Johnny’s Visits Hawaii (continues)

Johnny’s Commercial Sales Representative, Lainie Kertesz, recently traveled to Hawaii to visit commercial farmers and farmers markets on the islands. She documented her travels, which we turned into a three-part Blog series. Below is part three of this series:   

Kona, Hawaii

Kona: The "Big Island"

Kona, HI

I timed my trip to participate in an Organic conference in Kona, "Growing Organics: Moving Hawai'i's Organic Industry Forward," sponsored by the Kohala Center. 


According to their website, "The Kohala Center is an not-for-profit, independent, community-based center. The Center was established in direct response to the request of island residents to create greater educational and employment opportunities by enhancing—and celebrating—Hawai‘i’s spectacular natural and cultural landscapes... three core areas of work have emerged: energy self-reliance, food self-reliance, and ecosystem health. These areas of work involve basic and applied research, policy research, conservation and restoration initiatives, public outreach and education – all carried out through local, regional, national, and international partnerships."

Specifically, the "Growing Organics: Moving Hawai'i's Organic Industry Forward," conference was to examine what interest exists, and what supports were needed, to further the growth of organics in Hawaii. Organic agricultural producers in Hawaii currently do not have a local organic program office where they can obtain information on aspects of Organic production. 

The 150 conference participants spent the day networking and identifying where more support was needed. The final report and other relevant documents from this conference are available here.

Kona, HI


Thank you for joining us as we revisit Lainie's trip to Hawaii! We hope you enjoyed the 3 part series.

Johnny’s Visits Hawaii

Johnny’s Commercial Sales Representative, Lainie Kertesz, recently traveled to Hawaii to visit commercial farmers and farmers markets on the islands. She documented her travels, which we turned into a three-part Blog series. Below is part one of this series:

Oahu, Hawaii

I recently spent two weeks visiting several of the Hawaiian islands, and more miles in a car than I thought possible. 

A little background on growing in Hawaii: 

· Even with a twelve-month growing season, I was surprised to learn that Hawaii imports 85% of its produce (The University of HI plans to conduct a new survey around this import figure).

· Much of the produce grown, primarily lettuce and greens, is sold to the resorts for fancy salads for tourists. Here at Johnny’s, 10% of our total lettuce sales are to Hawaii.

· Some crops are not cost-effective to grow in Hawaii, or are difficult to produce, such as field-grown fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers, due to insect and disease pressures. 

· There is a mounting interest in growing Hydroponically and Aquaponically for more controlled growing conditions.

My first stop in Hawaii: Oahu: MA’O Organics 

MA'O Organics’ motto is "no panic, go Organic". MA'O's mission is to empower young people to become leaders and to make their island home a more food-secure place to live. The organization is in its 10th year of offering Youth and Leadership training internships for 17-24 yr-old Hawaiians who are pursuing Agricultural Studies.  Beginning with a two-year Youth Leadership Training, interns can go on to a second two-yr Step Up Training.  After completion, Graduated interns can choose to go on to admin work, or to become co-managers and managers at the farm. The diverse produce raised on the 23-acre farm is distributed through a local CSA as well as to markets such as Whole Foods and Foodland in and around Oahu.

Oahu, Hawaii

Stay tuned for part two of Lainie's Hawaii Blog series- coming soon!

Not all Open Pollinated Heirloom Seeds are Created Equal

The great thing about heirloom seeds is their proven performance. They’re also generally widely adapted and have great market acceptance and recognition. Growers all over the world have been saving seed from these open pollinated varieties.  The question is where should you source your seed? 



Russell's Extra Choice Mix

It really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.  It’s nice to imagine saving seed year after year and having pride and legacy develop on your farm or homestead, but how do you know if you’re getting the same high quality tomato that was first planted one, five, or even 25 years ago? Do you remember when your favorite tomato variety seemed to have more pronounced shoulders, a rounder shape, or a more upright plant habit?  

