Sunroot Gardens

Steve Swanson is the author of “Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades”, one of only three must-read books for Cascadian farming. (The other two are the “Maritime NW Gardening Guide” from Seattle Tilth and “One Straw Revolution” by Fukuoko.

I have been using variations on Steve Solomon’s Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) since
2005, in many different locations.

In 2008 and 2009, we reconfigured Steve’s formula with Naomi, who was then at
Concentrates, and now has her own business, Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply, down on
McLaughlin & Tacoma. We found her knowledge very useful, and recommend her custom
“Mineral Mix”.

Here is the COF formula we used in 2009. We made over a literal ton of it, altogether:

• 3 parts alfalfa meal
• 1 part fish meal
• 1/2 part lime (Dolomite and/or Agri-lime)
• 1 1/2 part phosphorus
• 1/2 part trace minerals (1/3 green sand, 1/3 AZOMITE, 1/3 kelp meal)

“part” is by VOLUME and is whatever you decide to use that day. We used 5 gallon buckets
as our “1 part”.

Until 2009, our COF was always vegan, due to 1) ethical (& etc.) concerns of our CSA
customers, and, 2) the sketchy sourcing of animal products such as bone meal, feather
meal, etc. That is to say, who knows what you’re getting, considering everything that’s
used in conventional agriculture these days. Haven’t heard of “free range” feather meal! (As if that would resolve the issues.)

In 2009, we added fishmeal to make up for the relative paucity of Nitrogen in alfalfa
meal, compared to cottonseed or soybean meal. We used alfalfa meal because soybean meal
could be GMO and cottonseed meal is sketchy-as-fuck (cotton, not being regulated as a
food crop, is barraged with toxic chemicals, and yes, that’s the same cottonseed oil that
you see in “Ingredients” on packaged food). Cottonseed was right out, obviously, and we
decided that keeping GMOs out was more important than keeping *all* animal products out,
since the dangers of GMOs are unknown but potentially mutagenic. We went with fishmeal
because it delivers a major bang-for-the-buck (a good thing since it ain’t cheap!) and
fish are: a) often wild, so we are not dealing with animals caged=their-whole-life; b)
are not, to our knowledge, subjected to the same hormones, antibiotics, etc., though we
know farmed fish are also sketchy; and, c) something that were historically introduced to
the soil in this bioregion on a regular basis through their consumption by bears who shit
them throughout the woods.

Does COF work?

In the empirical sense, I do not know. I don’t have enough of a dataset. I have not,
for example, conducted trials with pairs of beds where one is treated and one is for
control. By playing steward to dozens of plots around town over the last few years, I
have observed that using COF at some gardens but not others (which is how it has happened
to go down) has not provided a good comparison. Too many other mitigating factors
prevented that, such as differing soil types, different crops, different
levels-of-attention, different irrigation, different light, etc.

I have used COF when prepping beds, when seeding and transplanting, and as a
side-dressing to growing plants (though not always, for all the times I have down those
things). I feel as though it makes a positive difference, but I cannot provide a record
of physical evidence.

I keep using the COF as an article of faith, frankly.

One amendment I *have* seen work, vividly and undeniably, is AZOMITE. The name stands
for “A to Z Of Minerals, Including Trace Elements”. During the 2009 Staple Crop Project
season, Tom of Mall56 spread a 44 lb. bag of it it in a regularly-shaped rectangular are
in the middle of the field. This was in the Spring, when it was still short. When the
wheat grew taller, months later, there was a *distinct* height difference in that patch;
it was higher. Perhaps in more than one sense of that word; it had a “glow” to it,
somehow, too (which was nothing measurable so if you don’t believe me, I’ve got no
argument with you).

We use AZOMITE when we can’t use the COF, which is often the larger plots for staple
foods, which are measured by the fraction of an acre, rather than square feet. At
Sunroot Gardens, we call it “Magic Fairy Dust” and taste it as we spread it. This year,
I have a small triticale patch that we treated on one side only with AZOMITE, with a
stick marking the halves. We will be watching carefully and can report our findings.

simple-2010-planting-chart

This planting calendar is of very limited use. It is only giving you a window of time when it is generally assumed that things will work. Local conditions and seasonal variations are highly significant. For example, I have had parsnips volunteering since January 31st. I saw sunflowers volunteering in the first week of February.

