When I was a child the brand of salsa my parents bought at the supermarket came in a slender bottle and had an image of a thermometer printed along the edge of the label to remind us gringos that this was chili sauce, not chilly sauce. This salsa didn’t push the mercury over 72 degrees […]
Different words impart nuances of meaning Read More »
We grow sunflower sprouts and pea shoots in our propagation house during the summer months when it would otherwise stand empty. Since our customers demand that we keep growing salad mix even during hot Nebraska summers, it is nice to have one crop we can usually pull off every week all summer long. Growing sprouts
How to grow a quick crop of sprouts Read More »
Kevin and Charuth Loth began their organic farming careers in northern California, where Kevin was an apprentice at the Agroecology farm at UC-Santa Cruz and Charuth was a research assistant in the Agroecology department. After graduating, Kevin worked at an organic farm in Watsonville, giving him a total of seven years experience. After their first
Nebraska growers make use of fall, spring Read More »
City folks often move to the country in search of a peaceful lifestyle, then start complaining about farming activities that don’t fit in with their notions of country life. The Ottawa County planning commission in Michigan was getting a lot of complaints from new residents about the noises and smells of farming. So the county
Sweet smell of manure Read More »
Many of my non-farming friends ask whether things are really slowing down for us now that fall is approaching. In truth, it’s quite the opposite. We farmers often feel like we’re in a race to the finish line these last weeks of the growing season. As the days grow shorter and the mornings arrive with
Letter from the Editor: Extending the Season Read More »
First frost comes too soon for many farmers, who need to keep cash flowing through fall and into winter. Marketing after the farm has finished producing requires the ability to store fall harvested vegetables. Depending on your scale of operation, there are sensible ways to store produce and make winter storage successful, not only in
Keep selling into winter Read More »
“A mysterious and occult phenomenon”. Believe it or not, that is how groundwater hydrology is described in Texas State law concerning groundwater use. Back when the law was written (Billy the Kid was still in diapers then) folks didn’t have a clue about where groundwater came from, how it got in the ground, or how
Cut flowers: Zinnia post-harvest revealed Read More »
Vaca means cow in Spanish. Ville means town in French. Vacaville is a town along Interstate 80 about an hour north of San Francisco at the edge of California’s Sacramento Valley. Vacaville’s residents are your best resource for accurate information about the charms and treasures of this community. Sophisticates driving past towards the gambling casinos
Beyond Spanglish: No snickering Read More »
There’s never time to weed tomatoes, so for 40 years I’ve mulched the plants. What worked well in my organic suburban yard in Town and Country, MO, was a 4-inch thick layer of last fall’s leaves topped off with a 2-inch thick layer of wheat straw, all barrowed in after cultivating around the bushel size
Grower saves fall leaves for next year's tomatoes Read More »
High tunnels (also known as hoophouses) are becoming a larger part of the market farming scene. We use them to give us early tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other summer delights. We also use them to extend our summer season on many vegetables weeks past first frost. Finally, we use them to grow crops throughout our
Not just season extension: Hoophouses saved their season Read More »
