Sustainable Horticulture

Sustainable Hort Focus Moves to Plant Technology & Food

Posted by sustainable_hort on August 14, 2012  |  12 Comments

All right, one more try…
The late Richard Holbrooke gave an essential piece of advice for a question-driven life: Know something about something. Don’t just present your wonderful self to the world. Constantly amass knowledge and offer it around. It seems that fits the definition of a blog, at least a useful blog. I don’t what percentage of blogs are actually useful to the readers, but I bet it is a small number.

If this is not your first visit here, you know I have made several false starts at this blog. My first idea, and the one most developed when I started, concentrated on the nursery industry. But, the plant industry collapsed along with housing and commercial construction, as new landscapes disappeared like Missouri corn in this summer’s heat.

The 2008-09 economic collapse also buried my fledgling business…Sustainable Hort LLC. Again it had focused on the nursery industry and its slow move toward more sustainable production practices. But, there were fewer and fewer nurseries, as first the more poorly run operations went under, followed by well-run operations that developed cash flow problems. Now, even excellent growers with little debt are facing a demand landscape (pun intended) that has shrunk dramatically, with little positive in the economic situation to look forward to over the next few years. Making substantial production changes was the furthest thing from the grower’s mind.

As I watched the collapse, I made a decision…”people gotta eat”…and I returned to my horticultural roots and started a local, sustainable produce farm, using skills and knowledge from my Oregon State University Horticulture degree. Our first year, 2009, was great; the next two years were miserable, with last year’s spring being one of the coldest, wettest in history, followed by a record cool summer. But, we survived and are looking at our best year ever. (If you want to follow the farm and its activities, check our other blog at www.19thStreetfarms.com)

Last year, I also took over managing my hometown’s (West Linn, Oregon) farmers market, where our farm is in its fourth year of being a vendor. This dual role puts me in the middle of our localvore movement. As we continue to experiment on both the farm and in the home research garden, we also put our extensive marketing skills to work to find and create customers. Again, much of that is discussed on our farm site.

Recent USDA statistics show that the “small” farms are making a slight comeback, with farmers markets identified as a key marketing channel for their crops. Meanwhile, more safety issues with industrial ag products surfaced, more books appeared questioning how food is produced, both plants and animals products, and alternatives are appearing as part of a diverse “urban homesteading” movement. (Watch for blog for reviews on recent books on homesteading).

This is becoming more of a mainstream movement, both in who buys the alternative products and who makes them. We see more concern, activism, and even a new farmer generation, in younger adults. Newer forms of agriculture and horticulture are being explored, from intensive, urban mini-farms to green roofs being developed as greenhouse food productions system.

Plus, we see the world food system getting shaky as drought is turning the US Midwest into a new Dust Bowl, Russia is struggling with its wheat crop, and India is battling crop-destroying monsoons. A preview came in July with the food price index climbing 6%, with the grains category up 17%. All this before the drought’s real effects are felt.

All this is going to change our relation to food, how and where it is grown, what it costs, and maybe even the availability of more exotic items. This blog will follow all those activities that mark those changes, note the alternative that are working, or not, and use my personal, hands-on experience to offer a grounded, but contrasting view of the world of food.

Changes Affecting Horticulture, Both Bad & Good

Posted by sustainable_hort on November 22, 2011  |  No Comments

It was May when I last posted anything. Doubling our farm, taking over as manager of our local farmers market, and unexpected contract work meant no time to write. I am sure you assumed this site died a quiet death like most sites. Ambition usually blinds bloggers to the reality of maintaining a site with original, fresh content. It is partly that…but; I wish it were only that.

Sadly, it is not. When I started this blog, the intent was to focus mainly on the nursery industry and the sustainable model I saw as a future option for growers. But, it is an industry going through radical change, and not a good one. I am working on a draft for an article discussing what has struck a vibrant, positive industry. I am seeing and experiencing it firsthand, on the rural back roads that were the heart of Oregon’s leading agricultural crop. It is a matter of survival for these growers, and not a time for taking chances with any innovation, let alone risking your present production system for one that is still being developed. More on this soon.

Still, as an organic produce grower with a horticultural degree, I see opportunities for those nurseries that can turn to more sustainable production. In the next few months I will update the “Can Nurseries be Sustainable” post (12/23/2009), including the rough tests I ran with several organic container mixes at a local nursery. The results were impressive enough that I want to see more work done in this direction.