Watching which “weeds” are coming up is helpful. Many vegetables belong to the same families as common weeds, so they can show you better than a calendar when conditions are right for certain plants.

“Climate is what we expect; weather is what we get.”

Last year, in 2009, we planted beans in about 12 different locations, over the course of the bean planting season as see on the chart. What I noticed was that the beans did best that were planted in two particular windows within that time, and in fact did poorly between the windows. Beans planted after the “lull” did better even though they went in
later. This had to do with the vagaries of rain, warming soils, etc., particular to that year. In retrospect, I was able to see how my intuition (for lack of a better word) was cluing me in on this situation as it was happening.

This Planting Calendar is a cheat sheet, and I have found that my observations and senses are more important when it comes to making planting choices. For example, we are going to plant to a quinoa crop sometime in the next week or so, about two months ahead of when
we have done so in our five previous seasons of experimenting with it. We noticed quinoa volunteers in two different places this moon, and have seen them come up on their own as early as January.

Speaking of moons, the more I farm, the more I see the influences of the moon cycles, and why the moon was used as an agricultural time keeper. We are in the second moon of this planting season, which makes more sense than “February”. Many plants are behaving like they did during last year’s third or even fourth moon.

I have not used this calendar this year, and don’t know if I will. I have already been outside in the gardens and fields most of the time since the beginning of the last moon, and feel like I have been noticing enough to guide me so far, without using the calendar. So far I have spinach and cilantro coming up, and have started leeks, celeriac and chicory in flats under glass. And the dryness has allowed for the working of much soil,
prepping beds.

To close: Farming is not so much about what you “know” — it is much more about what you “notice”. This calendar can serve to give you some rough guidelines, but ultimately your own awareness of your own connectivity to the growing things around you will give you better clues.

Hello from Farmer K of Sunroot Gardens:

Two days and two dozen people made a sizeable dent into the 1 1/3 acres of wheat we have growing in Carver.

Many people had the chance to use a scythe, as there were 3=4 going at any time. Other folks raked and gathered the stalks into a long windrow, from which threshing projects sprouted. One threshing method involves a chipper/shredder. One winnowing approach utilizes a leaf blower.

Creative, resourceful solutions-in-the-moment were discovered on the ground, in the field (and also in the romantic old barn). This scale of grain-raising doesn’t really exist in what they call “the united states” anymore, so here is an experimental situation, a chance to try different things, and see how to feed ourselves. This is “our” project where “our” is whomever shows up, so we act without penalty.

The plan is to keep going back to Carver everyday until the project is finished (by planned completion, or by rain, or…). If you want to go, please contact Farmer K at 503.686.5557 to find out when exactly people will be there, and when rides are leaving or caravans forming in town.

Location of farm, for google maps:
17281 S Clackamas River Drive, 97045

The wheat was cut using a scythe.

Threshing the wheat stalks and heads with a converted chipper/shredder

Look at all that wheat!!!!

A leafblower and some parts were converted into a winnower.

We have a few weeks left to get all the food we will be eating for the next year planted. We have been nonstop tilling, seeding and transplanting and have lots more ahead of us. For anyone out there interested in creating a local food network, organic farming, barter economy, growing tobacco, preserving food, riding bicycles, playing with toys, building community, digging in the soil, eating fresh produce, or simply having fun, all of these things are happening within the Portland Urban Farmers Co-Operative. All folks lending their labor are invited to a CSA style pick-up every Friday after the summer veggies have arrived. So come on out and have some fun with the urban farmers of southeast. On any day at any moment just call one of the numbers below.

Sunroot Gardens CSA & The Staple Foods Project
Farmer K 503.686.5557
Deva 503.956.9193
sunrootcsa@riseup.net

Calliope’s Table CSA
Calliope Sullivan
calliope@calliopes-table.com
203.962.2741

Calliope and Pete double digging a carrot bed at Otis's

Completed carrot bed.

radish bouquet

The season is now in full swing.