The truth is, not all seed savers, or seed production companies are created equal. Seed quality and performance can vary greatly from stock to stock. Let me help explain this, by presenting two examples below:

Find out more about our Breeding
Program at Johnnyseeds.com

Company A contracts a farmer to grow heirloom tomatoes. Since they’re desperate to ensure a seed source and their inventory is getting low, they provide the farmer with the remainder of their seed stock, which is leftover seed from a previous years’ production. The seed is in poor shape and the farmer struggles with low germination and poor plant vigor. Half of the transplants don’t make it to the field. To meet his contract, the farmer delivers seed from every tomato produced, regardless of the quality. This includes the fat ones, the skinny ones, the seed from the fruits that have some purple blotches, as well as seeds from the purple fruit with some red blotches. The farmer saves seeds from the plants that barely set fruit, the diseased plants, and the ones that might have cross pollinated with his own tomatoes.  Compound this seed saving process over a few productions and the tomato’s original great characteristics start to fade away.
 

Learn more about Johnny's
at Johnnyseeds.com

On the other hand, Company B contracts with several well-established and seasoned seed growers. The seed company provides disease-free, high germinating, true-to-type seeds to farmers geographically located in an area where common tomato disease and pest pressure for that crop are low. The farmer isolates the production crop from his crops of the same plant family on the farm.  The seed company frequently visits the growers and walks the production. Together, they select fruits that are healthy and disease free. They grade the plants and fruit on their health and for being the best possible match to the characteristics of the variety’s lineage.  They identify any off types, or lower quality plants and quickly remove them from the production. Upon harvest, the seed is lab tested to ensure high germination, and vigor. Grow-outs are performed to test seed quality prior to being released to consumers. The process is repeated next year using these “true-to-type” seeds.

Brandywine tomato

These scenarios happen every year in the seed production industry.  Don’t believe it? Try growing the same exact heirloom varieties from three different seed suppliers. Grade each one based on uniformity, plant health, and being true-to-type. 

Johnny’s knows that as a grower, you’re proud of your product. We know you may not always be the only one to market with a Brandywine tomato, but we can help you have the best looking one there, by ensuring our seed production is held to a high standard that we are proud of.  We also rely on our seed growers to return to us the type of seed they would be proud to buy. One of the reasons we are able to offer our customers such great quality seed is due to the specialized seed growers we work with.  They are the ones that walk countless times during the season to make sure Johnny’s gets a product they are willing to put their name behind. 



Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions about seed saving, our seed production or anything else you might be curious about.

 

Randy Cummings
Territory Sales Representative
South Central U.S
rcummings@johnnyseeds.com 

Save up to 10% on Selected Seed-Starting Supplies

Q&A with The National Young Farmers Coalition

We recently interviewed Wes Hannah, the Communications Coordinator and Organizer for The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC). Below, he gives some background information on the NYFC including what the organization offers, and sheds light on valuable resources, for young farmers everywhere.

• Can you give us a brief description of what The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) does?

 

Learn more about
the organization

NYFC is a grassroots coalition dedicated to representing, engaging and mobilizing young and begining farmers and ranchers to work toward their success  In our advocacy work, we bring the young farmer voice to the table on federal policy discussions.  In areas ranging from USDA programming to food safety regulations, NYFC makes sure the next generation receives the support it needs to be successful.  At the same time, we work with farmers around the country to organize local coalitions.  These affiliated groups organize for mutual aid in everything from social networking to labor sharing to group purchasing of supplies.

 
• What resources do you think are most valuable for young farmers to explore?

We have the privilege to interact with thousands of farmers at all different stages in their careers.  I would say the most valuable realization that young farmers have is that there is an immense amount of knowledge out there, whether on the production side or the business side.  The key is recognizing your needs and reaching out; we see connections developing all the time between beginning farmers and their cooperative extension agents, more experienced farmers, and especially between each other.

At the same time, I think there are some specific resources that we heartily recommend more young farmers should explore.  We've worked with land trusts around the country looking at the way they combine their conservation focus with incentivizing land transfer to a younger generation.  While there's a lot more that can be done, young farmers need to be reaching out to land resources like that. 

Additionally, there are great programs out there from the USDA and state governments designed to support education and land access for younger farmers.  The more demand we as a movement can show for those programs, the more we'll be able to successfully push for improving and increasing them.

