In reviewing my composting procedures here on the farm in Georgia, I came across this really handy, informative book. Through special arrangements with the publisher, I'm able to share it with you. It's 272 pages, in PDF format.
From the foreword, by Ann Lovejoy:
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Back in the '70's, I made the momentous move from the East Coast to the West and quickly discovered that much of my garden knowledge needed an update. Seattle's climate was unlike anything I had experienced in Massachusetts or Ohio or Colorado, and many of my favorite vegetables simply didn't grow well.
A friend steered me to a new seed company, a tiny business called Territorial Seed, unique in that, rather than trying to tout its wares all over the country, it would only sell to people living west of the Cascade Mountains. Every vegetable and cover crop listed had been carefully tested and selected by Steve Solomon for its performance in the maritime Northwest.
The 1980's saw the revival of regional gardening, a concept once widely accepted, but since lost to the sweeping homogeneity of the '50s and '60s. Steve Solomon and his Territorial Seed Company directly influenced the return of regional garden making by creating an awareness of climatic differences and by providing quantities of helpful information specific to this area. Not only could customers order regionally appropriate, flavorful and long-lasting vegetables from the Territorial catalog's pages, we could also find recipes for cooking unfamiliar ones, as well as recipes for building organic fertilizers of all sorts. Territorial's catalog offered information about organic or environmentally benign pest and disease controls, seasonal cover crops, composts and mulches, and charts guiding us to optimal planting patterns.
Every bit of it was the fruit of Steve Solomon's work and observation. I cannot begin to calculate the disappointments and losses Steve helped me to avoid, nor the hours of effort he saved for me and countless other regional gardeners. We came to rely on his word, for we found we could; If Steve said this or that would grow in certain conditions, by gum, it would. Better yet, if he didn't know something, or was uncertain about it, he said so, and asked for our input. Before long, a network of environmentally concerned gardeners had formed around Territorial's customer base, including several Tilth communities, groups of gardeners concerned with promoting earth stewardship and organic husbandry in both rural and urban settings.
In these days of generalized eco-awareness, it is easy to forget that a few short years ago, home gardeners were among the worst environmental offenders, cheerfully poisoning anything that annoyed them with whatever dreadful chemical that came to hand, unconscious of the long-term effects on fauna and flora, water and soil. Now, thank goodness, many gardeners know that their mandate is to heal the bit of earth in their charge. Composting our home and garden wastes is one of the simplest and most beneficial things we can do, both to cut down the quantity of wastes we produce, and to restore health to the soil we garden upon I can think of no better guide to the principles and techniques of composting than Steve Solomon. Whether you live in an urban condo or farm many acres, you will find in these pages practical, complete and accessible information that serves your needs, served up with the warmth and gentle humor that characterizes everything Steve does.
Ann Lovejoy, Bainbridge Island, Washington
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Click here to download your free copy, in PDF format (about 1 MB).
If you want the fancy color cover to the book too, click here (another 1 MB).
Feel free to share this with your friends, but the files are so large I suggest you email them the link to this page, instead of trying to email them the actual files.
Enjoy! I learned a lot from it.
Jim Carey
"When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it’s a valuable plant."
- Sara Thomson
I have been sprouting wheat grass with no problem. I am now trying to sprout barley and spelt and I have not had the results like the wheat. They get this little nub, but after four days I'm looking for the long root, and it just isn't there. I'm wondering if I need to sak it longer initially, (Idid about 8 hours) or if the grain I have is dead and I need to look elsewhere for my sources.
One last thing, I wonder if you have any tips on keeping birds out of your wheatgrass if you are growing it outside? I am thinking about mosquito netting, but if you have experience with this, let me know. Thank you for your help and availablity.
Lorraine Williams
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Re: birds. I string monofilament fishing line around the area. It keeps them from flying around it. Works good on my boat, too.
Re: other sprouts. I’m no expert; I’d suggest The Sprouting Book from www.chidiet.com/books.htm. I did, however, watch the staff making trays at Creative Health, and they made up the trays the same as wheatgrass. We did, however, soak seeds for 24 hours before planting. I would think that if they sprout at all, they’re OK.
Jim Carey
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Growing Your Own Sprouts
- from chiDiet.com
Sprouts are a fantastic food for all seasons and all places - you don't need half an acre, a backyard, a patio, or even a window box. Just as you give the best of everything to your baby, so does the plant yield the best of everything to its seed. When that seed begins to sprout it develops fantastic nutrients. They become the most assimilable vitamins in God's Kingdom because they come wrapped with all the minerals, enzymes and still-unknown factors so necessary to the full utilization of our food
Almost any seed, grain or legume can be sprouted. Seeds offer a concentrated storehouse of energy and nutrients, held in reserve, ready to burst forth when a suitable environment is offered. You can store seeds, grains and legumes in a freezer and they will still sprout.
During the sprouting process vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes are produced at an incredible rate. Vitamin content triples, at least. In wheat, vitamins, B-complex and C increase by 600 percent.
Most seeds will yield between 6 and 10 times their weight in sprouts. Sprouts are by far the most economical and nutritious food you can eat. Be sure that the seeds or grains have not been chemically treated. If they have been, the germination rate will drop.
Basically, care of sprouts means keeping them moist and providing adequate aeration and drainage.