Sunroot Gardens is comprised of a few dozen gardening plots and staple crop acreages in and around Southeast. From as “close in” as 13th & Clinton, to as “far out” as Carver (just outside the Urban Growth Boundary), there’s something growing somewhere, needing some kind of tending from time to time.

The day’s work is driven primarily by the weather. As such, “planning” for the day often doesn’t happen until that day. Over the summer, folks can find Farmer K pretty easily by calling 503.686.5557 or dropping by the Firepit Garden in the Hawthorne District.

The type of work varies widely and wildly: turning over earth, planting seeds, spreading soil amendments, weeding weeding weeding, transplanting, watering watering watering, cloche-building, tool sharpening/cleaning, harvesting harvesting harvesting, etc.etc.etc. On any given day, there are 100 things on the to-do list, waiting for the best set of circumstances and people to handle them. Prediction is tricky.

As far as I, Farmer K, am concerned, there is one reason and one reason only to come out to help with farm work, and that is to ENJOY YOURSELF. Elsewhere in the society one is expected to do things one doesn’t want to do because one feels one has to, etc., but that’s bullshit that’s dropped when you’re in Sunroot. In a garden, the plants don’t care about politics, philosophy, methodology, you, etc. Such worries are irrelevant in the garden. You can leave them behind. In fact, you must, in order to ENJOY YOURSELF, which is the whole point.

To “enjoy oneself” is not synonymous with “fun”. “Fun” is the flip side of the “Work” coin, and that’s a coin that I have tossed over my shoulder for luck. No, to “enjoy oneself” is something deeper than entertainment. It is actual presence in the action of the moment. Just being there with what you’re doing, without the mind wandering off and trying to take you with it. Any task, such as weeding, seed-sorting, chip-hauling, can be a source of “ENJOYMENT”, of bringing joy in.

When you are in a Sunroot garden, you can forget about “obligations”, “mistakes”, and the word, “SHOULD”. These are all vestiges of society, and the plants don’t care about them. Sunroot is a place in the physical structure of the City, but it is an oasis from the social structure of the City. You are invited to come join in whenever you’d like.

Chervil is a winter-hardy herb that likes to self-seed. It grows on its own in my front yard every spring. The flavor is a cross between parsley and fennel—an anise-like sweetness and potent green taste that create an astonishing alchemy with sweet and earthy beets. I like Chioggia beets in this dish because their pink-and-white stripes are cute and springlike and don’t stain the rest of the salad like red beets would. Yellow beets would also work perfectly here. And Sunroot Gardens greens in all their glorious variety and pungency make this salad unlike anything you can get from a store.

About 1 ½ pounds of Chioggia (striped) beets—2 very large, 6 medium, 12 small
4 cups salad greens, such as small leaves of red mustard, red russian kale, arugula, mizuna, lettuce, etc.
½ cup toasted walnut pieces

Dressing:
1 small shallot, minced, about 2 tablespoons (or use onion)
¼ cup fresh chervil, chopped
1 teaspoon mustard (grainy or dijon)
2 tablespoons vinegar, such as sherry, red wine, or apple cider
3 tablespoons walnut oil (or use olive oil)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or a drop of sweetener like honey, agave, or sugar)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Steam-roast the beets by washing them, poking each one a few times with a knife, and wrapping each one completely in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on how large they are. When the beets are done, they will feel tender when pierced with a knife, and their skins will slip off easily.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts while the oven is hot—about five to ten minutes should do it. When they smell fragrant and are just a shade darker in color, pull them out and let them cool.

Make the dressing: whisk together the oil, vinegars, and mustard until emulsified, then stir in the chervil and shallot. Set aside until the beets are done.

Wash the greens: I usually put them in a big bowl of cold water, mix them around for a minute, and then let them sit for five minutes to let the dirt settle to the bottom of the bowl. This also refreshes the greens if they are a little wilted (although with very delicate greens like mache and tender baby lettuces it can make them soggy). Then I lift the greens out of the water without stirring up the water (don’t want to get that dirt back on your greens!) and dry them in a salad spinner. Use the dirty water to water your plants!

