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"It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."
—From "The Formation of Vegetable Mould"
by Charles Darwin (in reference to worms)
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Dear Organic Gardeners,
 I hope your garden has bloomed into a sanctuary of beauty and peace and the summer harvest has begun for you in earnest. In our garden, the zinnias, amaranth, and sunflowers are providing the backdrop for an ever-expanding harvest. The peas are giving way to green beans, the first summer squash and cucumbers have arrived, and we have our eyes on a few tomatoes that should be ripe by the time you read this. Fresh fava beans and baby carrots are welcome additions to the diet.
While we're enjoying and celebrating the bounty of the summer garden, we've also gotten down to planting for a fall bounty of cold-hardy crops. As we've removed our bolted greens from early spring sowings, we've been sowing late crops of green beans, carrots, and beets. Lettuce, endive, and radicchio transplants have gone in, and direct sowings of spinach and of a rich diversity of salad greens are soon to follow. There's no end to what can be planted this time of year and definitely not enough space in the garden!
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Worm Composting
Let the wigglers turn your kitchen waste into black gold (and learn how they can save the world)...
Read More >
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Redefining Seed Quality
Erica Renaud shares a primer on the topic as well as the Seeds of Change approach to quality...
Read More >
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Weed Seeds: Are They a Problem?
Steve Peters provides some background on this controversial issue...
Read More >
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While the fruits of summer grace our table and dreams of fall harvests are sown, our researchers in New Mexico are hard at work growing and evaluating endless seed varieties to insure that our gardening efforts have the best chance for success. To that end, this month our Farm manager, Erica Renaud, has provided us with some insights into the complexities of assuring seed quality and of developing new and interesting varieties for home gardeners and market growers. In keeping with the theme of seed quality, Steve Peters, the Farm's commercial seed manager, delves into the topic of controlling weed seed and, in the process, touches on the controversial subject of invasive species. This month I've looked into the dark and slimy world of worms and how they can enrich our gardens and help save the planet from an onslaught of organic waste.
As usual we have a report from the farm. In the news this month is the long-awaited "Third Report" on Exposure to Environmental Chemicals issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a chilling look at the degree to which pesticides and other chemicals have permeated the environment and our bodies, and will make you happy to be an organic gardener and a consumer of fresh, organically grown food.
Enjoy the fruits of summer (but don't forget to sow those fall salads!).
Scott Vlaun, Editor
Photo caption: Purple podded bush beans in flower.
 Printable PDF Version:
eNewsletter #49
Text only, 106k, 11 pages.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Dear Organic Gardeners
Summer harvests have begun and fall planting follows close behind...
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Weed Seeds Are they a problem? by Steve Peters...
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Redefining Seed Quality Erica Renaud shares the Seeds of Change philosophy...
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Worms at Work in Your Garden and helping to save the world too...
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Farm Report: July '05 Harvesting garlic, making compost tea and keeping up with weeding and feeding...
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News & Views
CDC releases "Third Report"... A new tractor at the NM Research Farm... Ecoversity to hold Permaculture Design course...
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Please send letters regarding this eNewsletter to:
Scott Vlaun, Editor.
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