Spring Foolishness

Spring has come to the northern hemisphere, I got it we still see snow in some areas but the energy is here. 2026 is a year with a lot of energy, it will be a good growing season. The dilemma is one that pokes its ugly head everywhere in the spring, simply put it’s the chemicals applied to the lawns and farms across the world. They are unnecessary and are literally killing the population and worse than killing they are altering the genome of humans and animals. We have diseases and conditions we didn’t have fifty years ago. 
     I grow vegetables, greens mainly because I really enjoy that group of plants. I also grow turf grass, nursery stock and garlic. Yeah, yeah, I’m not a true farmer because I don’t grow corn or soy, I got it. I don’t qualify for subsidies because my property is commercial not agriculture zoned, and I don’t qualify for tax breaks for the same reason. Why do farmers try to fit themselves into the “farmer box” just so they can grow “food”? I don’t get it. Let’s go back to Europe a hundred years ago, the farms were small, the produce was diverse and the farmer was a skilled tradesman in many areas. The farmer was fit and strong and still able to work a days work at 65 years old. The machines were small and the hand tools were serviceable, not rusty and in the back of the shed, and way overpriced, behemoths.
      Today the farmer, landscaper, greenskeeper and homeowner are all stocking up on chemicals to control weeds, pests and make things grow big regardless of nutritional value. Why? It’s simple, these folks have lost the value of observation of nature. They’ve heard all the marketing foolishness and convinced themselves that they truly are dumb asses and helpless without Big Ag, Big Chemical and Big Brother. These folks are the Kool aid generation. When I was a kid it was a common sight to see children with a red, purple or green mustaches from drinking Kool aid. What’s the sign of drinking the Kool aid today? Obesity, cancers, heart problems and cognitive issues by the bucket full. The same product that kills a weed will kill the applicator and users of the turf or eaters of the produce. 
     How do I grow a good crop? Take a walk in the forest, that big oak tree that never got fertilizer or bug treatments or fungicide how did it get that way? The provision of nature surrounding it, it has everything it needs. The air and thunderstorms to provide nitrogen, the rocks and soil for minerals, the microbes to provide more nutrients, the insects, birds and animals for more help.
    We don’t just throw seeds in the ground and walk away, well most of the time anyway, but we should replicate the best we can the way nature provides. The American Indian was a skilled hunter, gatherer and yes farmer in some parts of the continent. They understood the combination plantings to allow one crop to help the other, they understood fish used as fertilizer, they understood nature because they understood they were part of it. Many, many growers today lack that understanding.
     My greenhouse has produced arugula, lettuces and carrots all winter long with only an application of dry molasses, the fig trees started to leaf out in February and we harvested a few tomatoes. How is this possible? The molasses feeds the microbes, the microbes do the work, I paid them with some heat and the sugar. Everyone was happy, no toxic chemicals, no downsides. The truth is agriculture can and does work this way when we follow nature’s principles. 
      Okay, now some suggestions for fellow growers. Allow for loss, actually don’t harvest everything, don’t be greedy, feed the soil. Don’t worry about a few weeds, they will tell you the soil conditions. Don’t overwater, don’t underwater…..be present. Buy OMRI listed products, fertilizers with microbes. Use a string trimmer and other mechanical means to control weeds. Mulches, in row cover crops and row paper work also. Concrete, pavers, hard surfaces, use white vinegar for weed control, mechanical means work well too, Europe is ahead of America in this area. Pay attention to the “lowest insect” populations, these fellows are food for the birds and bats that control other insects on your crops. Mosquitoes have a legitimate place in nature. A friend of mine said to me, Eric, you wouldn’t believe the bats and owls around your place at night. Actually I do, nature works 24/7, it’s not my place to disrupt it. 
     Last point, this world does not revolve around the human and all his stupidity, ego and arrogance. Mankind is an expert at ruining things, just look at the news. Do something positive, try to understand our very small place. Remember your Creator.
Take care,
Eric