Unwrap the beets and peel them by rubbing off the skins with your fingers under cold running water. Use a knife if you need to, but usually the skins come right off if the beets are cooked this way. Chop them into ¾ inch cubes. Toss the beets with the dressing and let sit for a few minutes or until you are ready to eat. (They can marinate for a few hours or overnight with no problem!) Just before eating, toss the greens with the beets and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

For those who don’t know, Sunroot Gardens is an urban, bike-based agricultural operation that grows produce and staple crops for people who invest $ and for people who invest land/labor/goods & services. There’s much TALK about “sustainability”, barter economy, growing food-for-survival, etc. Sunroot Gardens is ACTION on these items, seriously, as if this year is not a drill, and as if this is how we will be feeding ourselves. So if you’re interested in all that, read on:

1. PLANTING FOR SUMMER VEGGIES / STAPLE CROPS

The moon is waxing. It is full on May 9th. The next full is on June 7th. During these next two cycles, beginning NOW (as in TODAY), here is what must be planted, if we’d like it later:

* All squash — cucumbers, summer squash, melons, winter squash for storage
* All beans — snap beans for summer, soup beans for winter. PLUS, soy for summer edamame and winter miso
* All corn — sweet for summer, flour/dent for winter
* QUINOA — for survival
* Sunflowers — for oil, for cooking

So here it is. For STAPLE CROPS, what we plant in the next 6-8 weeks will be what we have to eat over this fall, winter, spring, ’til next harvest next year. This is a vital time, if our concern is to truly take care of ourselves. For 10,000 years, most of the human creatures in the world have been eating by growing & cultivating, harvesting & processing, and storing. Just exactly what we are talking about with the Staple Foods Project. For the last 50+ years, most of the human creatures in the Industrialized West have been eating by buying it from shops. The food in the shops has been grown and transported and stored by using a one-time-only supply of concentrated solar energy stored in rocks and viscous liquids (coal, oil, etc.).

It is now clear, to anyone who cares to notice, that this 50+ year system is running out of steam, and — as in the rapid phase changes found everywhere in nature — could give out rather suddenly any time now. We don’t know when. Many people say, “Oh that’s years away.” When I ask these people for evidence of this claimed longevity, they have nothing to offer. No, what these people are talking about is not a reasoned and measured examination of the facts and of their possible outcomes; what these people are talking about are their own personal hopes and fears about the system. Well, I have to tell you now, I don’t give a shit about anybody’s hopes/fears, including my own. When it comes to EATING, which most people currently have to do, we must look at the FACTS of our situation. Our FEELINGS are nobody’s business but our own, and have no place in a practical discussion. And the FACTS show that some kind of “Crash” is not theoretical, but is actually already occuring and has not reached us here yet. One billion human creatures already don’t have enough to eat. That number is rising, and will include more of us here in the West, sooner or later, regardless of whether we fear it or hope against it.

So, all that being said, we are planting like crazy over the next two moons here. If necessary, we can LIVE off of quinoa, beans, squash, winter vegetables, etc. We have the seeds, we have tools, we have amendments, we have land. All we need is more folks to come out and help. So how does that work? How do you get in on this food? Read on….

2. AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCE / STAPLE CROPS

For those who have little/no time, and want produce or staple crops, there are a limited number of $ shares available.

* CSA $ SHARES:
Produce shares with Sunroot Gardens are $600 (negotiable). This is for 30+ weeks of produce (more than most CSAs), starting in May, and going through Winter Solstice. Pick-up will be at the Firepit on Wednesdays. There you will find the week’s veggies/fruit spread out like at a farmers’ market stand, and can take what you need for your household. The total number of CSA shares is being kept down to 13 in order to assure a good amount of produce for each household. This is down from 24+ last year. TWO CSA SHARES ARE AVAILABLE.

