Heirlooms

I have been working at a very small farm that is owned by a good friend of mine in order to gain an education on small scale farming.  My friend is also fairly new to farming so we really are learning together as we go.  I thought I would read a little about each of the plants she has planted so far.  As I was reading about the ideal temperatures for each plant and I found, seemingly, quite a discrepancy between the current climate and the recommendations in print.  What was always grown in my zone in the past cannot be sowed and harvest in the same way or time now.  I know that the much used hardiness map from 1990 is outdated, and there is more current map from 2006 that is more helpful.  Its fascinating and concerning to see how much some zones changed between those 16 years!  Growing up I had always heard that I am located in zone 6B and while where we are located hasn't changed as much as other regions we are now dabbling in zone 7.  I am not new to process of global warming and it is a frequent topic around our dinner table.  We talked about it in college way back when, and honestly I think I remember hearing the term personally for the first time in the early 80's.  I am not surprised by this discrepancy, though I am disheartened and in good company I'm sure.  I knew this was and is a factor for every gardener and farmer everywhere. We all have to plan our crops and plantings accordingly.

 I ask a lot of questions of anyone that has a thumb in any shade of green and I have heard many different approaches to the climate changing.  One particular issue I am wondering about is the introduction of new plant species. Now the northern areas of the US are warming to climates that were much more indicative of the southern areas, folks are able to grow species that were never grown here before.  I wonder how this affects disease, pests, soil conditions, companion planting, etc of the more native plants that can still grow under the current climate conditions.  It seems to me that the potential overlap between zones is now messier and more complicated.  It's not just the temperatures are warming but other factors such as the rates of precipitation are drastically affected as well.  Not to sound bleak, but not only are dominoes falling but the patterns are all changing.

 How does one with little farming experience begin?  I know that farmers who have been at their noble occupation have been dealing with this crisis for far longer than most of us even realize.  Someone who is new to this and maybe has little "real life" support, it must be a bit daunting to begin to plan and organize the way in which they hope to feed their families.  Out of curiosity I looked at seed packets in a variety of stores from discount stores to agricultural retailers.  The information provided is based on outdated information.  Personally I have always been interested in heirloom seeds and grew a few while I lived in NY with much success.  To be honest other than choosing to use heirlooms I can't take much credit.  These plants took care of themselves with some support from me.  There are many environmental, political reasons that I prefer heirloom plants but I chose them mostly because I felt I had more of a chance at success with them.   I felt that while one can never assume there is complete predictability with the outcome of any plant, I did feel as though there was just a better bet with heirlooms.  The odds just seemed better and in the long run, more affordable.   There are some great suppliers (some blog here are on blogger, I provided a link to one such blogger below!) that provide not only a huge variety of seeds but some very needed support, particularly for newbies like myself.  Still I wonder about bringing new plants to my region.  Maybe I am over thinking it and maybe my friend who constantly battles the autumn olive bush (an invasive species to my area) is causing me to worry a little too much.  I suppose like anything else there is a learning curve, this is just a massive, grand scale curve involving everyone.

All that being said I am so excited as I meet more and more folks interested in growing their own food despite their living arrangements.  I love that as soon as someone presses a seed into the soil they become aware of their care-taking role. We can't resist asking questions and being concerned about the well-being of this plant, which translates into concern and curiosity about all our other plants and food sources.  I consider all farmers who grow foods of high quality and are safe, to be protectors.  I get even more excited when you see this movement happening in the unexpected spaces like cities and suburban neighborhoods.  It gets people talking at their mailboxes, literally.  The concern and curiosity spreads, maybe not fast enough but it is happening. 

 

PS: I have to admit that while my poor friend constantly tried to eradicate the autumn olive bushes on her property I have made some delicious recipes with the berries.  The better ones have been the muffins and bread recipes, and sometime I'll try to remember to post them here.  I have also tried them in smoothies but due to seeds it wasn't the best tactile experience.  Also they are yummy sprinkled on a salad.  I am in no way encouraging the propagation of these plants but just admitting that I have made some use of them.