That sounds good, a ‘little mistake’, right? But when you are working with converting an acre of wild pasture to a garden, a little mistake can easily become a big mistake.

Like many mistakes, this one started with a desire to control. I wanted to decisively stifle the pasture orchard grass, which spreads by underground runners. I wanted to suppress the giant thistles, which seem to relish the rototilling. Yay! More pieces to spring up, each a new plant!

So I bought garden fabric, laid it in place and covered it with wood chips. In our fledging year at Earth Source, we had practically no budget. So I got “the very cheapest” garden fabric. We laid some 35 paths 3 feet wide by 50 feet long to demarcate the individual garden plots. By the end of the season, the garden fabric was full of aggressive weeds, and was no longer effective.

What to do? We could not rototill because the fabric bound around the tiller. So laboriously we removed the fabri ... Read More »

Earth Source Gardens Mission Statement
(The New Pioneer Co-op Board of Directors Planning Committee recently asked members and staff for input regarding the future of New Pioneer Co-op. Read More »

Realizing the Vision: How Would It Work?

(A follow-up to my summer Catalyst article discussing Earth Source Gardens and the proposed future vision for our community accessing local foods.)

Years One Through Fiv ... Read More »

It was a great year for local apples in Johnson County, and as a friend and I munched on apples fresh from the tree she said, “The Macintosh apples have good flavor this year.”

I pondered this. Wouldn’t Macintosh apples always taste the ... Read More »

New Pioneer Food Co-op has been an ongoing success because we make doing the right thing feasible and fun.

New Pi sponsored Bike to Work Week 08 with contributions of food, money and time.  (Our food, your money and my time!)