* STAPLE CROPS $ SHARES:
These are $420.11 each. (That’s the year’s budget divided by 10.) Each share gets you a fixed percentage of the final harvest. This will translate into hundreds of pounds altogether. Certainly enough for a household (or two or three) to make it through the winter if necessary. Crops will include wheat, oats, flax seed, quinoa, soup beans, cooking oil (hopefully) and flour corn, plus more. TWO STAPLE CROPS SHARES ARE AVAILABLE.

* The NO-$ approach!!
Sunroot Gardens will have a second veggie/fruit distribution day every week, on FRIDAYS, for people who donate labor, land, goods/services. This will be by-invitation. Again, it will be set up like a farmers’ market, with piles of produce for you to pick from for your household. Additionally, people who come to help will be offered whatever produce is available on the days they show up. In some cases, helpers get “special” produce that is not growing in enough quantity for the Wed. & Fri. picks. The famous salmon-colored raspberries of the Firepit Garden are one example. “The best raspberry ever,” Farmer Deva says.

STAPLE FOODS LABOR – There are TWO ways to get food from the Staple Foods Project besides $. One is to be a HELPER. Hours worked by helpers are logged, and the helpers will recieve a percentage of the harvest proportional to the amount they worked. Last year, folks who helped harvest and/or process the wheat got one pound of wheat berries (or flour) for every hour worked on the project. This year, that amount per hour is expected to be higher due to more efficient harvesting techniques. If a household sends three people for three hours, that counts as nine hours total for the household. To work on the Staple Foods Project this way, you just show up for those days when you want.

The other way to get stuff out of the Staple Foods Project is by becoming a FARMER on one of the projects. The total harvest is divided among a) $ investors, b) time investors, and c) “the farmers”. FARMERS are folks who are “bottom-lining” a particular crops somewhere. For example, someone with an interest in soup beans might volunteer to “bottom-line” the Cannellini bean patch, which could be up to 1/4 acre in size. “Bottom-lining” does not mean you are working alone. What it means is that your own personal interest in that crop is strong enough that you will help find materials and tools, that you will go around and check on it regularly, that you will help organize work parties for thinning/winning/cultivating/harvesting/processing, etc. What FARMERS get out of this extra work is a share of the Farmers’ portion. This is expected to be a greater amount than you would get just by working hours as a helper, since the number of farmers on any given project will be limited. The farmers’ share of a crop is intended to be MORE than the farmer’s self needs, so that the farmer can barter/sell some of it for other things in life.

Whew. So that’s a description of what’s going on currently with Sunroot Gardens CSA & Staple Foods. If you would like to be involved with any of this, contact Farmer K at 503.686.5557, or write back to this email.

3. “I Want To Help — How Do I Do That?”

STEP RIGHT THE FUCK UP. That’s how. This email is about all of the “courting” that I can give to anyone. Yes, there will be “work parties” for big projects, but in the meantime there is LABOR to do every single day. Yes, EVERY SINGLE DAY, ALL DAY, ANYTIME you want to come help, we have something to do somewhere. Call/Write one of the farmers to find out where things are happening that day. The numbers are below.

I, Farmer K, am now basing day-to-day operations out of the greenhouse at the Firepit Garden, 1905 SE 44th, across the street from Ruby’s (if you know where that is). So you can also stop by there anytime to see what’s going on. This time of year, we will be “suiting up”, loading tools, etc., there in the morning for the day’s activities. If you show up early enough you’ll get breakfast cooked by Mrs. K. She also serves dinner there to whomever is around at sunset. It’s a lot like camping, but with gourmet eating.

On one final note: In my mind, the entire point of helping around the farm is to ENJOY YOURSELF. The world of the gardens and our communal resourcefulness is a haven from the exhausting work/entertainment complex of city-life. In the gardens, you are invited to set aside your socialized fears & doubts, and to find presence with the life of the plants and soil and water. No experience is necessary. There is very little to KNOW, but there is much to NOTICE. What is being offered here is an opportunity to find moments of true integrated living. We all know that Society is based on non-material abstractions ($, “ownership”, etc.) and many people feel trapped by those things. The garden is where you can step out of that silliness and experience something REAL instead.

