Winter is upon us–and for many it has been fiercely cold–or you’ve had lots of precipitation from inches of rain to feet of snow.
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Winter is upon us – and for many it has been fiercely cold – or you ’ve had lots of precipitation from inches of rainfall to foot of snow . Do n’t let the cold and grey-headed sidereal day get you down , instead , get inspired . Attend a conference or symposium , learn something new ; research something you have always want to know more about and ratify up for a course ; spend a day dream of this year ’s garden , await at the superfluity of seed catalog and order some seeds ; sprout some sprouts ; well yet , plant some lettuce or spinach plant in a seed flat ; wash and inseminate some neglected house plant ; clean up the greenhouse ; start some bulbs or root word cuttings ; or pass some time with a garden sidekick or a good garden book .
I have just returned from the Illinois Specialty Crops , Agritourism , and Organic Conference in Springfield , Illinois , where the weather was depressed , grey , cold-blooded and wet . Yet , over 200 Farmer and gardeners show up for the conference and the trade show vendor infinite was trade out ! There were six tracks going on throughout the sidereal day : Agritourism & Marketing , Fruits , Vegetables , herbaceous plant , Organics and Emerging Issues & Opportunities . I present two lectures for the herbaceous plant track – one on “ Tarragon : Cooking with the Queen of Herbs ” , celebratingArtemisia , Herb of the Year 2014and the other “ Beating the Winter Blahs with Herbs ” . I had a pretty full classroom and we had set of fun and tasting in both .
The classes that I sat in on , the booths I visited , the dedicated growers , farmers and pedagog whom I met , seeing herbal pals , and the keynote loudspeaker system , Eliot Coleman , all inspired me , not to mention lifted my emotional state from the dreary weather outdoors . “ Nothing is inconceivable : Creating a Thriving Farm on a Rocky Maine Peninsula ” was the title of Eliot ’s lecture and he held the audience in enraptured attention . Although he is little in size of it and seems a bit reserved , once he bug out to speak , his passion for mature and create bring in his eyes scintillate and he becomes quicken as he shares his experience , ideas , thought and inventions ; he is a masterly teller . During his political program , Eliot told us about life-time on his Four Season Farm and show how long time of constitutive territory edifice has create extremely productive soil , which is the invidia of raiser in the northern U.S. He harvest coolweather crops throughout the winter and using unheated , moveable greenhouses , he naturalize bid crops like ginger and globe artichoke .
Eliot Coleman wroteThe New Organic Grower : A Master ’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener(Chelsea Green Publishing Company ) in 1989 and it is every bit as current and intelligent data now as it was then . His latest book , The Winter Harvest Handbook : Year - Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Tecniques and Unheated Greenhousesfeatures Eliot ’s stirring , develop techniques , his mobile greenhouses , crops he produce , soil training , pest direction , tools he employ , winter and summer crops , a annual schedule , and much more . I advocate all of Eliot Coleman ’s books ( www.chelseagreen.com ) as well as his wife ’s books , Barbara Damrosch , who is also a wonderful garden author .
At the tradeshow , vendors sold dick , seeds , packaging for every type of green goods , greenhouse and growers ’ supplies , and give out slew of gratis information from organic growing to permaculture and pest command to marketing your crop . I tasted a superb Malus pumila cider slushy , midwest popcorn , corn whiskey - on - the - cobnut , salsa , pickles and elderberry sirup and cordial while wending my way through displays of baskets , plants , book , equipment and a box of bee as good dirt ball .
I come back home a bit travel weary ( inevitable delays in Chicago due to conditions ) though incite – my head is full of new ideas , as well as future garden and plants to originate . In the greeenhouse , my thrust narcissus light bulb welcomed me with rash fragrant efflorescence and as I watered in there today , I see newfangled unripened growth and industrial plant that need my attention . So much to do – outflow is just around the corner !
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It is easy to force bulbs for cheery and fragrant blooms inside the house when the earth is frozen ouside. Click on other pix to enlarge and read captions.Photo/Illustration: Susan Belsinger
