Green & Growing

Seed and plant catalogs — filled with defined is at least six hour of sunlight ing such as chicken wire or hardware cloth will proattractive pictures of plants that would each day. This may be the minimum vide a physical barrier against rabbits; while deer look good in our gardens this summer — amount of sunlight for plants that prefer fence should be six to seven feet high. There are are now arriving our mailboxes. While eight to ten hours of full sunlight each also sprays and granular repellants to provide proshopping for new plants, remember to day. tection, but need periodic replacement. check the narrative descriptions, including symbols indicating characteristics of each plant. GREEN AND Plants may be exposed to full sun in the early morning and become shaded as the sun rises and the light is blocked by Other considerations include checking the root system for roses and fruit trees. In the past, roses were sold with the above-ground portion grafted

The first consideration in plant selecGROWING a nearby tree or building. Then, in late onto a different root system. This was done to tion is which growing zones are recommended for this plant. Benton County, for By Linda G. Tenneson afternoon, the sun exposure returns. There are many plants that grow best in improve plant hardiness and vigor. Recently, more roses are being grown and sold with their own roots. example, is in zone 4a. That means on average, our partial sun or partial shade. Light conditions differ If a rose listed as “own root” dies down to ground coldest temperature is -30 F. Zone designations also for spring bulbs which grow and bloom early in the level, it will return true to form in the spring. If the consider the latest date for the last freezing temper- season when trees are not fully leafed out. Those top of a grafted rose dies, the growth emerging from atures in the spring and the earliest first frost tem- bulbs receive a lot of sunlight. By the time they the roots is likely to be less attractive. Apple trees perature in the fall. Many perennial plants need a have finished blooming and are beginning to die are also frequently grafted to root stocks of hardy cold period during the winter to begin growing in back, the surrounding trees or shrubs are leafed out but less desirable roots. the spring. In contrast, annual plants come from seeds that remain dormant until warm spring temperatures; and die when subjected to frost or freezing temperatures in the fall. Annual plant seeds are stored by seed companies in cool dry locations. However, these seeds do not need to have a specific cold period before being able to germinate or begin growing. and providing more shade. Third, look at the expected height and width of the plant at maturity. Will the plant fit in the desired location when it has reached its full size? Most (but not all) catalogs will include these measurements. Fourth, is the plant attractive to animals such as rabbits or deer? If so, protective fencRemember, Information on many annual and perennial plants, trees and shrubs can be found at extension.umn.edu/find-plants. Linda G. Tenneson is a University of Minnesota master gardener and tree care advisor. v Second, look at the light conditions where the plant will live. Plants which do best in deep shade will die if planted in a full sun location. Full sun is Dicamba restrictions remain for 2023

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It Doesn’t Matter ... We service & sell all brands of electric motors ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recently announced state-specific use restrictions for three dicamba herbicide products will remain the same for the 2023 growing season in Minnesota. The restrictions are aimed at curbing offsite movement of the products.

The affected dicamba formulations are Engenia by BASF, Tavium by Syngenta, and XtendiMax by Bayer. These are the only dicamba products labeled for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans.

No application shall be made south of Interstate 94 after June 12. North of Interstate 94, use is prohibited after June 30.

No application shall be made if the air temperature of the field at the time of application is over 85 F or if the National Weather Service’s forecasted high temperature for the nearest available location for the day exceeds 85 F.

Users can download these restrictions from the product manufacturer’s website, and they must be in the user’s possession during application.

“These restrictions mirror what we did in 2022 when we saw a major decrease in complaints of offtarget movement from the previous year,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “These products must be used without impacts on neighboring homes, farms, and gardens. The Minnesotaspecific restrictions are based on scientific evidence from our drift investigations and discussions with the University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Soybean Growers Drift Taskforce.”

During the 2022 growing season, the MDA received 25 formal complaints and eight responses to an informal survey — all alleging off-target movement. This was a major decrease from 2021 which saw a total of 304 formal complaints and survey responses.

Other federal requirements that appear on the product labels include:

Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent, also known as a volatility reducing agent, be tank mixed with dicamba products prior to all applications.

Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed endangered species are located; plus additional recordkeeping items

In Minnesota, Engenia, Tavium, and XtendiMax formulations of dicamba are approved for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans only and are “Restricted Use Pesticides.” The dicamba products are only for retail sale to and use by certified applicators.

Pesticide product registrations are renewed on an annual basis in Minnesota.

This article was submitted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. v

By TIM KING

The Land Correspondent

If you don’t know that the initials CSA stand for Community Supported Agriculture, you will after reading Angela Tedesco’s recently released book “Finding Turtle Farm.” Tedesco subtitled her University of Minnesota Press book of roughly 200 pages, “My Twenty Acre Adventure in Community Supported Agriculture.” So, there it is — right on the cover.