C’mon out!!

Wonderful greetings from Farmer K:

On Saturday eve we held a Farmers’ Convocation. Calliope of Calliope’s Table, Tom of Mall56, Farmer K & Deva of Sunroot Gardens. Among the four of us we have 50 plots around Greater Southeast. Sunroot has 11 $-paying CSA subscribers, with room for 2 more shares (inquire with Farmer K if interested). Calliope has 8-9, possibly with room for more later. Tom is interested in market gardening, including the new farmers’ market we have been invited to start on Hawthorne this summer.

From this network, harvest & distribution of produce will happen 3 times a week from at least 3 different locations starting June-ish. Farmer K plans to distribute to Sunroot CSA folks on WEDNESDAYS from the Firepit. SUNDAYS will be the Hawthorne farmers’ market. FRIDAY is for helpers, land-lenders, barter, etc., from a location TBA. Calliope will be distributing to her CSA folks on one or more of those three days.

By comparison, during the 2009 season, when Sunroot partnered with Melanie Plies’ CSA, Backyard Booty, the network had 40 gardens, with 40 CSA households altogether, with distribution divided between 2 days. This year there are about two dozen CSA households, the number being lower so as to have more produce for everyone all around: subscribers, helpers, farmers.

WE WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN this new distribution schedule starts, and where from. In the meantime, there are no scheduled CSA pick-ups for either CSA, until May or whenever we start. If you are a Sunroot subscriber wanting greens, come by the Firepit and harvest some yourself as you would like. If preferred, call Farmer K first to meet there and see what/how to pick.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL:

So this is quite an operation we’ve got going here. None of the four farmers own any of the land they are farming, and are sharing as much as possible. So we find ourselves witnesses to and perpetrators of new economies of gift and trade that are emerging below the radar of the crashing mainstream money culture.

One of these seasons — maybe this one — we human creatures in the industrialized West will find ourselves with a food system that is no longer providing enough for everyone. When that happens, the urban farming networks will be essential for staying healthy and alive. We farmers here in this network are playing this season like it is not a drill. Because we don’t know if it is or not. So to treat it “for real” is the only responsible act.

History shows that changes in human social circumstances can be rapid. A typical city has enough food on hand total — on shelves, in warehouses, in trucks, etc. — to last less than a week. That’s not much slack to play with if we experience interruptions in fossil fuels, drastic revaluations of the currency, or crazy weather, all of which are in the realm of everyday possibility. (Two years ago, everyone said you were crazy if you pointed out that the real estate bubble wouldn’t last. Now, millions are in foreclosure.)

HOW TO HELP:
With this many plots and over a hundred crops to plant, we can be fielding (ha!) at least FOUR DIFFERENT SIMULTANEOUS CREWS A DAY, each of 3-10 people. That’s how much work there is to do, if you are interested.

Because the day’s work is dependent on weather conditions, the best thing to do is call one of the farmers when you want to help, and see what’s going on. Sometimes we will set up special work events ahead of time when many people are needed at once in one place. But in the meantime, there will be farm work EVERY SINGLE DAY until the November rains.

Farmer K – 503.686.5557
Calliope – 503.756.9163
Tom of Mall56 – 973.296.5305

On any given day there are many tasks happening, at different speeds and skill levels. Age is no bar, either too young or too old, to help with something. People are offered produce and other treats when they come out. The more you’re around, the more you get. If you are so enterprising that you’d like to take over a garden or gardens to be your main thing, that could happen. The only limitations on your participation are your own.

Being seeded soon: beets, carrots, squash, corn, beans, spinach, parsnips, root parsley, sunflowers, taters.

In a weedy corner of the Firepit Garden, amongst grass, Lemon Balm seedlings, and under a blackberry bramble, these turnips: they volunteered last Fall after turnips went to seed nearby. Still not woody, with a good sharp mustardy flavor. Amazing! This is why turnips are considered a survival crop — because they’re survivors through harsh conditions, and can help us to survive the same. Gonna plant a bunch more turnips for next winter!