The last week has been an awesome official end to Winter 2010. It's felt like Spring, hitting the 60's. Some krokuses are up next to the house. I've turned compost piles. I've checked my farm for wet spots. None found. Yay! I also did some gnarly weeding in my blueberry patch, a voracious running beast with clover like leaves. Yuck!
Over the weekend, I drove out to Slavic Village to a Small Fruits Workshop, presented by Joe Kovach and the OSU Extension. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and apples, plus a lasagna-style vegetable garden. The Cleveland Botanical Garden maintains the plot, and the neighbors look after it. I'm ordering 40 strawberry plants as a direct inspiration from this workshop.
My company, Green Urban Enterprises LLC, formally exists! The business cards are made and totally sweet! The design incorporates the "A Farm in Cleveland?!" logo, plus relevant contact info, plus a map. An artist friend, Stephe DK, did the artwork and layout, and I'd say we split the design duties; however, he might tell you otherwise.
In my opinion after reading all these organic ag books through the winter, the number two take home message after hoophouses is soil blockers. There's a few pictures above. Supposedly, in Euro nurseries throughout Europe, plants are sold as starts without containers in these soil blocks, entirely removing the need for plastic containers and the subsequent corner of the basement that they inevitably take up. Sounds like a dream come true to me.
So a couple of weeks back, I went on the world wide web and found me some soil blockers. This task was a little difficult because a lot places were sold out already "due to unprecedented demand." When the soil blockers came in the mail, I was immediately struck by their branding, stating "Made In England." Like how cool is that? When's the last time you bought ANYTHING from England besides tea, or maybe some ale, or one of those little cars?
Also, I just met today with the good peeps at the Beachland Ballroom to discuss the 1st Annual Cleveland Farm Aid Benefit show. It looks like it's gonna happen on a Sunday night most likely in May. Now I just need more bands, and perhaps some restaurant and CDC sponsors. The basic concept is that bands would represent either a community garden, for-profit market garden, or a farmer's market. The band would have an individual in one of these agricultural endeavors. Proceeds would go to a specific project at that particular community garden, market garden, or farmer's market. I plan to use Willie Nelson-inspired imagery for the flyer.
This Sunday, March 21st, it's Seedling Sunday at Casa de Hush.
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