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Montgomery Victory Gardens Weekly Update - June 17, 2010

In this update:

* Local Farmer Hits the Big Screen at SilverDocs!
* New Fungal Disease Attacks Sweet Basil
* Gardeners Taking on the Marines
* National PTA Advocates School Vegetable Gardens
* Insect Pests in the Garden? Give 'em Some Garlic Fire!
* UN Urges Shift Toward Vegetarian Diet
* One More Great Way to Use Mint
* Need a Laugh?  Check out "The BP Coffee Spill"


Local Farmer Hits the Big Screen at SilverDocs!

We've talked about Silver Spring farmer Charlie Koiner in the update before, and we're delighted to let you know that this truly local urban farmer is the subject of a short documentary film to be screened at the American Film Institute's famed "SilverDocs" documentary festival this month!

The miracle of Charlie's one acre farm is obvious to anyone who visits - this highlyKoiner at his farm productive piece of land is right smack in the middle of downtown Silver Spring and only two blocks from Georgia Ave., one of the most heavily traveled thoroughfares in the region.

Yet Charlie has successfully operated his "farmette" on this land for decades, selling his produce at home and at farmers markets, not to mention winning numerous awards at the County Agricultural Fair.  And the 89 year old Koiner, now joined by his daughter Lynn, has no intention of stopping anytime soon.  When realtors called trying to buy the land, Lynn told them it's not for sale.  She said "we are going to farm it.... They couldn't believe their ears, but that's exactly what we do."

The film about Charlie's farm, "The Corner Plot," will be aired free outdoors at Silver Plaza on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring at 9pm on Tuesday, June 22, as well as in the AFI Theater, along with companion shorts, on Friday June 25 at 9pm and Saturday June 26 at 11:15am.  Come watch this heart-warming film and join us in celebrating this local legend in urban agriculture, Charlie Koiner!

For more information on the screenings, click here.

To read The Gazette article, "Koiner Farm focus of duo's documentary," click here.



New Fungal Disease Attacks Sweet Basil

I read "What's eating your basil?" by Washington Post garden writer Adrian Higgins with a heavy heart:  it appears that an aggressive fungal disease named downy mildew has made its way up the east coast from Florida, and is now attacking our beloved sweet basil right here in the mid-Atlantic area.

The disease appears first as faint yellow bands on the plant's upper leaves, followed downy mildewby tiny gray specks on the lower leaves.  (See photo at left.)  Organic fungicides appear to have limited effectiveness.  Like other vegetable diseases, downy mildew spreads most easily in moist conditions - our area's humidity being a significant problem in this regard - so the best answer for home gardeners is to grow your basil in sunny, open areas with good air circulation. 

If there is an upside to this news, it is that the disease is not toxic to humans, and leaves from affected plants can be harvested and eaten - at least before they start to look too gnarly.  Gardeners can keep plants going by picking infected leaves off, and of course you can always harvest the entire plant and turn it into pesto, which can then be frozen for months.  (Important note - for best flavor and results, freeze just the chopped basil with olive oil; add the cheese, garlic and nuts when you defrost it for eating!)  Continuing to start new plants throughout the season, to take over for infected plants as necessary, might also be a good precaution.

Sigh - another new garden disease.  If you keep your eyes open, though, and take some simple precautions, you should still be able to enjoy this classic summer herb throughout the season.



Gardeners taking on the Marines.

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells recently lamented, "Who wants to take on the U.S. Marines?" Food gardeners, that's who.

Until six years go, the four acre lot on South Capitol Hill just a mile from the U.S. Navy yard GardenCapitol was "a threadbare city park filled with drug dealers, broken playground equipment and a cracked basketball court."  Thanks to the diligent efforts of the local residents, it is now a thriving vegetable and fruit garden serving 60 local families.

So naturally, the U.S. Marines want to rip out the gardens and build barracks there.  What gives?

For the Marine brass, apparently, all four acre lots look the same, and this is the one that is most convenient for them.  (The Marines have offered to "move" the garden, unaware that it took years for the residents to build the soil fertility of the lot.)  Local families are organizing to stop the destruction of their gardens, though, and have started a Facebook page and written to First Lady Michelle Obama.  "Given your own policy interests," the letter read, "it would be sadly ironic to lose to federal development one of the community gardens nearest to the White House."

One thing is for sure: people are going to fight, and fight hard, if you try to take away their food source, whether it's a community garden or a farm.  And this is one battle we'll keep our eyes on.

To read the original Post story, "Gardeners taking on the Marines," click here.