 

• What are the some of the biggest challenges that young farmers face?

That question lies at the core of NYFC's mission.  When NYFC first formed, we conducted a survey of over 1,000 young and beginning farmers, asking them that very question.  The greatest challenges young farmers are facing are land access, lack of capital and credit, and access to healthcare. 

The cost and availability of land is an enormous issue for beginning farmers, especially given that many do not come from farming backgrounds.  We've seen a huge increase in land prices over the past decade, along with a concentration of land in the hands of older farmers.  These together mean that the next generation is facing a tougher time in acquiring the land they need to start successful businesses.

Starting a farm can be an expensive proposition, so the concern over lack of capital is not surprising.  We've seen many new farmers turning to vegetable production over animals or other enterprises because of the lower start-up costs.  Despite the USDA programs designed to help them, many beginning farmers still struggle with accessing those basic needs for their new operations.

Finally, healthcare tends to be a huge problem.  Farming is one of the most dangerous professions in the country, and because many new farmers are self-employed, many of them can't afford health insurance.  We have heard numerous stories of on-farm accidents that put a huge financial strain on a farm because of that problem.
 

Visit the National Young Farmers Coalition at http://www.youngfarmers.org/

 

• What do you think are some of The National Young Farmers Coalition biggest triumphs over the past year?

NYFC has been taking on a number of different issues, from pushing for the passage of a pro-farmer farm bill to analyzing the way land trusts interact with beginning farmers.  One recent triumph is our food safety campaign.  Earlier this year, the FDA released their draft of new food safety regulations for produce farms and facilities.  This was the first time those laws were rewritten in nearly seventy years, and there are huge long-term ramifications for how they affect beginning farmers, as well as the entire agricultural community. 

NYFC worked with a coalition of other organizations in poring over the rules and producing a comprehensive analysis.  We worked with our affiliates and members around the country to organize the National Day of Action to Save Local Farms, a grassroots project designed to compile hundreds of comments to the FDA before their comment period closes.  To date, we've organized over seventy letter-writing parties in thirty states, and we are confident that we can effect positive change in the FDA's regulations.

 

• What are some of the perks of being a NYFC member for young farmers?

Being involved with NYFC means being a part of a nation-wide community of beginning farmers who share resources, organize in local coalitions and advocate for each other.  Being a part of that community means creating better systems that will improve conditions for all farmers everywhere. 

At the same time, we know that farmers need immediate support in their careers.  That's why we've worked with more than a dozen agriculture-related companies to provide useful discounts to help out right now.  NYFC members have access to 5% off at Johnny's Selected Seeds, 10% off Working Person's Store and many other great deals.
 

You can sign up for email updates at the NYFC website

 • What role does Social Media play in the work the NYFC does?

Social media is a huge part of NYFC's work.  The coalition's organizing and advocacy successes depend on the activism and enthusiasm of thousands of our supporters.  We rely on the viral energy of beginning farmers to spread the word and recruit each other.  While in-person  meet-ups and conversations form the backbone of farmer organizing, social media often jump-starts our outreach and allows us to stay connected with countless young farmers on a regular basis.

 

• What are some of the biggest misconceptions people tend to have about getting into farming?

There is a common conception of agriculture in America as been focused only on large mono-culture farms.  The truth is, the farming community in this country is incredibly diverse, from the small-scale, intensive vegetable farms and dairy operations to the massive tracts of wheat and corn.  There is a place for every newcomer to find success, regardless of their passion.

 

• What’s the best way for someone to learn more about the work that the The National Young Farmers Coalition does?

The first step is to check out NYFC's website at  youngfarmers.org!  We have more information about the growing beginning farmer community and how to get involved.  We also have resources and databases for more information, and regular updates on the NYFC blog.
 

