Plant-A-Row Challenge: May and June

The brown spaces in the garden are quickly being filled in. In my old garden there was always this spot that was troublesome. We had used the garden that was started before we moved in to the house. By the time we moved in; however, the garden had overgrown with witch grass. witch grass that had gone to seed. This part of the garden was hard to keep the weeds down. Lotsa seed in the soil. I had tried mulching, green crops, growing a big crop of vining squash to keep the weeds down. But each year this part of the garden always grew a really good crop of witch grass. Eventually I remedied the situation by growing plants that really like to spread around;like comfrey, horseradish, mints and jerusalem artichokes. This worked well. Most of the plants I planted crowded out the witch grass. I also ended up with a lot of these plants to share as I tried to keep them from invading the rest of the garden.

Last month's challenge for the Plant-A-Row challenge was to share some seeds or seedlings. You could share with a neighbor or friend. You could contribute to a community garden. the idea was to share our abundance and sow community in the process.

I had several opportunities to share this past month. My sister-in-law had passed on some seed to me. I took some of the seed to plant and freecycled the remainder of the seed. The woman who claimed the seed was surprised that no one else had jumped at the chance. I had some extra seed potato and shared them with a neighbor. Finally, a woman who blacksmiths with Tristan wanted to know if I had 4 zucchini seeds. I drop those off at her house tomorrow. In return she is giving me some more horseradish root.

For Junes challenge I think we should keep it pretty low key. We've worked hard to get our gardens in. Weeding and watching things grow is a nice pass time. So for the month of June I think that we should maybe share stories from our communities of good works. How are your community gardens growing? How are organizations in your community adapting to the challenges of higher fuel prices? Farmer's markets are busy. Is there a new one in your community?

So how did you do this past month?

Plant-A-Row Challenge. April update at few days late

Sorry for the silence in this space. Life got a little crazy around here but hopefully it will return to it usual pace soon.

April's plant-a-row challenge was to make some decisions about what crops you would like to plant. Our local cooperative extension suggested that growers plant crops that would not perish quickly. Good keepers in other words. Crops such as onions, winter squashes, potatoes. I plan to grow a good row of onions. I also think that I will plant a row of Buttercup squash. I have more exotic squash for my own garden but I thought I would make sure that I donate something familiar for the folks that would be eating the squash.

For May's challenge I thought it would be good to think about the seeds we are using. This time of year we are all busy putting them in the ground. Sometimes there are a few leftover;either because we don't have enough room to plant a whole seed packet or really we only need a couple of zucchini plants. Seeds are potential food. In our county there is a group of folks that will provide seed to low income families so that they may grow some of their own food. Is there something like this where you live? Is there someone you know that could use a few more lettuce seeds? Can you freecycle some seeds? If you don't have seeds but a few extra seedlings is there someone you can share with?

I think of gardening as a way of building community. Given the rapid increase in commodity prices, folks living on the margins are really feeling the pinch. So we plant our rows. But another way to weather the storm of tough times is to build community with our neighbors. So this month's challenge leaves it up to you to decide which circle you would like to give your spare seeds to. Your closer circle of neighbors and friends or the larger circle of your community.

It is never too late to join the challenge. In March we researched organizations that accept garden produce. April we chose our crops. If you would like to join the challenge please leave a comment. If you would like to leave an update please leave a comment or link to your own blog update.

Happy planting!

Plant-A-Row Challenge. March Update

Welcome Spring! Well, sorta...we are supposed to get 6 inches of snow today. Oh fickle weather!

Anyway, we are at the middle, or just past the middle, of March. Time to check in with our progress with the Plant-A-Row Challenge. A month ago when I started this challenge, I was pushed to action by the increasing news about the food crisis. In the month since the challenge began food prices has climbed even further. With the recent tragedy in Japan, the continuing turmoil in the Middle East pushing on oil prices and the draconian cuts proposed to the safety net to the poor in our own country, the idea of NEED is not just something we can watch from far away on a television screen. NEED is great in our own communities.

In our own small ways we can make a difference.

This past month I asked participants to connect with organizations in their community that would benefit from either a surplus of their produce or a surplus of their time.

After a bit of phone tag I was able to connect with someone from my local cooperative extension. I found out that the program is no longer called Plant-A-Row. Instead it is called Harvest for Hunger. The reason for the change is that the new name better encompasses the mission of the program. I also learned that the best crops to plant are crops that will not be perishable; keepers such as onions, potatoes and winter squashes. I also found out that there is a gleaning network in my community. When a farmer has harvested all it needs from his field then a call goes out to folks who can harvest from the field so that the food can be donated to a local food pantry. I also got the contact information for a person who coordinates volunteers for a local community garden. Not only will my participation in these programs contribute to fulfilling a need but I also think it will be a great way to meet some new folks.

For next month I think it would be great to share what sort of crops we plan to grow in our rows. It is never too late to join the challenge.