But what the heck does CSA mean? Tedesco spent 17 years raising organically certified vegetables on her Turtle Farm, near Granger Iowa. Having raised organic vegetables for sale for twice as long as she did, and having worked with the CSA model for nearly as long as she did, I can say with some authority that her book does a credible job of answering the above question regarding CSAs.

I generally skip a book’s introductions; but the introduction in “Finding Turtle Farm” is well worth the read. I say this because it unmasks a lie that Tedesco and I (who are roughly the same age) were told throughout our youth and early adulthood. We were told we were among a class of Americans who were destined to attend college and join the professions. Agriculture, the growing of food to sustain life, was unworthy of us. Further, we were told (not so much in words but actions) that home-grown and homemade were inferior to highly processed and heavily packaged foods. Food was just a commodity to be prepared and eaten as quickly as possible so we could get back to our boring jobs at the office or laboratory.

In her introduction, Tedesco writes nicely of her own turning toward agriculture.

“I wanted to make choices based on what would be best for the common good of people and the environment, and farming was where I could make a difference,” Tedesco writes, summing up her thinking after quitting a job as a college-educated chemist shuffling test tubes in a lab. “Everyone eats. I wanted to grow food that was as good for people as it was for the environment.”

There it is: CSA is about growing food that is as good for people as it is for the environment. But it’s more complex than that. Keep reading! Following her description of her personal journey toward becoming a farmer, Tedesco gets to work. Naturally she titles part one of her book “Planting and the second part Harvest.”

In “A Delicious Revolution,” the first chapter of Part I, Tedesco continues to enlarge upon what a CSA is; while at the same time, giving readers practical onion planting and green house management tips. I particularly liked the parts of this chapter where she honored her employees and the elderly gentleman who tilled her fields. Making farm workers visible and respected partners in a farm operation can easily be included in the big list of what Community Supported Agriculture is.

“That’s what the sacred is all about. It’s not a concept but an experience — an experience of awe, of wonder, of beauty. And with the sacred comes the zeal, the energy,” Tedesco writes, quoting the theologian Matthew Fox at the beginning her book’s third chapter.

The chapter is titled “Food as Sacred” and, since the sacred is not a concept but an experience, Tedesco shows the reader the awe experienced by a child when she picks and tastes her first ever golden cherry tomato right from the vine. She shows us another child eating peas from the home freezer in February. The child has a moment when she connects the peas with harvesting, shelling and putting them up with her mother the previous summer. She connects the relationship with her mother, to the hot life-filled garden, to the equally hot summer kitchen, to the beautiful vegetables on her plate. That, indeed, was a moment of awe, of wonder, of beauty. Part I of “Finding Turtle Farm” is made up of 10 chapters. Some other chapters are “CSA Starts With Community,” “The Wisdom of Biodiversity,” and “That Bug on Your Plate.” They all make for good reading. Part II consists of seven chapters — each named for one of the months CSA shares were harvested on Turtle Farm. The chapters are actually a seasonal cookbook featuring recipes on how to use and enjoy the farm produce in customers CSA box for the month. August, for example, has simple ways to cook with basil and eggplant. The June chapter has a delicious-sounding recipe for Swiss chard rolls with walnuts and salsa.

I’d recommend all of this book to readers; but the “Harvest” section alone makes it well worth a trip to your local library or book store. v

Most Americans removed from the farm

LAND MINDS, from pg. 2

needs more outward support,” Markie stated.

Multiple ag organizations report most Americans are three or four generations removed from the farm. What do the more removed individuals think of farming? Is there an overall opinion or does the lack of day-to-day interaction with the industry simply result in a lukewarm thought process about it? The truth remains: we need to eat. Whether you are of the meat and potatoes variety or otherwise — agriculture is for all. The more we acquaint ourselves with the land and the people that provide for us, the closer we can get to a common ground.

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year or choose a word of focus? I wouldn’t say I’m a steadfast resolution maker, but I do like to take some time to reflect on my life and where the next year may take me. My reading list for the year has been compiled, and is set to stretch me a few different ways. It’s important to me to listen to those who’ve walked different paths and I’ve found the one-way street of literature allows me to absorb a person’s words instead of mostly listening but also busily forming my response back. To be heard from start to finish, able to speak your full intent — isn’t that what we’d all like?

In a world where so much is fast-paced and hot takes only, where it seems from every corner of the Internet someone’s piecing together out-of-context snippets just to holler “Gotcha!” it almost feels ... generous ... to give someone more than a few seconds to make their case. But I think that kind of courtesy is needed today, and one population among several deserving of a closer listen is our farmers.

As for my word for 2023: Maybe you’d think I went with “Connection,” but actually I chose “Shellfish.” I’ve been putting off getting tested for a likely allergy. This will be a good reminder.

Laura Cole is the staff writer of The Land. She may be reached at lcole@TheLandOnline.com. v