Photo courtesy of the NYFC website

Growing for the Greater Good

Our second Commercial Sales team blog comes from Ken Fine, Commercial Sales Rep for Massachusetts and the Northern Midwest. Here’s some background information on Ken:

Ken has worked with commercial growers at Johnny's Selected Seeds since 1999. Prior to coming to Johnny’s, Ken studied as an apprentice at the UCSC Farm and Garden Project in Santa Cruz, CA. He then operated a 3 acre Market Garden in coastal Maine, selling specialty lettuce and produce to area stores and restaurants. He likes to stay current with successful farming techniques, trends in consumer interest, and the best varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers available.

Current sales territory: Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

For his blog topic, Ken has taken the opportunity to describe a few of the farm-based organizations that help foster constructive change in their local communities. These types of organizations can be found throughout the U.S, creating sustainable alternatives in our food system and helping people - especially young people - be inspired and experience personal growth by growing food.

THE FOOD PROJECT- MASSACHUSETTS

Recently I received news of the year-end harvest dinner at one of Johnny’s long-term customers. The Food Project in Massachusetts celebrates the achievements of the staff and volunteers at the many Food Project facilities in Lincoln, Dorchester, Beverly, and elsewhere. At the 2nd Annual Gala - Celebrate the Harvest event, the organization featured guest Will Allen of Growing Power.  According to the Food Project website, their mission is to “grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. We produce healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs and provide youth leadership opportunities...”

MOUNT VIEW FARM:

Sometimes, one farm can make a huge impact. Founded by Michael Docter as Food Bank Farm in Hadley, MA, the good work of growing food for the benefit of the community has continued into the next generations there. Apprentices from Food Bank Farm have gone on to start their own CSA programs serving thousands of subscribers in Massachusetts. One apprentice, Benjamin Perrault of Mount View Farm in Easthampton has carried on another tradition. His bustling farm still plants a portion of their acreage specifically to produce first quality vegetables for The Food Bank of Western Mass.

According to their website: “Mountain View Farm leases a large parcel of land owned by The Food Bank and, in exchange, we provide 100,000 pounds of fresh, local, chemical-free produce to The Food Bank for distribution to front-line food assistance providers and people in need throughout our region. In Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties in Western Massachusetts, approximately one in every ten people suffers from chronic food shortages or needs emergency food assistance.”

Mount View Farm in Massachusetts

 

GROWING POWER - WISCONSIN

At Growing Power, based in Milwaukee, WI, founder Will Allen does more than make inspirational keynote speeches. The many facilities powered by staff and volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are growing tremendous quantities of quality farm produce that goes directly to the people of urban Milwaukee who need it most. In fact, one of the missions of Growing Power is to alleviate the perils of living in a “Food Desert” that traps so many urban residents. 

Established in 1993, Growing Power has offered agricultural-based training, hands-on experience to community members, and spread their mission that you “cannot have healthy communities without a healthy food system.”

 

Growing Power High Tunnel full of Greens

                              

DETROIT, MICHIGAN-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Another rapidly expanding healthy food movement location is Detroit, Michigan. There, staff and volunteers of Greening of Detroit, Earthworks Farm, and countless other small community projects are utilizing available land within the city to make a difference. Healthy food and healthy lifestyle choices are becoming available to thousands in the community who are eagerly embracing the delights of farming and gardening.

To learn more about any of these organizations or to locate one near where you live, follow these links or get in touch with me for more information.

• The Food Project
• Mount View Farm
• Growing Power
• Greening of Detroit
• Earthworks Farm

To contact Ken, you can reach him via email at: kfine@johnnyseeds.com, or Toll-Free at: 877-564-6697, ext. 5307.

Otherwise, for general inquiries about Johnny's Commercial Sales, email service@johnnyseeds.com and we will get back to you shortly, or visit our Territory Sales Representatives page at Johnnyseeds.com.   

Preferred Tools for Lettuce Production

Did you know we have a chart that allows you to select tools expressly designed for specific lettuce production practices? Gain efficiency and optimal results in lettuce culture, from sowing to harvest.