And, this site will continue to discuss the innovative future uses of plants, particularly in urban/suburban areas. This includes the diverse “urban agriculture” movement that could change how much of our food is grown and even become a “job creator?”

But, it goes far beyond that! I have been involved in the green roof industry for five years, and, despite the current construction collapse, it is technology for the times. It is just one example of how plants are being used to solve environmental problems. Plants will be integrated into our lives in ways we have not even developed yet…just look at the urban food production skyscraper being proposed by Dr. Dickson Despommier. I will discuss his book, The Vertical Farm, soon…though I have my doubts.

Finally, though there are other sources to find general agricultural information, I will continue to comment on the limitations and negatives of large agribusiness. For instance, the expanding herbicide resistance issue has overwhelmed the promises of easy farming. Even the main stream ag press has acknowledged this, warning its readers that production will need to return to more complex systems. As usual, something that seems too good to be true, finally fails. A return to working with nature, instead of fighting it, will probably turn out to be the best economic investment farming can make.

Anyway, enough for this short post. If any of the above topics interest you, please keep tune. Its good to be back.

Food Prices Rising…Only the Start

Posted by sustainable_hort on May 23, 2011  |  No Comments

With all the recent headlines, the story of rising food prices has been on the news back burner. But, for many people, both here in the US and in most under-developed countries, these climbing costs are much more important than a royal wedding, the Trump comedy series about birth certificates, and, even, the elimination of Mr. Bin Laden. Hunger tends to trump (no pun intended) most other concerns.

Yet, for whatever reason(s), we are seeing food prices rise quickly. We have to go back to the 1970’s to find a similar situation. Then, oil prices and availability were not the key issue they are today. The increases in food prices then were driven mainly by Russian wheat crop failures. But, the pressures on food prices now are coming from rising energy and commodity prices, plus several weather related crop issues. As I have written on this blog, petroleum is more than gas for our cars…it is literally is the foundation material for much of the modern world. The majority of consumer products depend on these substrates at some level. Think plastic!

Food is no exception! The earth’s oil and natural gas are used to produce fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and plastics; they are used to power the tractors, sprayers, harvesters, and generate heat; and obviously they are the fuel for the trucks, trains and planes that move our food around the world. Whether it is speculation, increasing demand from the China and India, or peak oil’s decreasing output, oil prices will rise in the long term…and food prices can only follow.

I recently attended a talk by Gary Paul Nabhan, author of Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods, whose main message was the importance of local “food sheds.” While this is not a new concept, it seems to gain importance as we watch drought, floods, tornados and rising production prices wreck havoc with US agriculture. It is the old cliché “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” It is in the interest of regions, at least, to be able to produce all the key components of a healthy diet. This idea is catching on.

For instance, here in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, we are seeing a return of wheat, and an organized effort to grow a wide range of beans, now all shipped in from great distances. It is an expansion of the local food movement, one that consumer consider more important than “organic.”

But, for many consumers, price is and will remain the primary consideration. This, I feel as a produce grower, is a misaligned focus. Food “quality” should equal nutrition, not cost. But, there is good news. Recent research indicates local foods, not necessarily organic, can cost less at your local farmers market than the national chain supermarket. And, even at a few cents more, local produce, especially the more delicate “greens” categories, will literally be a week fresher. Turn over those plastic tubs of greens at your local supermarket. While the “use by” date may be days off, I will bet you can see some early deterioration of the produce, particularly the red lettuces. If you store the package a few days, you are eating greens that are ten to two weeks old. Just how nutritious, let alone tasty, can this limp product be? Not much. If you want to read more, check out: www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/05/the-farmers-market-myth/238661.

Food Choices…Ours or Theirs?

Posted by sustainable_hort on March 2, 2011  |  No Comments

Why do we eat what we eat? How do we make our food decisions? Or, more important, who else is “helping” us make those food choices?

As consumers of food, we really need to understand how we got to our present food system from the marketing side, the forces that created our weak, subliminal attachment to food. Read these books and then walk down the aisles of your local supermarket (not around the outside where most of simpler foods are displayed). Take a few minutes and read the ingredients in most of the processed “foods.” I can promise you will never see food the same again.

