Hi Friends,
Things are busy as always, so a quick newsletter this month. This week I hosted the senior's get together at my mom's newly remodeled space. I played music with a friend and a good time was had by all.

I leave this Friday for the Mother Earth News Fair in Asheville, North Carolina where I will be speaking on April 12. I return on Monday with a few days to get ready for my April 18-20 Farm Experience Weekend, which is held in conjunction with Swan Trust's Discover Big Swan Headwaters Day and a hike out on the Preserve. Of course this is also the time of year when things get busy in the garden.
Sometimes it seems like the faster I go the behinder I get!

I will be picking up copies of my book Out to Change the World over the weekend and have begun to take orders, with shipments going out next week. I am doing a special introductory offer of $30 for both books, including shipping. Out to Change the World lists for $14.95 and The Farm Then and Now lists for $19.95. Ordered separately, shipping is $5 each, so this is a good savings.

For your viewing pleasure, check out my video that shows how tofu is produced at the soy dairy in San Bartolo, Guatemala, started by The Farm and Plenty International when I was there in 1980. Now over 35 years later, it is still going strong and a thriving business for the village of San Bartolo. I am so proud to have been a part of its beginning.

Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

email: Douglas@swantrust.org to let us know you plan to attend.

Discover Big Swan Headwaters Day
April 19, 1PM - Hike and Dinner
Meet at The Farm Store
A moderate hike lasting approximately 2 hours
Bring a snack, water, and be prepared to cross creeks.
Fundraiser dinner afterward at 6 PM.

Our family returned to Guatemala in 1990, 10 years after our crew with Plenty International had to leave because of the unstable political situation and the immanent danger to our families. I made this video documenting the production of tofu and ice bean when I returned back to The Farm, one of my first video projects.

Garden Update

A friend writes: I've got some corn started for my first planting. What amendments do you use with your corn? When do you plan on doing your second planting?

Gonna try doing what you do this year!

My Answer: We started our first planting of sweet corn (in peat pots) on April 6. The idea is that by the time they are ready to plant outside, we will be past the usual last frost date of April 15.

Corn is a heavy feeder, so when I put these in the ground, in addition to compost I will add some of the commercial organic fertilizer made from a base of chicken manure.

We often make up our own fertilizer mix, with amendments like green sand, dolomite, and this year we ordered some sea gull guano, which is supposed to be even better than bat guano. Some of those ingredients will take a while to break down and will not benefit my initial planting of corn, but just help to build up the soil over the long term.

Planting a new batch of corn every 2-3 weeks is a good rule of thumb. We started 50 of a 65 day variety and 50 of an 85 day variety on the same day. We find that the number of days untill you can expect the corn to be ready stated on the seed packet is more accurate at the beginning of spring rather than in the summer when the days are longer and warmer. My wife Deborah says Silver Queen is rated as an 85 day corn, but can take as few as as 65 days later in the summer.

We have also started some of the Seminole squash I talked about last month. Since it was originally from Florida, it likes a long growing season, so we are getting some going earlier this year than we have in year's past.

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The broccoli plants are in! Again, we started seed indoors in peat pots a few weeks brfore transplanting them outside. The plants are covered with Remay insect barrier cloth to protect them from cut worms and cabbage moths.

Thanks as always for your time and attention!

Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com