Perennial Vegetables available at local nursery

Permacuture gardener Regine Maligne-Lynch reports that Tallahassee Nurseries now has a small selection of perennial vegetables available including Chaya and a perennial spinach.  If you go there, please let them know this addition to their offerings is appreciated and suggest other perennial vegetables you would like to see them carry.

Time to Prune?

In the event you were not able to attend Just Fruits' recent Pruning workshop, a couple of local Permaculture folks provided copies of the great handouts furnished by Brandy and Ted.  Check out the new website for Just Fruits and Exotics, the place to go for all your fruit tree needs.  They are always a great source of information and assistance.  Just Fruits developed the handout on Pruning Styles and the Calendar of When to Prune Fruit Trees where you will see it's time now to prune many of your fruit trees.

Also provided were a number of handouts from educational sources including Pruning Overgrown Trees,  Pruning Blueberries in your Home Garden, Pruning Small Fruit, and Disinfecting Pruning Tools.  Read these handouts and have a mini-pruning workshop of your own. 

Register now for two must-do Agri-Workshops!!

Workshops for Organic Farmers and Gardeners on how

we CAN restore our waters, our soil, and our health.

January 17-18, 2015 – Two day course for $85 (lunch included)

Agroecology and Food Sovereignty
with Dr. Miguel Altieri

• Design for bio-diverse, productive and resilient farms. 
• Soil enhancing techniques: Bokashi, organic soil management, composting, compost teas, green manures, cover crops, etc. 
• Pest management (biological pest control, crop diversification, rotations, etc.) and conversion strategies (how to get there from monocultures).
• Assess and strengthen sustainability of farms, gardens and local food sovereignty
• Hands-on learning as well as presentations and discussions

About Dr. Aliteri:  Professor of Agroecology at UC Berkeley since 1981 in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. Education at the University of Chile, a Ph.D.  Entomology from the University of Florida.   Author of 230+ publications, and numerous books on The Science of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity, Pest Management ,, and the Search for a Truly Sustainable Agriculture.

                   Register at  famu-agroecology-altieri-2015.eventbrite.com

                                                                                                         

January 26-27, 2015 - $80 (lunch included)

Healthy Farms, Healthy Lives
with Dr. Don Huber & Jim Gerristen

Dr. Don Huber, Purdue/Emeritus Professor  - topics to include:

• impact of present agricultural systems on soil, plants, insects, and human health. 
• managing soil health, controlling plant diseases, micronutrients, GMOs and glyphosate - best management practices. 

Jim Gerristen, organic farmer and visionary - topics to include:

• organic farm strategies, certified organic seed operation, seed purity issues
• building and maintaining healthy soil and organic matter, crop rotations 
• the role of insects, enhancing biological systems
• harvesting for market, post-harvest handling issues, and tips on marketing for profit
• Hands-on demonstration

Register at  foginfo.org/2015-sustainable-development-session

All events will be held at:  FAMU Viticulture Center, 6506 Mahan Drive Tallahassee, Florida  32317. 

Organic Farmers and Gardeners, Save the Dates!

January 17-18, 2015 and January 26-27, 2015

For the first time in Tallahassee, two upcoming multi-day sessions will include workshops and farm tours with two of our country's most knowledgeable leaders in the fields of Agroecology principles and implementation, sustainable organic agriculture, and sustainable food systems---sometimes called simply Earth and Agriculture Restoration.  Enhance your knowledge, claim your local place through these crucial and timely capacity building sessions: You will learn how conventional GMO agricultural strategies impact our local non-GMO agricultural farms and environment.  Learn agroecological principles and application to design biodiverse, resilient farms. Discover soil enhancing and soild remediation techniques.  Learn critical methods to assess and strengthen sustainability and soil remediation techniques.   Learn critical methods to assess and strengthen sustainability of farms/gardens and local food sovereignty.  We can restore our waters, our soil, and our health.  Learn more about how, at these 2015 Sustainable Development Sessions.  Registration through Eventbrite and additional information coming soon.

Provided in collaboration with FAMU StateWide Small Farm Programs,

PGG, Local Small Farmers, and Community Collaborators.

January 17-18, 2015

Agroecology and Food Sovereignty/Dr. Miguel Altieri

Dr. Alteri has been a Professor of Agroecology at UC Berkeley since 1981 in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.  He received his education at the University of Chile, and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Florida.   He is author of more than 230 publications, and numerous books including Agroecology:  The Science of Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity, Pest Management in Agroecosystems, and Agroecology and the Search for a Truly Sustainable Agriculture. 

January 26-27, 2015

Agroecology—Healthy Farms, Healthy Lives/Dr. Don Huber and Jim Gerristen

Dr. Huber will examine the impact of GMOs and Glyphosate on soil, plant, animal and human health; Best Management Practices.  Dr. Huber is Emeritus Professor at Purdue University in Botany and Plant Pathology and an internationally recognized plant pathologist  whose research has focused on the epidemiology and control of soil-borne plant pathogens with emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, and physiology of host parasite relationships.  Dr. Huber has issued stern warnings about shockingly devastating effects of genetically engineered food crops.  Gerristen is a long-time organic farmer from Maine with extensive experience with potatoes which are also suitable for growing in our area. He is currently President of the national organization, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), and has been active for many years in efforts to enact laws and obtain rulings to label GMO seeds and foods.  Jim was named as one of 25 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World by Utne Reader magazine in January 2014.

Both events will be held at:

FAMU Viticulture Center, 6506 Mahan Drive,

 Tallahassee, Florida  32317

For more information:  famu.register@gmail.com

Jennifer Taylor 850-879-6895 or Sue Hansen 850-264-5929

Organic Farming Workshop, December 14, 2014 at Full Earth Farm in Quincy

Florida Organic Growers (FOG) is partnering with Full Earth Farm in Quincy to offer an Organic Farming Workshop in Gadsen County, Florida. The workshop will take place on Sunday,December 14th from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. The work­shop will provide practical information and advice about sustainable/organic farming such as soil and weed management, cover crops and farm planning. The workshop is designed for beginning and new farmers, as well as those inter­ested in transitioning to organic methods. Full Earth owners and operators Katie Harris and Aaron Suko will lead a farm tours, and discuss production and weed and pest management strategies. There will also be a special presentation on season extension, Herman Holley of Turkey Hill Farm will discuss the importance and methods for sustainable soil fertility and management, and Cheryl Macko­wiak with the University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center will present on her research on perennial cover crops and sod rotation. Admission is $10 and includes lunch, scholarships are also available. The workshop is open to the public and will be held at the Full Earth Farm located right outside Quincy, Florida. Please contact Travis Mitch­ell with Florida Organic Growers at travis@foginfo.org or at 352-377- 6355 for more information. To register go to http://www.foginfo.org/ organic-farming-workshop-registration-form/