In her fascinating look at the forces that created our present relationship with food, Kitchen Literacy, written by Ann Vileisis, the scientific, cultural and marketing forces that took us from a hands-on existence with food (unless you had servants or slaves) to one that is carefully controlled by today’s mega-food companies. She examines the arc from eating only seasonal and/or stored foods to the current supermarket cornucopia of “foods,” with their emphasis on calorie count while being made from a long list of industrial “ingredients.” I will take an in-depth look at this book on my blog at www.19thstreetfarms.com in the next couple weeks.

A complementary work is The End of Overeating by David Kessler, MD. He approaches from a different direction, looking at exactly how major food companies have developed foods that appeal to us. Their clever combinations of “fat, sugar & salt” have obviously worked. Just walk down the aisles in any major grocery store and they are there. Thousands and thousands of prepared foods, convenient to use, calorie rich, and seemingly less expensive. After reading this book, I cannot look at any food, commercial or not, without looking at how it matched up to that wonderful marketing triad. Kessler’s sub-title sums up his aim…”taking control of the insatiable American appetite.” Eating can continue to be a sensuous, satisfying, social activity, but based more on simple, seasonal foods prepared at home. The last section of the book explains techniques and strategies to regain our real appetites

While the first two books focused on the whys of what we eat, another new release, The Safe Food Handbook, concentrates on avoiding common contamination issues with food. The food industry has had to deal with numerous food-related outbreaks over the past few years…spinach, sprouts, meat, etc., etc. This has lead to an increased concern about food safety. Author Dr. Heli Perrett’s handbook gives a concise, easy-to-use format for consumers needing an overview of the issues, common problems and, most important, solutions and methods to avoid contamination and illness. It does not cover much new ground. Books like Marion Nestle’s Food Safety and What to Eat cover this area in more depth, with extensive historical background. But, for the average consumer, The Safe Food Handbook provides the crucial information needed to avoid getting sick from common foods.

The first two books can help us eat better but will not solve the upcoming issue…rising food prices. A perfect storm of bad weather, increasing demand from new economies and now the Middle East turmoil threatens to drive up all agricultural production inputs. With most food production and transportation being petroleum-based, so as gas prices break $4.00/gallon, food prices can only follow. And, food has been one of the driving forces in the Middle East uprisings. In fact, some say the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, protesting the confiscation of his fruit stand, really triggered these series of falling dominos as “the people” speak up in country after country.

Meanwhile, the whole world will begin to deal with the cost of food, the availability of food, and should develop alternative plans for feeding people as the current system moves toward serious problems. More on this in an upcoming blog.

Wasted Yards to Mini-Farms

Posted by sustainable_hort on February 2, 2011  |  No Comments

Urban gardening continues to be an expanding trend. We are seeing more and more turf areas being replaced by some type of landscape, often food oriented. This does not break my heart. I feel most small yards (turf) are useless and a waste of space. Now, I have no problem with a larger yard, one that is used by children, pets and families for outdoor activities. Play on!

But many urban yards are just small patches of grass that need to be mowed, watered and fertilized. Some homeowners have moved to “more natural” landscapes that often incorporate native shrubs and trees to draw the local birds and insects, while many also save water. These choices are a vast improvement over un-used turf space.

Meanwhile, vegetable gardening remains hot trend, one that is seeing increasing sales. All part of the “urban homesteading movement.” The more dedicated homesteaders have also added a “perennial food system” with fruit trees, berries, grapes, and herbs. Why? Mainly because people are becoming more aware of what real food is, and this is one way to change what they eat. More and more families are realizing that food gardens don’t take much more water and fertilizer than a yard, and can be good exercise, and might even be close to fun. Good way to teach biology too!

But, the first challenge with many of today’s suburban lots is space. The empty lots and surrounding open areas of my childhood have disappeared. Today’s homes (many McMansions) have very limited outdoor space available to grow foods. So, intensive, raised-bed plantings, and careful use of sun exposed walls, fences, etc., still allow families to raise a significant amount of food. It just takes careful planning and consistent care. Add container gardening to the mix, and almost any popular vegetable can be grown successfully.