You can click on the lettuce types and tool names/images to browse options by cultural stage and practice >>>

Below is a peak at what the Baby Leaf Lettuce section of the chart looks like:

To see the entire chart, which includes Head Lettuce (Transplanted), Head Lettuce (Direct-seeded), Salanova® Lettuce (Transplanted) and Salanova® Lettuce (Direct-seeded), head to Johnnyseeds.com >>>

View all of our current Lettuce offerings >>>
 

 

Interested in learning more about the Quick Cut Greens Harvester? Below are a few facts about this tool:

• One person can easily cut over 175 lb. per hour.
• Powered by a cordless drill, the harvester's 15" fixed and moving serrated blades make a smooth, clean cut.
• A rolling macramé brush pulls individual leaves into the blades and then throws them to the back of the basket.
• The neat, clean surface it leaves behind is perfect for those planning on a second harvest from the same bed.
• Vertically adjustable skids ensure precise, repeatable cutting height. The harvester is just as effective when the crop is more mature or "leggy."
• Comes with an extra serpentine belt to power the brush and has a universal mount which will accept almost any cordless drill; 18V drills work best (not included).

Create Tunnel Hoops Quickly & Easily

Extend the growing season for cold-hardy crops with a very late season harvest, or overwinter them for earliest possible spring harvest. 

Benders allow you to do this by creating low tunnel hoops out of galvanized electrical conduit. 

Shop for Quick Hoops™ benders

Farm Seed: An Essential Component of Every Sustainable Farm

Farm seed is a strategic investment in the land that pays long-term dividends in the form of greater productivity and sustainability. Rich with potential for diverse applications, farm seed and cover crops control erosion, add organic matter, conserve moisture, and support soil and watershed ecology.

Johnny's offers a range of select cover crops and farm seed for every practical application. Of the many ways to incorporate farm seed into your operation, below are some of the top uses:

Green Manure
Nitrogen Fixation
Weed Suppression
Pest Management
Biomass (Organic Matter)
Erosion Control (Cover Crop)
Compaction Control
Grains
Beneficial Insect Planting
Forage

You can see all of our Recommended Farm Seed Uses at Johnnyseeds.com >>>

 

To further clarify which Farm Seed would work best for your operation, you can refer to the chart below:

Click the chart to see a larger version at Johnnyseeds.com

The Advantages of Cover Crops

By Lynn Byczynski

Cover crops are an essential component of every sustainable farm. They are an investment in your gardens and fields that will pay future dividends of healthier, more productive cash crops. The benefits of cover cropping are numerous and impressive:

• Cover crops increase soil fertility. Annual legumes such as soybeans and cowpeas can be grown in rotation over several years in vegetable fields. Perennial legumes such as clovers can be maintained for several years on fields that aren't needed for cash crops. Legumes fix nitrogen while they're growing, and add organic matter when incorporated into the soil.

•Cover crops prevent soil erosion in winter by keeping the soil covered. A mixture of oats and winter rye, for example, can be planted in fall. The oats will be killed by cold weather, but their root systems will hold the soil in place. Winter rye will form small plants that will grow rapidly in early spring, to be mowed and tilled in before planting the field the following summer.

•Cover crops prevent weeds from flourishing on bare soil, in which case they are known as "smother crops". Fast-growing annuals such as buckwheat or soybeans can be planted after a crop is harvested to outcompete weeds. They also can be underseeded with taller cash crops or between rows to cover the soil and prevent weed growth.

•Cover crops can be planted as a "catch crop" after a vegetable crop is harvested to use nutrients that might otherwise leach into groundwater.

•Cover crops improve soil tilth. Besides adding organic matter when tilled in, the roots of actively growing cover crops loosen and aerate soil. Deep-rooted cover crops such as sweet clover will help break up hardpan layers several feet deep. Several cover crops can be grown to be cut for hay or straw, to feed livestock or mulch horticultural crops.

Shop by Farm Seed use at Johnnyseeds.com >>>

About the author:Lynn Byczynski was growing organic vegetables and cut flowers for market when she decided to create a magazine that would help market gardeners nationwide share experiences and information. Her first issue of Growing for Market appeared in January 1992 and it has been published continuously since then. GFM is renowned in the market gardening world for realistic articles that give growers practical, how-to information about growing and selling produce and flowers. Lynn is now partnering with Johnny's to provide similarly useful information for the johnnyseeds.com website and other publications.

