Today, M and I received our first formal lesson from Bob Cannard, Green String’s Director. We walked around the field, and he discussed how one assesses a plant: the color, the anchorage of the roots, the symmetry, the turbidity (it’s ability to hold itself up).
You determine any problems with a plant based on its symptoms. If the roots are not extensive (with few little feeder-roots), then the problem is likely soil-related. If there is yellowing of the leaves and a lack of turbidity, the plant is not receiving enough moisture. A corn plant will even send out a fat seeker root in the direction of a leaky faucet 50 ft away. When pointing out the roots of a celery plant, he was careful to say that the brown feeder roots were “not old, but have lived.”
Bob emphasized that a plant is non-deceptive– it is naked, it does not get up and walk away, it is right there for you to observe. By looking at a plant, one can observe its many pasts, as well as its future. Glancing at the leeks, we could observe the pasts apparent in the dry, brown hanging leaves, as well as marks left on the plant from leaves already decomposed. You can see past wounds– past trauma– by looking at a plant. (I can’t help but think of humans as Bob discusses the lives of plants).
We observed the cycles of a plant as it translocates its nutrients from outer (or lower) leaves to inner (or upper) leaves, all in preparation for “seed babies,” as Bob likes to call them.
A good plant is bouncy (it will perk back up if you bend it), has good tear strength (a test of how much pressure it can withhold before it tears), and has good radial and/or bilateral symmetry. The fuzziness, waxiness, and scent of a plant keeps bugs away until the plant is ready for the bugs. A good and healthy plant can defend itself from bugs, but needs bugs in order to digest and decompose its used parts.
As we observed plants, many cucumber beetles, or Diabrotica, flew around. These bugs eat plants, and so are considered foes by many farmers, but Bob discussed how they only eat the old leaves, not the new. Mildew is also your friend, as it likewise helps to break down old organic matter and make its nutrients accessible to new plants.
Time-space sharing is another method Bob likes to use. You can overlap the planting and harvesting of plants, in order to increase your efficiency. So you can be harvesting celery while eggplant is coming up, for example. The celery and eggplant share space and time, thereby increasing production. It also promotes biodiversity and helps crops withstand frosts, heavy rains, or other extreme weather. The varying root structures also support each other.
Morning Glory grew amongst the squash plants, which Bob said would transfer its mildew to the squash plants when they were ready to be broken down.
The soil on GS is crumbly and compact. Bob said it’s high in magnesium. You water it, and then rototill a couple days later in order to break it up. If you rototill too soon, the clumps are squished together– you can see a shine on the clumps that is a sign of this. What causes it to clump is also bacteria and microorganisms. A good tester of moisture in the soil is digging out a handfull from about 5 inches deep, squishing it together with your hands as much as possible, and then seeing if it breaks up again with just a bit of tapping. If it does, you’re good to go. If not, more water and rototill.
Bob advises against lining plants with plastic. when the organic matter is chopped up after harvest, most of it ends up being plastic. I believe that we will one day be eating plastic (if we aren’t already), and you know what they say: You are what you eat.
