I’ve just updated my Events page with more details about the events I’m speaking at. Coming up really soon is the Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference. Here is a flyer for it:
I’ll be offering a half-day (1-5 pm) workshop on Friday 1/11: Year Round Hoophouse Vegetables.
On Saturday 1/12, 2.30 – 4 pm, I’m offering a 90 minute workshop on Cold Hardy Winter Vegetables, and on Sunday 1/13, 4 – 5.30 pm a 90 minute workshop on Crop Planning for Sustainable Vegetable Production.
I’ll provide handouts for all my workshops, and there will be book signings and sales after each workshop. You can read more details on my Events page or on the VABF website.
I’m having a busy January! The very next weekend, January 17-19 (Thurs – Sat), I’ll be at the 2019 Future Harvest CASA, at College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. I’m offering two 90 min workshops, with book sales and signings after the workshops.
Lettuce Year-Round, Friday 1/18 2.00 – 3.30 pm and Cover Crops for Vegetable Growers, Saturday 1/19 2.00 – 3.30 pm
And then January 23-26, 2019 (Weds to Sat), I’ll be at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference, Little Rock, AR.
On Thursday January 24, I’m doing a 1 – 5pm Mini-course (4 hours) Hoophouse Production of Cool Season Crops
On Friday January 25, 8 – 9.15 am (75 mins), I’m offering Diversify Your Vegetable Crops.
Book sales and signing Thursday evening.
And then it’s February, and I’m on to the PASA Conference
February 6-9 2019 Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. Lancaster County Convention Center. I’m offering three 90 min workshops:
Sequential Planting of Cool Season Crops in a High Tunnel, Friday 8.45 am – 10.15 am
Lettuce Year Round, Saturday 8.45 am- 10.15 am
Succession Planting for Continuous Vegetable Harvests Saturday 10.30 am -12 noon.
Handouts, Book-signing, Recordings for sale.
——————————————————————————————————–
And if you can’t make it to these events, I have found plenty of good reading on gardening and sustainable agriculture.
Reader Anne Donley sent a link to this fascinating news from the Guardian.com:
Finalists for the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize reveal their designs, The team has shortlisted 16 African inventors from six countries to receive funding, training and mentoring for projects intended to revolutionize sectors from agriculture and science to women’s health. Some of the ideas presented include
- Vertical vegetable growing boxes which grow up to 200 plants and include a wormery! Wonderful step to more food security.
- Moisture extraction from the air using silica gels, then solar power to heat up the moisture to provide clean water. Kenyan Beth Koigi points out that
“There’s six times more water in the air than in all the rivers in the world. With every 1F increase in temperature, water begins to evaporate on the ground but increases by about 4% in the atmosphere, and that’s water that’s not being tapped.”
-
Gloves that translate sign language into speech
-
Smart lockers that dispense medicines.
Growing for Market January issue is out
The Organic Broadcaster is out
Gena Moore at Carolina Farm Stewardship has some great research on the efficacy of various biopesticides.
Modern Farmer is a good online resource for news. They offer a weekly digest via email, or you can go to their site and click on the stories you are interested in. Themes include Farm, Food and Lifestyle, Animal Heroes, News.