my salads.

The vegetable gardens are also progressing nicely. The first wave of lettuce trials are growing vigorously under the protection of shade cloth, an item which allows us to grow beautiful and tasty greens despite the intense sun and heat typical for this time of year in New Mexico. In addition to our tomato trials, in which we are analyzing over fifty varieties this year, we are growing Three Sisters tomatoes in our pollination tent, with the intention of collecting seed at the end of the growing season. Three Sisters, as described in our 2003 catalog, has been an ongoing breeding project aimed to create the "perfect" open-pollinated slicing tomato. This year we will make further selections, saving seeds only from plants exhibiting the desirable traits. Another breeding project underway at the farm this year is Purple Martian sweet corn, which is already knee high. The rest of the crops in the ground, such as squash, onions, sunflowers, okra, sesame, peppers, eggplant, leeks, radishes, chard, potatoes, and melons, simply mark the beginning of the vast array of vegetables that will fill our fields this summer and fall.

Enjoy the bustling of the summer season,
Jordan Rainwater, Research Associate
and the entire staff at the Seeds of Change Research Farm