Roots Down New Bedford - Sept. 1 - Seeds to Sow in September and Extending the Season with Row Covers

Join us at our next Roots Down New Bedford workshop,

Short and Sweet Salad Greens: Seeds to Sow in September and Extending the Season with Row Covers
With the recent return of cool temperatures at night, we are reminded that fall is drawing near. Now is a great time to do some late seeding in the garden to ensure a fresh supply of greens throughout the mid-fall to early winter. From basics like Lettuce, Radishes, and Spinach to specialty crops like Arugula, Mache, and Mizuna there are still a wide variety of seeds that can be sown in the coming days. In addition to discussing crop varieties we'll also look at season extension strategies to make the most of the fall harvest.

Our monthly Roots Down workshops are held at 4PM on the first Tuesday of every month, this month it's Tuesday September 1st, at the Lawler Branch Library (745 Rockdale Ave.) in New Bedford. All of the Roots Down New Bedford workshops are free and open to the entire community. Download the complete Fall 2009 Schedule.

Have gardening questions, interested in following up on a Roots Down topic? You can catch me every Thursday, from 2PM-6PM, at the Wing's Court Farmers' Market in downtown New Bedford. In addition to being available to answer questions, we'll have our Brix Bounty tip sheets, info on soil testing, and other resources focusing on sustainability.

about Roots Down - New Bedford*

what: A Free Monthly Series Focusing on Sustainable Gardening Techniques

why: To help new and experienced gardeners gain a deeper understanding of methods used in healthy food production.

To help build local food security for our community.

*Roots Down - New Bedford is part of the Safe Soils for Healthy Food Project presented by Brix Bounty Farm and the Rotch-Jones-Duff House&Garden Museum and is made possible by the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts - SEEAL Fund.

Upcoming Events with a Focus on Food...

Tuesday August 18th, at 6:30 PM - Deb Habib of Seeds of Solidarity Farm will be giving a presentation "Growing Food Everywhere" at the New Bedford Public Library.

Wednesday August 26th, the Food&Agriculture Subcommittee of the Southeastern Massachusetts Council on Sustainability will be meeting - exact time and location tbd. For more info please contact the farm at 508-992-1868.

Friday August 28th and 29th - the Dartmouth Grange in Russells Mills Village will host their annual Rural Community Fair.

Friday September 26th and 27th - the Working Waterfront Festival: Surf and Turf - Fisherman and Farmers Finding Common Ground will be held at State Pier in New Bedford.

Saturday October 17th the Dartmouth YMCA and Sharing the Harvest will host its annual fall festival - including a road race in the morning and family friendly farm activities in the afternoon.

Thursday October 22 - Sunday October 25 - Bioneers by the Bay will be in downtown New Bedford. Including an event on Saturday October 24 in conjunction with 350.org's International Day of Climate Action.

and finally... Friday November 13th - the first New England Biochar Symposium will be held at UMass Amherst.

Thoughts on the Economy

The New York Times published a nice op-ed piece by Eric Zencey today focusing on the misuse of GDP as a measure of societal well being.

While by no means a new finding, the article is a timely reminder of the gap between economic indicators and other measures of quality of life.

One group that has sprung up to address the need for positive thought around sustainable economics, The Slow Money Alliance, has recently announced its first National Gathering to be held in early September in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Woody Tasch who has authored a book titled Slow Money, will be one of this years keynote speakers at the Bioneers By the Bay Conference
which will be held Oct 22-25 in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

For a terrific presentation focusing on the nexus of our economic, energy, and ecological crisis I highly recommend visiting www.christmartenson.com and taking the time to view his Crash Course presentation. In my mind the presentation should be mandatory viewing for many; from elected leaders, MBA students, to concerned citizens.

Roots Down New Bedford - August 4th and Fall Schedule

Roots Down New Bedford continues with a workshop on Growing Nutrient Dense Foods - Mid-Summer Tips and Techniques including Using a Refractometer to Measure Brix Levels and Foliar Fertilizers.

The August workshop will be held today, at 4PM at the Lawler Branch Library, 745 Rockdale in New Bedford.

We are also announcing our Fall 2009 Roots Down New Bedford Workshop Schedule - all workshops held the first Tuesday of every month at 4PM at the Lawler Branch Library.