So how was your month? What did you find out?

The squeeze is on...

Here we go again. The price of oil has climbed over 100.00 a barrel in response to the instability in North Africa and the Middle East. This is the bumpy plateau of Mr. Hubbert's peak. In a matter of a couple of weeks we should see gas prices leap, heating oil prices skyrocket and food prices, already at highs, will become even more expensive. Takes a lot of diesel to move the food from California eastward.

In real life, main street, kitchen table terms it means that we are all gonna feel a squeeze. Some of us more than others. At our own breakfast table this morning we started trouble shooting ways to cope with the increasing prices.

Here is a partial list:

• We will eat less meat. We eat meat two or three times a week. We can cut this down to one or two times a week. And those meat meals can take the form of soups and stews.
• Mark car pools one day a week with a co-worker, maybe they can share another day.
• Because "town" is a lot closer, in our new community, we find that we drive in and out of town several times a day. We will see if we can cut down these trips.
• We will stock up on a few more staples like oils, flour and oats before their prices make a big leap. I will put the flour and the oats in my freezer. It is getting pretty empty in there and this will improve its efficiency.
• We will fill a gas can or two for our chainsaw. We don't pay for heating oil but our form of heating is still dependent of fossil fuels.
• I am going to follow Wendy's blog as she documents the next 21 days. Oh and I will pre-order her book too;)
• We will review things we can do to increase the gas mileage of our car.
• We can save some money on groceries by making our own cheese from local milk.
• It is time to start the Independence Days Challenge again!

Our family will be able to weather the oncoming price shocks with some wise adaptations but there are other families with tighter margins in their budgets who will have a hard time. So maybe instead of planting one row, I'll plant two.

I would also like to ask again if anyone could advise me on creating a button for the Plant-A-Row Challenge. I will have all participants listed by the end of the week. However, it is never too late to join the challenge!

So do you have any other tips to share?

My First Challenge....Plant a Row!

This post and challenge is inspired by this post over at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op.

The food crisis never really went away but because of political, environmental and financial factors the cost of food is nearly at the same levels as 2008. Remember 2008? I do. I bought a 25lb bag of King Arthur Four for 11.oo in January of that year, by the end of February the same bag was 21.00. Oil would later become 147.00 a barrel and the economy collapsed. Many,many folks lost their jobs, had hours reduced, lost benefits or did not get raises. The social safety net was stretched.

In developing countries the effects were even more harsh. Some countries stopped exporting rice, causing the price to rise even further. Haiti and other countries had food riots.

Corn went to 7 dollars a bushel and suddenly we realized the food products used as fuels causes food to become expensive. The relationship between food and oil finally became a mainstream reality. The idea of the 150o mile salad took on a more menacing reality as food security slipped through the fingers of more people.

Nearly 3 years later, revolutions are being fought and won by the spark of hunger.

This is the global reality in developing countries but western societies will be challenged by the food crisis this time as well. In early 2008 a lot more people had a lot more money and jobs. Unemployment is still at 9%. This is the number of folks still looking for work. The actual number is closer to 16% if you count discourage workers, part time workers who want full time. That's a lot of hurting.

In addition to an economic recovery that does not seem to be reaching many folks there are austerity measures from every level of government threatening the very weave of the social safety net. From heating assistance for the poor to The Woman, Infant and Children's nutrition program these vital services are under attack.

I do not want to get on my soap box too much here. It would be easy to debate the morality of a society that bails out big bankers at the expense of those most needy; and there are a lot more needy.

Instead I think it is time to think globally but act locally.

So here is my challenge, Plant a Row. In my state of Maine and many other states, the cooperative extension sponsors a Plant-A-Row program. Farmer's and Gardener's Pledge to plant a row of fresh vegetables and donate it to food bank or soup kitchen.

My thinking is that the challenge will begin in March. Some folks will be able to start their gardens in March, some of us in the northern reaches are still dreaming of gardening. But it is a good time of year to plan. The challenge will go through the whole growing season. For the coming month I would like folks to start planning. This could include researching the plant-a -row program in your own state, choosing a crop or crops that you would like to grow. If you do not have a garden maybe you can discover alternatives in your community. Perhaps there is a community garden that donates the food to low-income folks in your community. If you don't have a garden but would like to participate in the challenge, maybe you could explore opportunities to volunteer at local food pantries or soup kitchens. Do you have cooking skills or food preservation skills you can share? Do you know a family who could use some assistance getting a small garden started? If you have a container garden maybe you could plant a couple extra pots of greens or tomatoes. Every little bit helps.

As for help, I would like to make a nifty button you can post on your blog, if there are any tech savvy folks out there that could lend assistance I would be most grateful.

So, if you would like to join please leave a comment to this post. I will create a widget listing the participants at the side bar. I will check back mid- March for an update at which time you can either post your up-date or link to your update.

Please Spread the Word!