"There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water and garlic." - Louis Diat, French Chef (1885-1957)

Dear Organic Gardeners,

September is such a great time to celebrate the joys of our garden labors. There's nothing quite like feasting with friends and family on fresh sweet corn, picked as the kettle's on the boil, pasta sauce from freshest plum tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs. Bread smothered with chopped garlic from the recent harvest, and living greens lightly sautéed with even more garlic. Can we ever get enough of that fresh hardneck garlic? I don't think so!

September is also a great time to think about soil, specifically how to nurture it to assure even more abundance in the coming years. Some gardeners use the time after the harvest to add compost, fish fertilizer or other soil enhancing materials before bedding down their bare soil with a deep mulch for the winter or preparing beds to plant overwintering crops, such as spinach or kale. And don't forget to prepare those garlic beds. One of the best, and easiest, ways to protect and enrich your soil at this time of year, is to sow cover crops which both protect and enrich your precious ground. This month, Research Farm associate Lynda Prim shares some of her knowledge about how to employ these soil building wonders.

	Growing Garlic History, types, growing, harvesting and storage tips for the gardener and the market grower... Read More >
	Cover Crops What they are and why they matter in your garden. Easy ways to start using them now... Read More >
	Greenhouse Special For a limited time only, buy a greenhouse and get a free bench... Read More >

As always, Jordan Rainwater updates us on events from the Research Farm, and this month our Field Report is by Micaela Colley who is doing a wonderful job of managing our on-farm trials of bulk seed for market growers. I have had the pleasure of seeing many of these trials in the field and they look great. We are also happy to announce that the harvest is beginning on Jerzy Boyz organic pears and apples. Don't miss out on this seasonal flavor extravaganza. And did I mention garlic? Farm Manager Erica Renaud and I team up to provide information and inspiration (we hope!) to help you grow your best ever crop of this culinary and medicinal marvel. Enjoy the Harvest! And try to plant enough garlic for you and yours. (As if that's possible!)

Scott Vlaun, Editor
editor@seedsofchange.com

Printable PDF Version: eNewsletter #37, text only, 204k, 14 pages.