Sustainable Horticulture

Farwest Show Report

Posted by sustainable_hort on August 24, 2009  |  No Comments

I spent three days last week at one of the country’s best nursery/horticultural shows, the Farwest Show, and collected information on new sustainable production products. There were several great organic fertilizers and pest control products that are not represented here in the Northwest. I discussed the possibility of handling these products as a representative, using direct shipment to customers. This could actually mean you could get these products as a slight cost savings by going through Sustainable Hort LLC.
Meanwhile, I have also worked out agreement with a Northwest supplier of many organic fertilizers and other production products (including a new humic acid based water-soluble powder that has been impressing horticulturists with its results). Again, using direct shipment would help keep the cost of these products down.
So, watch this blog over the next few weeks as I begin to list specific products, information on their uses and effectiveness, and how you might buy them.
Keeping horticulture sustainable…both in production and economically.
See you soon…Miles McCoy

Sustainable Horticulture

Posted by sustainable_hort on August 22, 2009  |  1 Comment

The headline sums up the reason for having an open mind to new (actually some old) ideas for growing any commercial horticultural crop.For nearly 30 years, I have closely followed the organic agricultural movement, after graduating from Oregon State University with a horticultural degree. After reading the research of Sir Albert Howard (“Health of the Soil” & “An Agricultural Testament”), and later, the extensive work of Dr. William A. Albrecht, I felt that plant and soil science has become too narrow in their approach to controlling pests and diseases. Many control methods were, basically, overkill…no pun intended. Then came the recent work, “Healthy Crops” by Francis Chaboussou. This work, recently translated from its Brazlian printing (written by a Frenchman), looks carefully at 75 years of agricultural research regarding pests, disease and plant health. It seems to confirm that many of our practices, whether over fertilization or unnecessary pesticide/herbicide applications, actually contribute to or cause many common plant health problems. We are beginning to identify a different, less damaging approach to agricutlure.

Over the past several decades, we have seen slow movement toward less environmentally harsh alternatives in pest and disease control. The movement even had specific terms applied to it, starting with “intergrated pest management” through to today’s “sustainable agriculture.” Meanwhile, organic agriculture’s gross sales have exploded, and, while still a very minor percentage of overall sales, and the segment is now drawing in the major food conglomerates. It is an agriculture proving there is an alternative way.