G.R.O.W

Recently I have come to know the passion of John and Maria Yager for growing food and turning on  the rest of the world to growing food as well. Greenfields Farm, on Fiddle Creek Road, is an adventure to get to.  At the end of the journey, a five mile stretch of dirt road, that will challenge any paint job, ends in abundant fields of chard, kale, tomatoes, squash, corn....exotic berries and apples...and any number of known and unknown edible varieties of plants.  Fortunately they have been working this farm for some years, and we are heirs to knowledge about how gardening works. And we benefit from the Yagers' Farmers Market produce and their undying attempts to educate and help anyone do it on their own. Recently we helped them get their apple harvest in and cider pressed.

The food supply in the United States has not been as impacted as in some countries.  But prices are rising, and our poorer folks will have a harder time getting nutritional food.  In times like this many people begin to rely on cheap processed foods to get them through....foods which are high in sugars, fats and any number of unnecessary additives.  They affect our health in the form of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, and are ultimately more expensive.  Gardening education and encouraging homegrown gardens could be the answer for many people.  And food tastes better!  It's amazing how simple it is to put seeds in the ground and find wholesome, delicious plants a few weeks later.

We have begun a group called G.R.O.W. to help introduce food producing plants, shrubs and trees into our local public and private landscapes.  Every spring we will offer the opportunity to buy organic chicken manure wholesale, and this fall and winter we are buying food bearing plants, shrubs and trees wholesale. Members of the group are available for all kinds of information about growing your own food. It is a loose organization at present,  meeting bi-weekly, and all are welcome.  Let's turn our town into a garden paradise!

We also have information from Evan Garrett about building greenhouses.  Email him at evangarret@hotmail.com for information.

John Yager recently introduced us to Seaberries, a German favorite for its high Vitamin C, D, and E content... great for juice and jams.  The Seaberry is a beautiful shrub and will add to any landscape.  It is four to eight feel tall, depending on the variety, very willowy with lanceolate grey-green leaves.  The abundant orange berries grow in clusters along the stem.  You can try them at the local Saturday Market at John and Maria's booth.  Some of us have just received our first Seaberry shrubs.

If you're interested in coming to the meetings or getting on a contact list for plants, please call John at 541 902-8815.  The next meeting will be held at the Bromley Room of the library, November 22 at 5:30 PM in the library's Bromley Room. Or call Joann Henderson at 997-2997 (or email giovanna@oregonfast.net.)

Here are notes from the last meeting:

John Yager said he would like to see a self sufficient Florence creating more food and biodiversity, with children and families planting and tending gardens in public spaces. We need to involve people and teach the use of permaculture techniques in our landscape.

          He talked about Devil's Club which is growing in our area and has beneficial
          anti-microbial qualities in the spines and berries.                                                                                                         

Several people with established community programs want to be involved in the GROW group, ie. Pat and Glen Stewart from "Helping Hands", Bart Healer from Food Share, Debbie Sherman, a social worker, who wants to get housing and programs for the 69 + homeless children here in Florence, and Danyel Hummel from the Food for Lane County Community Food Asssessment program. 

• We talked about Amazon Gardens and plants in California as part of a Big Garden that the Indians tended to maintain a balanced eco-system.  Tending The Wild is a reference on that subject.

• We discussed the need for space to grow things like the Silver Berry, a hybrid, that produces in February and March. Their seeds are 40% protein. 

• Berries of the Wild Fuscia in our area are edible. There aren't that many of them and they are not very sweet, but they are edible and pretty in a salad 

• Gooseberries may be an invasive species, but grow well in our area and they like the shade.

• We would like to begin a seed bank and exchange seeds. 

• Two seed companies which are good to use are Peaceful Valley.com and Wild seed.com. 

• A permaculture book,  "Botanical Preservation" was given a good review. And we were told there is a 40 hour class on line for Introduction to permaculture. http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2011/09/introduction-to-permaculture-40-hours.html 

                    Another good site is www.permaculture.co.uk/

          There were so many good offerings at that meeting: an offer of Alaskan fish at wholesale, a

          website for  G.R.O.W., help for  a children's garden program, organizing for buying fertilizer 

          wholesale again this spring, and a suggestion that we try to start community gardens 

          in our local parks.  

All are welcome to come to the next meeting on November 22nd.  Bring your ideas and  enthusiasm.

          Good gardening!

What To Plant Now

If you're thinking about putting in a winter garden, now is the time to plant kale, lettuce, mache and other salad green starts. You can also seed these now, as well as the following:  arugula, Asian greens, beets, cabbage for spring, carrots, endive (if you like endive), fava beans, garlic, onions, radish and shallots.

I recently put in broccoli and spinach starts, based on our late spring, summer, and possibly late fall. You can plant  beets, carrots, brassicas and lettuce together...they're good companions.

Of course, cover crops are good to plant now if you are not starting a winter garden.