Six Days Later

Potato vines continue to grow. I've planted Chieftan, Green Mountain, and All Blue potatoes.

For an amazing list of heirloom potatoes, check out this site from Curzio's Kenosha Potato Project:

http://www.curzio.com/N/PotatoCatalog.htm#Anchor128

Curzio reports that he planted 70 bags of various potato seedlings. Sounds like a record number!

Potato Bag Gardening

On May 8, I planted potato seedlings at the bottom of 4 bags, 5 seedlings of one variety into each one. I covered the seedlings with a few inches of compost and topsoil. As the vines grew, I kept adding compost and topsoil to keep them covered. 

The bags are now full and the vines are beginning to grow up over them.  A few of the vines are beginning to flower. Here's hoping for a good crop!

ISM

Inspired by Slow Money

Geo and I attended the national Slow Money Conference. Shelburne Farms in VT was a perfect setting.

The participants were an eclectic mix of organic farmers, entrepeneurs into sustainability, and socially responsible investors (and us).

The Slow Money movement is somewhat of an economic revolution to promote an alternative way to invest - not to expect a return of quick profits - but to build partnerships and alliances for a healthy environment, vibrant local communities, and strong economies.

Investing in local organic food systems is a way to start. It may be as simple as buying at local farmers markets or buying into a CSA. It may be as serious as investing a sum of money into a local food-related enterprise that needs capital to grow.

I came away from the conference examining my own value system. As one leader summed it up, "What more can I do today to live and act on what I believe?" Do I "put my money" where my values are?

So Geo and I are committing to learn more about local companies and products that help heal the environment. Tomorrow we take a trip to Hardwick, VT to meet with the owner of VT Natural Coatings, a growing company that actually makes wood stain using whey, a by-product of cheesemaking.

It was an inspiring conference. Learn more at slowmoneyalliance.org.

Bunny Battles

The wild rabbits are feasting on the lilies in my garden. They chomp off the leaves and the tops. I planted brown and white “chocolate” lilies, but the only way I’ll ever see them is by the picture on the package. So the lilies are being replaced by cosmos ~ the bunnies pretty much ignore them.

My wish for sunflowers in the garden is also being sabotaged by the same critters.  They leave behind just enough of the bare stems to prove that they’re winning the battle. My response is to keep planting more seeds, and to sprinkle some bunny-be-gone garlic and dried blood (ugh) granules. The smell is supposed to repel them. We’ll see…

As for Swiss chard, the bunnies seem to be nibbling some of it, but not much. Guess it’s not their first choice for their menu selection.

This year I did not plant any spinach. From last year I know it starts off better than the wimpy-looking Swiss chard, but bolts way too soon. When the Swiss chard takes off, it keeps growing strong until late fall. In fact, it’s the very last of my veggies that I harvest. I pretty much use spinach and Swiss chard interchangeably anyway.

When the peas are finished ~ yes, they are blossoming now ~ I will put in carrots. They'll be planted behind the wire fence that Jenn helped me put in last year. It's buried forever about 6 - 8 inches deep! Let the bunnies watch those carrots grow. Hopefully they'll not be munching any of them.