Lynn is also the author of several books about market farming:The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers; The Hoophouse Handbook; Market Farming Success

Rethinking Agriculture from the Soil Up

Fulford

Recently, Mark Fulford, of Lookfar Agricultural Service and Teltane Farm, stopped by Johnny's to lead a two-day agronomy seminar for our Sales and Marketing teams.

The seminar -- "Rethinking Agriculture: Farm As If Our Lives Depended On It" -- focused on many soil-related topics. Mark, who runs a small commercial farm and orchard in nearby Monroe, Maine, presented ideas on soil biology, soil chemistry, tillage reduction, compaction, microbes, inoculants, minerals, paramagnetics, composts, and cover crops to name a few.

Dry recipe samples made from naturally occurring minerals.

Mark spoke extensively about the science behind building, maintaining, and replenishing soil fertility. He discussed using combinations of dry and liquid "recipes" with ingredients like granite dust, gypsum, and basalt to boost levels of essential soil nutrients and elements (potassium, calcium, carbon, magnesium, boron, etc.).

But this wasn't just a science class. A lot of Mark's teachings are of the common sense variety, including reminders about being a good neighbor, being observant, working hard, not taking short cuts, and respecting nature.

Mark emphasized the need for as much information as possible about your soil. A routine soil test is not enough. Understanding how the land has been used in the past and being able to identify the plants currently thriving on it before you begin planning your crops is a crucial first step. A soil test is only a tiny snapshot of what's going on in your soil and can often be misleading says Mark.

With regard to soil fertility issues, Mark believes in treating the cause of the problem, not the symptom with long term solutions, not quick fixes.

To illustrate his overall message, Mark told us to think of a buffet table line: "the (microbes in the soil) eat first, then the plants, then us." It is good way to think about our ongoing role as growers in ensuring a healthy food supply.


Here are a couple of articles written by Mark Fulford:

Building Living Soil Systems With Biological Farming Methods
Soil Biology: The Most Important Livestock on the Farm

And a few of the many books he recommended to us:

• Weeds and Why They Grow, by Jay McCamon
• The Nature and Properties of Soil by Ray Weil
• Paramagnetism and Tuning Into Nature by Dr. Phillip Callahan
• The Compost Tea Manual by Dr. Elaine Ingham
• Science in Agriculture by Dr. Arden Andersen

Learn How to Support Your Local Farms with CSA's- and Motor Oil!

Find out how Johnny's customer Peacemeal Farm joined forces with Maine's rapidly growing Community Supported Agriculture community. Today, more than 160 farms are a part of the CSA community in Maine and together they sell more than 6,500 shares to consumers.

Read this entire article on CSA's, "Supporting Local Farms Starts in Early Spring," in the Bangor Daily News.


Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, RI is recycling used oil to help grow its vegetables.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on a used-oil boiler that we’re heating a greenhouse with,” said Skip Paul, who owns the farm along with his wife, Liz Peckham. “If people bring us their used motor oil or used fryolator oil, we’re paying them back in tomatoes.”

Ms. Peckham said the special boiler accepts three different types of oil: drain oil, vegetable oil and No. 2 motor oil.  

Find out more at EastBayRI.com now.

Eliot Coleman's Organic Farm, Winter Growing Subject of New York Times Story

Yesterday, the New York Times ran a great story -- "Living Off the Land In Maine, Even in Winter" -- about Four Seasons Farm here in Maine.

New York Times photo

Barbara Damrosch harvests Tatsoi at Four Seasons Farm in Harborside, ME. See story in the NY Times.

The story, written by gardening columnist Anne Raver, is about the organic farm owned by gardening book authors Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch. The article details many of their winter growing techniques, season extension ideas, and managing a small commercial growing operation. It is accompanied by an online photo slideshow with a dozen shots from the farm.

Johnny's exclusively carries many of the tools that Eliot helped develop and design, including Broadforks, the Long-Handled Wire Weeder, the Bed Preparation Rake Row Markers, the Hand Tiller, and the Tilther.

These books, written by Eliot and Barbara, are also available on our website.

