"The ultimate kitchen garden is a happy floriferous mélange of good things to eat, all growing lustily together." - Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey from The Bountiful Container

Dear Organic Gardeners,

Salad days are back! Here in Maine, we've been harvesting fresh greens from our coldframes and greenhouse beds for a few weeks now, and the outdoor beds are producing prodigiously. Fueled by fresh "spring mix," we've been busy working up beds, planting potatoes, pruning trees and vines, weeding perennials, babying all the greenhouse starts, and sowing carrots, spinach, beets, and yet more salad greens.

In the midst of the flurry of spring activities at the New Mexico Research Farm, Seed Manager Steve Peters has taken some time out to consider the tools we use to make all of this happen, and I've added a bit about using and caring for them. Emily Skelton, our greenhouse specialist, has put together some useful techniques for germinating herb and flower seeds that are often difficult to start. I've also reviewed a great new book that might come in handy when the garden fills up and you've still got a few flats

	Gardening Tools Choosing the right tool for digging, weeding, transplanting, pruning... Read More >
	Germination Technique Exceptionally helpful info on germinating difficult flower and herb varieties... Read More >
	The Bountiful Container Inspiration for space challenged gardeners and the rest of us... Read More >

of seedlings to find homes for; the book will be especially helpful for the space-challenged gardener. To inspire and inform your container gardening endeavors, we're happy to add to our booklist The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols Magee and Maggie Stucky.

For the market growers among you, our bulk seed representative Micaela Colley has delved deeply into the National Organic Plan (NOP), the importance of organically grown seeds for organic growers, and how the new NOP rules are being interpreted and implemented.

As always, Jordan Rainwater keeps us up to date on the activities at the New Mexico Research Farm and we report some news and events from the world of sustainability.

We hope that you all are enjoying the spring as much as we are.

Keep your tools sharp,
Scott Vlaun, Editor

Photo caption: Fresh salad greens after a spring rain at the Maine Trial Gardens.

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