Organic growing

A first day of a weekend Organic Growers School (in Flat Rock, NC) has been fascinating. I've never attended before, but the mix of folks is great. The point seems to be instructive (classes rather than programs) and certainly the two morning programs that I attended about soils were both instructive and very interesting and full of research-based advice about how to use cover crops and fungi (mycorrhiza) to increase soil fertility. The second soils program I attended (Soil Science 101) was full of interesting information about how to manage organic matter (hey, nothing much about soil chemistry here!) but presented in context of soil fauna, tillage, and nitrogen management.

As a plant ecologist, and keen vegetable gardener, one of my biggest challenges is to understand the nutrient needs of (nutrient-hungry) vegetables (uh, native plants are quite happy with recycled plant nutrients in relatively natural systems). I'm trying to get an understanding of how to improve the nutrient level of my vegetable garden beds with cover crops and organic soil amendents (eg.- don't overdo the chicken litter for years and years, because of the high phosphorus levels, something I learned today).

Quite interesting......

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Apples

In the mountains for the weekend, we were walking near a city park. My attention was drawn by recently planted trees and shrubs near a recreation center. Much to my surprise (and delight), blueberries, a mulberry, apple trees, and yellow-stemmed dogwoods were among the plantings.

The centerpiece was a largish apple tree, with multiple grafts, marked by aluminum tags. They read Esophus Spitzenberg, Winesap, and something else I couldn't read. What fun! There was plenty more space between the building and the basketball court for vegetable gardens, I thought...

The North Carolina mountains are apple country, and heirloom apple varieties are getting more attention.

Western North Carolina is home to a wide variety of small growers and producers, with locally-grown or produced vegetables, artisan bread and cheese, and seasonal tailgate markets, well-supported. A visit to a local organic market found a regional brewer giving away free samples of their ales; my gardening companion was impressed!

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