Sun 4/2 @ 5-8PM
Are you an avant-gardener? If you have found yourself standing out in your garden at sunrise, in the pale dawn, with your mind churning, neurons firing in sync as you think about the astonishing relationship between dust storms in Africa, the fertility of the Amazon rainforest and the benefits of foliar misting in your garden, the answer may just be ‘yes’. If so, you must surely hear the wind calling your name to attend the annual Permaculture Potluck on Sun 4/2. On the other hand if you are asking, “What is permaculture?” then you are not an avant-gardener.
The good news is the Permaculture Potluck is a great opportunity to begin, to meet like-minded souls interested in the nourishing earth, break bread with them, swap gardening stories, and learn and laugh together over shared food — all followed by an interesting speaker. Or in this case, two.
Jonathan Hull — former student of renowned soil biologist Elaine Iningham — and the gardener of the opening paragraph, is one of these speakers, and will be reprising (one hopes) this esoteric but fascinating and entertaining moment when understanding, use and appreciation of natural processes and patterns all came together in a critical voila! moment. Foliar spraying — or more accurately, misting — is a technique Jonathan uses to apply nutrients directly to the above-ground structures of plants, preferably in the morning when their stomata are open (don’t know what stomata are? Definitely not an avant-gardener yet; but you will learn), allowing for the uptake of nutrients with minimal expenditure of energy (on the plant’s part, not yours), thus stimulating the below-the-ground relationship of plant with soil and mycorrhizal fungi that exist in beneficial symbiosis with the plants’ roots. Foliar spraying is a way to nourish the plant while maintaining nature’s own pattern for health, rather than supplanting it with applied chemical fertilizers. Result? Healthier plants. More resilient soil. Fewer pest and diseases. Bigger yields.
You can read the full account of Jonathan’s voila moment in the 2016 March issues of Gardenopolis Cleveland, the online gardening/environmental blog. The article, titled “The Winds of Change,” is in three parts.
The other speaker is John Wright, who is innovating directly with the soil via a fresh approach to cover crops to build onsite fertility. John is co-owner with his wife Stephanie Blessing of Red Beet Row, an educational farm in Ashtabula. He is a permaculturist and an OSU trained horticulturist. Cover cropping is an old, not avant, concept but John has taken it to new levels by experimenting with timing and unusual cover crop combinations to build a nutritionally full soil . Cover crops may be annuals (such as borage), biennials (red clover) or perennials (chicory, for example). John also offers fresh thoughts on matching companion plants with traditional annual vegetables like tomatoes. Don’t know what a companion plant is? Then you are definitely not yet a true permaculture gardener. John’s talk will help you learn.
The annual permaculture potluck will be held Sun 4/2 @ 5-8pm at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland in Shaker Heights.
It is always a good idea to label ingredients in whatever food you bring to share. Children are welcome. There will be a free-will offering to cover the cost of speakers, child care, and custodial support.
[Written by Elsa Johnson]
Shaker Heights, OH 44122