Project Grow Gardeners Donate Hundreds of Pounds of Produce Project Grow gardeners grew and donated nearly 300 pounds of organic produce to Food Gatherers over the 2008 growing season. “That’s over twenty pounds of produce per garden site, grown by folks in the community for neighbors in need. Each year our gardeners just seem to give more,” says Melissa Kesterson, Executive Director of Project Grow. In these tough economic times when concerns over food security and the local economy run high, Project Grow gardeners at all ten sites shared a portion of their harvests. Everything from tomatoes to zucchinis to winter squash landed at the Food Gatherers warehouse for distribution to the community.
The Case Against Bees, Or How Hybrids Happen By Royer Held, Greenview One of the great things about heirloom tomato varieties is that, unlike commercial hybrids, heirlooms grow true from seed. Field studies find that this happens 95% to 99% of the time. Every now and then, bees get in the way and the seed in one of your tomatoes may be an F1 hybrid. Unless you make the cross yourself, or perform gene sequencing, there is no way to tell that this has happened simply by looking at the tomato. Even though the seeds contain brand new genetics, the characteristics of the fruit are determined by the genetics of the plant from which it was picked. You will only know what the bees were up to if you save the seeds from this one fruit. Over the many years I have saved seed from heirloom tomato varieties, I’ve only caught the bees red-handed four times. On one hand, this is good news. It means that I have been able to count on the seed that I save to be true to type. On the other hand … My first encounter with bee handiwork was the year one of my tomatoes took first place at a Project Grow tomato tasting. I brought two 1.5 pound pink-purple beefsteaks to the tasting that grew on a plant labeled “Old Brooks.” I had grown Old Brooks many times before and knew that these tomatoes were not true to type. Old Brooks is a medium sized red tomato with high acid content. The imposters had a good balance of sugars and acids. They also had meaty flesh with a creamy texture unlike the juicier, crunchier Old Brooks. Continued on page 11
From the Blogosphere By Joan Bailey
Project Grow’s Website Has a New Look! Check out our revamped website! You can find lots of information on gardens, classes, and events, fill out an online plot application, explore links to Flickr photos, and even post comments on the Project Grow blog!
www.projectgrowgardens.org
Now that snow is falling and it’s hard to get outside (or get motivated to get outside), the following books offer inspiration and help justify snuggling into that favorite armchair. Following is a sample of the many terrific gardening books out there. Head off to your favorite local bookstore and see what other resources you can find! Plant-Driven Design: Creating Gardens That Honor Plants, Place, and Spirit by Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden, 2008, Timber Continued on page 9