Summary: This weeks episode discusses a couple of different topics. Last week, I talked about several documentaries worth watching. Recently, I found a much more comprehensive llist along with release dates on Mother Earth News Website. Mother Earth News Documentary Listing I also discovered that Mother Earth News now has a digital edition for subscription, or Free for the print subscribers. I really like what I saw, and I don't normally care for electronic versions. Baker Creek Seeds, one of the leading suppliers of Heirloom Seeds is now taking names for their 2012 Catalog. Their catalog is a collectors item all by itself. be sure to sign up for yours at Baker Creek Seeds. GreenHorns.Net http://www.thegreenhorns.net/ Mission: To Recruit, promote, and support young farmers Growing Clean Natural Food Movie clip, resources, and a podcast on Heritage Radio.net National Heirloom exposition http://rareseeds.com/blog/test/it%e2%80%99s-finally-here-the-national-heirloom-exposition-in-northern-california-is-underway/ http://rareseeds.com/blog/bakersville/the-national-heirloom-expostion-sets-new-precedent-in-the-pure-food-movement/ The National Heirloom Show has completed and I wanted to talk about the importance of attending these Fall Shows like this near you and the benefits you can get from going. This Show had Alice Waters, Jeffrey Smith and Dr. Vandana Shiva where the keynotes, one speaker for each of the three evenings. In the hours leading up to the keynote addresses, many other prominent speakers gave talks–garden writers and publishers, activists and seedsmen. Worthwhile right there. I hope to make it next year. Benefits I get from these Fall Expositions or Fairs: Ask growers questions Find new Heirlooms Plants to try Answers to problems without chemicals Network with others who believe as you do Imprellis from Dupont Imprellis from DuPont has been in the news, and I want to discuss why this is important to you even if youo avoid chemicals as I do. aminocyclopyrachlor, was marketed to control weeds in cool-season lawn grasses especially bluegrass. After only a single season of use it has been implicated in the injury or death of thousands of trees. Grass treated with it must not be used for compost or mulch ( hidden in their own documentation). So for example, someone mows a loawn treated with Imprellis, then turns it into a Municipal Compposting Site, that compost becomes tainted and kills anything it comes in contact with. Another example I read was livestock grazing on grass treated with this stuff. The manure was then used for compost, and it killed the very crop the manure was expected to help. Know your sources! This just reinforces my adversion to using any municipal collection point for urban compost. The same goes for mulch from these ground up infected trees. What is in that bag you just bought? Do you see the Danger? It has now been pulled under threat of a court order, but as usueal, the damage has been done, and this was APRROVED only a year ago! Fall Garden Prep for Spring Garden Rob called in with a question about Fall preparation of your land for a Spring Garden. An excellent question! Preparing Soil for spring Testing Amend - Manure, compost, Cover Crops - Green Manure Start a Compost Pile Cover Crops and Green Manures for Organic Soil Improvement Generally are Legumes and grasses high in Nitrogen, which are turned into the soil in the Spring. http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/cover-crop-basics http://www.hort.cornell.edu/bjorkman/lab/covercrops/index.php Selection http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-280-green-manures.aspx