• "The Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman
• "The New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman
• "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman
• "The Gardening Primer" by Barbara Damrosch

We also carry the DVD -- "Year-Round Vegetable Production with Eliot Coleman"

What's New at the Farm? How to Choose the Correct Cover Crop

Trivia Question: Name this Cover Crop. (Answer Below)

This week I thought I'd spend some time on figuring out how to pick a cover crop or cover crops for your garden. I'm going to use my garden as an example. My garden is 75 feet wide and 150 feet long; about a quarter of an acre. It's a clay soil with poor drainage so I can't get it tilled early in the season. It was a pasture for many years after the landowner plowed it and decided it was too difficult to put into a good forage crop.  I don't think much ever grew there, at least not that I remember, other than cherry and pine trees and some goldenrod.  The soil was poor, to say the least, when I bought it.

When growing cover crops at home there are some things to consider before planting takes place.   Hopefully after you read this, you'll be better equipped to determine the best cover crop to use for your garden. There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a cover crop:

• Purpose : Why do I want to plant a cover crop? Is it for soil protection only? Is it to add organic matter and smother weeds? Will I have animals grazing it? Or bees and beneficials pasturing? Is it to add nitrogen and bring minerals up from deep within the soil layers? Is it to rot sod, break compaction or improve drainage?
• Lifespan:  Annual, biennial or perennial? How long do we want the cover crop growing here? Is this a crop we want to protect the soil until next spring, or do we want to enrich the soil for an entire year or more before using it again? Should I seed a legume for nitrogen production?
• Seeding:  How much do I need to purchase and how am I going to seed this? Is it easily broadcast or should I be looking at something uniform in seed size?  With a mix will the different seed types spread together or will the mixed seed spread differently causing strips in the garden?  Should I seed one crop and then seed another one or can I mix them and seed at the same time? What's the most effective way to cover the seed with soil? Should I use a mix, and if so, what?
• Time span to seed: Spring, summer or fall? Will I have time to seed it so it will perform its best? Can I get on the ground early enough to get a good stand established before I get too busy with other planting projects.
• Maintenance:  What kind of maintenance will it need and how best to do it? Will it need mowing during its growing cycle? Can I let it do its own thing and do nothing between planting and incorporation? Will it out compete weeds, or will they present a problem later in the season? Will weeds grow in the canopy  out of sight and undisturbed for the season?
• Fertility requirements: Does this crop demand anything to insure a good stand? Like all garden crops you want to make sure you provide everything the cover crops needs to best suit the end result. You're taking a plot of land out of production for a period of time, so why not do everything to insure that time and money isn't wasted.
• Soil type:  The type of soil you have can determine the type of cover crop seed you use. For example, if you have packed clay you'll want to use a crop that sends out deep roots to break up and aerate the soil layers. Wet, clay soil is typically later than well-drained soil to prepare in the spring, so if you have an overwintering crop think about how much growth it's going to have the following spring while you're waiting to get into the garden. Will there be so much rampant growth to make incorporation a challenge? Well-drained, early soil means you can get a crop in early while the ground is still cool; a perfect time for clovers to become established.   
• Incorporation: How much crop residue will I have to turn under and what's the best way to do it? Can I mow it with a lawn mower (you'd be surprised what you can mow with a lawn mower), then turn it under with the equipment I have? A cover crop that adds a lot of organic matter, well, guess where the OM comes from  the plants parts that get tilled into the soil. Winter rye if not caught in time becomes a tall, rank and unruly mess and gets harder to kill and incorporate the longer it gets to grow. It can become a challenge even for us with all kinds of equipment at our disposal.

There are many, many things one should consider before buying cover crop seed. The many varieties we offer should cover the wide range of soil types, uses and ease of incorporation for most gardeners and farmers.  A simple checklist can be made to determine the best choice for a cover crop. Now, let's see.

