December/January 2002
By Carol Mack
In this special edition, meet the cast of expert gardeners who contribute to each issue's Almanac, and discover their
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New England & Maritime Canada
ROBERTA BAILEY, WATERVILLE, MAINE
An organic gardener for 25 years, Roberta's current passions are breeding hot peppers and growing lots of garlic. Fourteenyears ago she joined Fedco Seeds where shetracks inventory, and raises and tests seedcrops. Fedco is a worker/consumer-ownedcooperative. Roberta describes Fedco as a"no frills, seasonal mail-order business, providing quality products at affordable priceswhile paying employees a living wage. We sellonly untreated seed, the best of the hybridsand open-pollinated and heirloom varieties."
[Fedco Seeds; P.O. Box 520; Waterville, Maine 04903; www.fedcoseeds.com ]
"My favorite weed control is mulching. It controls weeds, regulates moisture, encourages microbial activity and looks great. Over sod or very weedy areas, I lay down cardboard then cover it with straw, hay, grass clippings or wood chips. The sod dies, the cardboard rots away, the ground gets fed. Any weeds that do poke through are easily pulled. I use this method between rows of berries, asparagus and perennials, and around the grape arbor and fruit trees. It's great for killing sod and opening up new ground."
Mid-Atlantic
CRICKET RAKITA. MINERAL. VIRGINIA
Cricket has spent his adult life on the border between gardening and farming. He is dedicated to organic growing principles and supplying gardeners with great heirloom vegetable varieties. In 1999, Cricket took over thehelm of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Thecompany now offers more than 550 varieties ofopen pollinated vegetables and flowers, as wellas books and supplies to help customers savetheir own plants' seeds.
[Southern Exposure Seed Exchange; (540) 894-9480; www.southernexposure.com ]
"Nothing will tell you more about your soil than the weeds that grow in it—and that information can lead you to strategies for managing your specific weed problems and increasing soil fertility. For example, the presence of nutsedge signifies poor soil humus and porosity. Smartweed often grows in potassium-poor soil, while Canada thistle suggests low magnesium levels. Dock, foxtail, jimsonweed, johnsongrass, morning glory, wild nightshades and ragweed indicate a soil low in calcium and phosphorus. I recommend Charles Walters' book Weeds: Control Without Poisons to find out more—and I try to never let weeds go to seed!"
Gulf Coast
WILLIAM D. ADAMS, BURTON, TEXAS
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