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COVER STORY | IN
THE NEWS | DIRT | ARTBEAT October 5, 2006 |
 The Friends of the Humboldt County Farmers' Market Fall Farm Tour offered a fascinating cross section of Humboldt's organic agriculture community. Among the stops: Flora Organica in McKinleyville, where Andy Zierer (above) led tours of his greenhouses and fields where he grows over 300 varieties of flowers, herbs and potted plants. "Diversity is the key," he said explaining how he keeps out pests without harmful chemicals. |
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Chaske and Jasmine Carr from Eureka (left) went on the tour with their grandmother and came home with carrots they'd pulled from the Potawot Community Food Garden, part of the United Indian Health Services facility behind Mad River Hospital. Eddie Tanner and Eddie Mata run the 2-1/2 acre garden growing food for the local Native American community with funding from a diabetes prevention grant. |
| "As an organic farmer weeds are my biggest problem," said John Gary (right) of G Farms on West End Rd. before pulling two heads of butter lettuce from a covering of pigweed. Gary grows starts for lettuce, broccoli and cabbage in greenhouses, then uses a mechanical transplanter to plant them in long straight rows. He's farming 20 acres, but could use another 60 to meet demand. Got land? Call him. |  |
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In contrast to the limited crops and straight rows at G Farm, the garden behind barefoot farmer Paul Lohse's Produce Stand near Blue Lake seemed as wild as Paul's blonde locks. A dog follows him as he shows off his corn crop, offering visitors a taste of sweet raw corn as fresh as it gets. Paul and the dog sleep in different parts of the garden to ward off invading deer. |
your Talk of the Table comments, recipes and ideas to Bob Doran.
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