"...cover crop usage has seen a great resurgence, giving us hope that we can achieve a balanced, sustainable and healthy agricultural environment..." - Steve Peters in "Cover Crops: Regenerating and Sustaining Healthy Soils"

Dear Organic Gardeners,

Even here in the far north at our Maine Trial Farm, the snow is mostly melted away. A trip to the muddy garden reveals the fresh green of over-wintered spinach, lettuce, and mustards, as well as a host of perennials showing new growth, including lavender, valerian, lemon balm, lambs ears, and others. There are also parsnips to dig and we even found a few left over carrots that survived the winter in the frozen earth: in an effort to produce seed, the carrots would have soon burst into life if we hadn't yanked them from the icy mud. On many of the beds, the blanket of melting snow is being replaced by a protective blanket of lush green cover crops of winter rye and triticale, already responding to the heat of the early spring sun. While it will be six weeks or more before the frosts will have passed and tender annuals are safe to find a home in the garden, the amount of life bursting forth in winter's wake inspires promise; it also incites a flurry of activity sowing seeds and readying for what should be (as every year promises to be) our best year in the garden.

While we're just thawing out up here in Maine, the crew at our New Mexico Research Farm is putting the finishing touches on many improvement projects and has already sown peas, radishes, spinach and other spring crops while caring for a greenhouse full of starts. Assistant Farm Manager Robert Miner gets us up to date on the activities there. Although the days are much warmer in northern New Mexico and the soil is ready to be worked, to the surprise of many, their last frost date is about the same as it is here in northern New England.

	Leafy Greens Nutritious and delicious, leafy greens are one of our healthiest foods and also one of the easiest to grow and use... Read More >
	Southern Gardening Emily Gatch shares the flavors, colors, and distinctive style of the Southeast garden... Read More >
	The Local Connection Micaela Colley shares advice from master chefs and successful farmers on selling at farmer's market and to local restaurants... Read More >

While we're all happy with whatever leafy greens and overwintered roots the garden might offer, our southern friends already report the season's first ripe tomatoes and cucumbers. This month, Emily Gatch, our greenhouse manager, warms us with her experiences of some rowdy southern gardens, while sharing some tips on designing our own patch of Eden inspired by a southern aesthetic.

Whether in the South or the North, all gardens can benefit from the use of cover crops to build soil, create beneficial habitat, and control weeds. To that end, Steve Peters shares his wisdom and enthusiasm for these unsung stalwarts of sustainable gardening and farming: he explains how easily you can integrate cover crops into your garden throughout the seasons. Whether you love a tidy garden or like to let it get wild out there, I've contributed some ideas on how to integrate delicious and nutritious leafy greens into your garden plans. If you're interested in growing food for your community, Micaela Colley, our roving bulk seed representative and friend to market growers throughout the West, gives us a primer on how to market produce to restaurants and at farmers markets.

Wherever this spring finds you, we hope you have some soil to work, some seeds to sow, and some time to take it slow.

Scott Vlaun, Editor

Photo caption: Over-wintered spinach under collapsable coldframe at Maine Trail Gardens.

Printable PDF Version:
eNewsletter #46
Text only, 106k, 11 pages.

Unable to open it?
You may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.