So, how? Let’s start with classic Square Food Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew, written 30 years ago (his revised book is readily available). Then, I will follow up with several other-related books that cover similar territory. They are all aimed at helping get you started changing your yard into a small farm.

In the original Square Food Gardening, Bartholomew produced a basic gardening book that also happened to cover his engineer-based, grid-growing system. The recent book explains the system well. But, according to several review comments on Google, much of the earlier basic gardening information has disappeared. I guess most of that information is available in many forms, from many sources, so the current edition is based on more photographs and less text to cover the same ground (no pun intended). The basic idea is still very useful.

One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein is, in some ways, almost a direct copy of Bartholomew’s work, except that the author bases her plans on 3-foot squares. She comes from Australia, so she may not even be aware of his history in small space gardening in the U.S. Still, the idea is the same. Still, it definitely serves the same propose as the earlier work, and she supplies 30 different designs for squares that meet different crop desires. These are very helpful to those getting started with gardening, who’s limited horticultural knowledge make planning difficult, especially in the first few years.

Sugar Snaps and Strawberries (Timber Press) by Andrea Bellamy does not instruct gardeners to plant in grids, but to use the smaller spaces around any home to grow food. Her food production is a community gardening plot and her third story balcony. Bellamy runs the blog, www.heavypetal.com., which supports organic gardening, and her experience with limited space makes her information particularly useful to those urban/suburban homes with vey limited space. She manages to cover most of the basic growing information efficiently, with useful suggestions on the best varieties and planting schedules for nearly year-around growing. She also includes details on container gardening, which is “gardening” to more and more people. Bellamy’s work creates integrated, food landscapes that blend in more naturally while maximizing growing space.

If you are looking at gardening more from the chef viewpoint, check out another Timber Press book, The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook, by Jennifer R. Bartley. This book provides similar growing information and designs, but the real focus is the end products…the many recipes that use seasonal vegetables and fruits. As more cooks learn to use new vegetables and desire fresh ingredients, a home kitchen garden will probably be the focus of any landscape that replaces turf.

Finally, books with ambitious plans and growing information are useful to those getting started. But, does it really work? Can our neighbor’s yards become small farms? Edible Estates…Attack on the Front Lawn (Metropolis Books) edited by Fritz Haeg, with essays by food writers such as Michael Polland and Rosalind Creasy, take the issue head on. This is not a gardening guide, but an inspirational showcase of actual front lawns that have made the transition to “farm” successfully. Eight yards are examined, with design plans and step-by-step photos of the actual landscaping process.

Once you start this process, my advice is to take it slow and have a sense of humor. To keep you going, read Manny Howard’s My Empire of Dirt (Scribner), subtitled “A Cautionary Tale,” He seemed to run into an inordinate set of problems (it would discourage many beginners), but takes it all with a slightly dark sense of humor. There are a number of these autobiographical records of “becoming a farmer or urban homesteader” on the market today, but few work at this level of humor.

This whole trend is morphing, especially for young adults and young families, into a new homesteading movement…a reclaiming of the urban environment. It moves well beyond just having a small, kitchen garden to creating landscapes that more mimic the natural surroundings. It includes shrubs and trees that provide food, added diversity to draw beneficial insects and birds, trap and re-use rain water, adding chickens, rabbits and other small animals, composting, etc., etc. A visually strong introduction to this concept comes from the wonderful DK Press. Titled Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century, this larger format book runs through all the main activities that fall under this general heading. Written by Dick and James Strawbridge (co-hosts of UK television series It’s Not Easy Being Green), it is packed with how-to sections on building a home, energy and waste, growing food, animal husbandry, and many traditional home kitchen, natural medicine and craft skills, all aimed at living as far off the grid as a family might get in the urban environment. Most readers will probably only start with a few of the book’s actions, but it will give anyone a solid, visual introduction to this topic. I just love DK’s approach to making their books so visual and clear. When I travel, I use their city books because they, again, are visual. So, if you are dreaming of urban homesteading, study this book and read Howard’s view of the reality, and you might be ready to start.

COMING NEXT: The New Lawn, Part II: But, not all homeowners are interested or willing to make their lawn into a farm. No problem. There are many other options to the traditional lawns. The high maintenance turf can be replaced by more natural landscape spaces that mirror the surrounding environment. The post will cover some more recent releases that look at alternative landscapes.