National PTA Advocates School Vegetable Gardens

As we launch our campaign to repeal the ban on school vegetable gardens in Montgomery County, it is important to realize just how many schools are already growing gardens, and for good reason.

And representing this large and growing number of gardening schools is none otherNational PTA than the National Parent Teachers Association, which maintains a "How to Grow a School Garden" page on their website.  According to the NPTA:

"A school garden is an outdoor classroom oasis, [an] on-site 'field trip....'  Numerous studies point to school gardens as a means of improving academic achievement, promoting healthy lifestyles, demonstrating the principles of stewardship, encouraging community and social development, and instilling a sense of place. Children benefit enormously from a working knowledge of good nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, and this is compellingly taught in a school garden." (You can also listen to the presentation on PTA Radio, here.)

Do you hear that, Superintendent Weast and Board of Education?  You are actively denying our students critically important learning opportunities in Montgomery County.  Why?

It may take national voices like the PTA (or Michelle Obama) to help us convince MCPS officials to repeal the ban, and if so, we will recruit those voices.  How fortunate that virtually everyone in the country agrees with us!

Many thanks to Janis Sartucci of the Parents Coalition for passing on the PTA page, and for following the school garden story on their blog!  



Insect Pests in the Garden?  Give 'em some Garlic Fire!

Are you getting an overdose of aphids this season?  Are squash bugs bumming you out?

While no method for controlling insect pests is 100% effective, the organic food gardener has a number of good ones at his or her disposal, including row cover, trapnasty bug crops, and crop rotation.  And to add one more weapon to the organic arsenal, why not give 'em a dose of garlic spray?

Garlic sprays can be purchased commercially (Garlic Barrier is a commonly available one), but they are also easy as all get-out to make.  Here is one basic recipe.  A powerful variation on this is to add hot peppers (like cayenne) to the garlic before you put it in the blender and then soak it.  You can probably guess why this works.

Be careful, though, because you don't want to drive away your "beneficial" insects at the same time.  If you've got a few ladybugs on your plants, for instance, it might better to wait and let them go after the aphids for you - or at the very least move them to other plants before you spray.

For information on additional natural and organic sprays, click here.  And to check out a comprehensive resource guide on organic sprays, click here.



UN Urges Shift Toward Vegetarian Diet

According to a United Nations report released earlier this month, a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate changes.

Following up on previous reports and statements from leading experts, the UN's International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management explored how the cowsenvironmentally destructive, fossil fuel intensive method of "factory farming" cattle and other animals is compounded by the tendency for people to switch to more meat and dairy rich diets as they prosper.  The clear answer, for the U.N. and others that study the issue, is that we must start consuming less meat and dairy.

This is not to say that cows and other animals cannot be raised in ways that are much less harmful to the environment, indeed even beneficial.  Herbivores, for instance, are naturally occurring creatures in our biosphere, and the now famous Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, among others, has shown how cows can be raised so that they actual sequester carbon in the soil.  (There are grass-fed animal farmers present at most local farmers markets now.)

Until there is a massive shift toward such methods, though, and maybe even after it, those that study the issue are in agreement: for the planet's health, as well as our own, we need to start eating more vegetables, and less meat.

To read the full Guardian article, which includes many useful related links, click here.  Thanks to Tim and other MVGers for forwarding these articles!



One More Great Way to Use Mint

A couple of weeks ago we urged everyone to embrace the mint that invades our gardens - and more specifically to chop it up and use it in everything from waterMint and iced tea to salads, pasta sauce and pesto.

Here's one more great combination that my wife just turned me on to this week: mince up several mint leaves and add them after you cook those fresh peas that are coming out of your garden (or which you can now purchase at farmers markets).  It's an absolutely delicious and unique flavor combination you won't want to miss!



Need a Laugh? Check out "The BP Coffee Spill!"

We're going to go "off topic" for just a moment here. 

Every foodie and gardener I know cares deeply about the environment.  And if you care deeply about the environment, it's hard not to feel devastated these past two months, as the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.

We'll leave the analysis to others, but for those who care about the planet and have had a hard time dealing these past 60 days, here is a much needed laugh.  Click here to watch a short video on "The BP Coffee Spill."   


That's it for this week, everybody! Please help support Montgomery Victory Gardens - click here to make a 100% tax-deductible contribution online!

And don't forget to send us your feedback and ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, just email to [email protected].

Yours for a bountiful local harvest in 2010,


Gordon Clark,
Project Director
Montgomery Victory Gardens