Resources
Resources developed by Carolina Lees:
From OSU Small Farms employee training talk:
Carolina tilling
From Sitka full day gardening workshop:
Other Resources:
BOOKS:
- Steve Solomon: Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, Sasquatch Books. Probably the best regional guide to growing vegetables.
- Eliot Coleman: The New Organic Grower, Winter Gardening Handbook, and more. These are written for more of a small farm scale, but have lots of useful information and innovative techniques.
- Grace Gershuny and Joseph Smilley: The Soul of Soil. Good primer on soil science and health.
- Other authors: Carol Deppe, Michael Philips, John Jeavons, Joel Salatin. Acres USA is a great resource for finding and purchasing relevant books.
SEED COMPANIES:
- Wild Garden Seed: Frank Morton breeds excellent seed for salads and more out of his farm in Philomath
- Adaptive Seeds: Sarah Kleeger and Andrew Still traveled to Europe to exchange and collect seeds, and founded a seed company with what they brought back. Specializing in unusual varieties and cold-tolerant vegetables.
- Fedco: A seed cooperative in Maine with an entertaining catalog, diverse seed sourcing, and excellent prices
- Johnny’s: Large seed company in Maine with excellent quality and selection and an incredibly informative catalog and website.
SUPPLIES:
- Dripworks has an informative catalog and website, lots of irrigation options, and also many garden planning tools.
- Peaceful Valley Garden Supply has all the supplies you need to grow organically and lots of informative videos.
- Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply in Portland has knowledgeable staff and a wide range of well-researched products.
- Concentrates in Portland is similar to Naomi’s.
- TCCA Farm Store in Cloverdale and Tillamook carries several organic amendments and is able to order many more.
ORGANIZATIONS:
- ATTRA: provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States.
- Oregon Tilth has a long list of resources for organic farming and gardening at their website.
- Mother Earth News has lots of good articles and resources.
Fennel
Find a farm (directories and a couple of my favorites):
- Local Harvest National directory of all things locavore: farms, markets, stores, processors, food advocacy groups, etc etc. A great resource for eaters and producers alike. We have a listing there, as do many of our friends.
- Horton Road Organics (Blachly, OR) is the farm where I completed my apprenticeship.
- WinterGreen Farm (Noti, OR) is a biodynamic farm I worked for and love.
- R-Evolution Gardens is a CSA and fresh market farm in Nehalem who are exploring new ground in agri-tourism
- 46 North Farm in Astoria grows excellent veggie starts as well as flowers and vegetables
- Walker Farms in Siletz grows pasture raised meats of all kinds
- Mama Tee’s Farm in Willamina has a deep committment to ecology and raises vegetables, animals, and makes value added products