My Garden:

• Size: 75' X 150'
• Square foot area:  11,250'
• Area for crops: 2,500'              
• Area to Cover crop:  8,750' (0.20 acres)
• Crop Year: 2012
• Purpose: Smother weeds and recycle nutrients, add organic matter and prevent erosion
• Lifespan: I plan on this ground being out of crop production for 1 year, so an annual will be fine. My garden spot is clay so I can't get in early to prepare the soil.
• Time to seed: I'd like to clean out my henhouses prior to seeding a cover crop so I'm thinking I should be done by the first of May.
• Fertility requirements: With the manure I apply each year, I'll need a crop that will use the nutrients supplied without adding anything. 
• Maintenance: I really don't want to have to do much after I plant it. Maybe mow it once if needed.
• Crop decision: Based on all these questions I have decided to plant Sudangrass (answer to trivia question above).

Here's why:
Sudangrass needs warm soil temps to germinate and grow; mid-May is when to plant and I'll have the manure applied and the ground tilled by then. Sudan grass will grow in fertile ground like my garden and very little if anything including weeds will grow in the understory.  Mowing  I can bush hog it in August when I do the annual bush hogging of my fields. It will winterkill so I needn't be concerned about regrowth next spring and I can till it under when I do my once a year rototilling. Sudangrass will protect the soil during the winter with its dead stalks and leaves, and hold the soil with its root systems.  It will provide shelter for small animals and birds during the winter, and hold some snow so we'll have ample moisture next spring.

How much seed to purchase: The suggested rate per acre is 30-40 pounds per acre. So let's say at 40 pounds per acre, and my garden spot to cover is 0.20 acres, the amount of seed I need is 8 pounds.  Planting a little thicker won't hurt but it will help shade out weeds better and it looks like I'll need 10 pounds of seed.  I'll get it sooner than later to make sure I have it when I'm ready to plant.

Figuring out which cover crop to plant takes some time and thought, but with minimal investment it will pay dividends by breaking disease cycles, adding organic matter and recycling nutrients.  I could go on and on about cover crops but I've rambled enough for today.

As always, any questions leave a comment below and I'll try to answer it and if I can't, I'll get you an answer.

Until next week, Brian

Farm Profile: Green Spark Farm

Green Spark Farm, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine -- Mary Ellen and Austin Chadd credit their professors and mentors in helping them to form a holistic approach to farming. They view their farm as a human-manipulated ecosystem and they passionately caretake the health of its ecology while growing their MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) certified organic produce.

Mary Ellen became a Master Composter while studying at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in upstate New York. She continued her studies in Ecological Agriculture at the Evergreen State College in Washington, where she met Austin. Austin was in the same course of study and was working as the farm assistant at Evergreen’s Student Farm. He grew up farming on his father’s farm in the foothills of Mount Rainier. After college, and before moving back to Portland, the two worked together at an organic market farm, giving them experience they find invaluable to their current lives growing and marketing produce from their own farm. They completed the Journeyperson Program of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and, with the help of that program and extensive local networking, grew from farming out of an apartment to leasing 13 acres in Cape Elizabeth and farming full time.

Cape Elizabeth farmer friends provided both equipment and wisdom for their process of turning sod ground that had been fallow for 25 years into bountiful vegetable production. The Chadds extend their growing season by using low tunnels and floating row covers. They have just finished a small high tunnel and have received an NRCS High Tunnel grant which will allow them to put up a larger hoophouse this year. Although most of inland Maine is in plant hardiness zones 3-4, Mary Ellen says, “We are lucky to farm in ‘the tropics of Maine’ with a coastal temperature Zone 5+ climate.”

Mary Ellen and Austin pay strong attention to the soil microbial community and plant nutrient-uptake to help make their wide selection of vegetables healthy and nutritious. They choose to cultivate biodiversity on their farm by growing rare and heirloom vegetables, enchanted by their histories and stories. The beautiful and sometimes strange vegetables add rich variety to their market offerings. They sell at two farmer's markets, a farm stand, and to several restaurants. They also offer CSA shares that are redeemable at the farm stand or farmers markets.

As young farmers, they are grateful to the mentors who have helped them hone their skills, many of whom have also become good friends. “They taught us that sustainable agriculture is as much about community building and ecological responsibility as it is about economic sustainability,” Mary Ellen said.

Photo Slideshow

For more information, visit greensparkfarm.com.