Seeders, Propagators, and Replicators

They have trademarked the phrases "urban homestead" and "urban homesteading" and are warning people who might want to use those phrases to describe a particular lifestyle that that portion of the English language is now the private property of the Dervaes family". This is quoted from gardenrant. This family has decided they own the rights to the term gardener as well.

The self serving Dervaes family and their Dervaes Institute have turned the urban homestead movement into corporate fascism. They took their small lot in Pasadena CA and converted to a textbook version of a mini farm growing 7,000 lbs of food each and every year.

This living class room is now of limits to writers and photographers/film makers seeking to educate the rest of us on the homestead movement. In a shameful turn of arrogance and self piousness they are sending legal cease and desist form letters to anyone using the words and phrases, urban homestead and now gardener:
•URBAN HOMESTEAD®

•URBAN HOMESTEADING®

Turns out these terms ave been in use since the late 1890's. Now one can trademark a design of a word just like Banana Republic has for their sores. However the term has been in use long before safari clothes became popular.

And another interesting tid bit their organization is called the"Dervaes Institute " sounding very familiar to a once noble group in PA the Rodale Institute.

People like this family with their arrogance set back the cause of Urban Homestead
by decades.

I will be talking about "Herb Gardening 101" this saturday 2/26 at 1PM at Adams Kingston location. Even if you are beyond the "101" stage of growing herbs there is always something new to learn.

Sowing from seeds, propagation of cuttings and root divisions and the proper timing for each will make all the difference in your herb garden.

HERBS ARE GOOD FOR YOU: treat them like this. Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food. No magical spells needed!

Comment by Jutta Middel on June 3, 2011 at 3:34pm: If anyone would like some great organic heirloom tomato plants, I'll be bringing 110 of them in 4" peat pots to the plant exhange in Kington Saturday morning. There is a swap followed by a sale:

http://www.hvfoodnetwork.com/events/13th-annual-great-plant-swap

Comment by JILL BRESSLER on May 30, 2011 at 6:15am: other than a product like sluggo or containers of beer, what are people using to stop slug damage on crops like kale, potato and cabbage?

Comment by Samantha Gorelick on May 13, 2011 at 11:17am: Yes! Silver Heights Farm has artichoke plants: http://www.silverheightsfarm.com/

Comment by Jutta Middel on April 17, 2011 at 3:42pm: I just noticed this discussion was from last year, so I copied and posted to a new thread...

Comment by Jutta Middel on April 17, 2011 at 9:37am: I have 25+ kinds of tomatoes (mostly heirlooms) going in jiffy peat pellets (42mm and also the smaller ones, both from Adams), started at different times. There are 70 in a tray, and I do 10 of each variety x 7 varieties in each tray. I've used a large 48"x 21" heat mat on top of my washer/drier, with 4, 2-lamp 48" shop lights suspended 8" above the tops of the trays with 6400k lamps (bulbs). I've used moisture domes till the seedlings are about 2-3" tall, them remove. I found if I leave them on too long, I get fungus problems on the leaves.

I've started numerous trays since March, and have found that the germination starts in a few days -- pretty fast, but some varieties seem to straggle and take up to 10 days. There is also variation in germination time -- sometimes over a week difference -- within the 10 Jiffy pellets planted with a single variety, possibly due to individual seed quality/seed source or depth of planting/coverage variation. That's my educated guess anyway!

Fast germinators include: Ailsa Craig, Burpee Rainbow Mix (Omar's Lebanese, Dutchman, Djena Lee's Golden Girl, Golden Sunburst, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Black Russian), Cherokee Purple, Red Siberian, Green Zebra, Aunt Ruby German Green, Brandywine Red & Yellow, Orange Yellow Sungold Cherry, Gold Medal, Juliet Hybrid

Slow and sporadic germinators include: Amish Paste, Italian Roma Bush, San Marzano (all Roma types I just noticed), Super Sweet 100 Cherry, and Pineapple & Great White (both heirloom beefsteak type).

I've also been reading that you should germinate in the dark on heat, THEN turn on the lights and remove heat. My seedlings may be a little leggy since I had the lights and heat on at the same time. I have planted these deep in the bottom of a 4" pot with homemade organic potting soil filled up to the first leaves. Tomatoes grow roots from the stem as opposed to most vegis which do not want to be planted deep. This supposedly makes the root systems stronger. I've had good success with this method in the past, though I worry that putting them in the bottom of the pot will crowd the existing roots in the pellet. Maybe not, since the 4" peat pots allow roots to grow through and air prune. Has anyone else done this? What do you think?

Note that the heat mat was a little much for my cruciferous (broccoli, brocollini, brussel sprouts etc.) starts. They were way too leggy and many damped off or never came up. I'm trying a new batch without heat at a south facing window.

Comment by Meghan E. Murphy on September 11, 2010 at 9:25am: I feel that my tomato plants were bountiful, but none of the fruits are ripening! Except for the cherry tomatoes. I planted Striped Germans, Cosmonauts and one other whose tag I lost. The heirlooms only produced one round of monster fruits. Maybe it's just not sunny enough in my garden spot?

Comment by greg draiss on April 11, 2010 at 8:36am: Lifelong gardener, garden buyer for Adams Fairacre Farms, localist

Comment by Anya Raskin on March 31, 2010 at 1:24pm: I really, strongly considered buying the heat mat and then didn't - I knew I'd regret it.

Comment by Adam Weiss on March 31, 2010 at 1:01pm: 10 days would be a point to reconsider. I am using the combo of the heat mat and the ultraviolet lights and have had very strong success. My cucumber seedlings germinated in 3 days

Comment by Anya Raskin on March 31, 2010 at 12:53pm: How long would you wait for tomatoes and peppers to germinate before giving up hope?

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