Petra Page-Mann
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Soil Blocking in Five Easy Steps
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Soil blocks can lead to the remarkable health of transplants compared to their cousins grown in cell trays. The Dutch have been developing modern soil blocking for nearly a century. Planting seeds into cubes of soil was documented 2,000 years ago in Central America, as well. I love soil blocks for the remarkable health of transplants compared…
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Easy Ways to Harvest More this Fall
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Here in the Northeast, finding easy ways to extend our season is essential to eating well as the days grow short. After years of working on farms and experimenting at Fruition Seeds, here are the four keys of season extension: sowing the right seeds, using the right tools, at just the right time, and harvesting…
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Don’t Judge a Carrot by the Cover
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At first glance, the “Dulcinea” is simply a carrot. But this new variety is so much more, and could outlast us by countless generations. Don’t judge a book by its cover … or a carrot, either. Dulcinea is a new carrot variety, the collaborative vision of a farmer, public plant breeder, a seed company and countless…
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How Long Do Seeds Last?
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Fruition’s Seeds Storing Strategies Whether you have a handful of your family’s heirloom beans or you simply wish to keep your germination rates high for next season, storing your seeds well puts your mind at ease and will surround you with abundance for years to come. How Long Will Seeds Last? Many seeds will maintain great…
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Six Mistakes to Avoid When Planting Garlic & Shallots
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Here are the keys to surrounding yourself with beauty and abundance. Garlic and shallots are among the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow, though harvesting gorgeously massive, long-storing bulbs not a cakewalk. I’ve grown garlic here in the Finger Lakes for over nearly three decades and here are six mistakes I’ve made. In sharing…
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Stories, Seeds & Infographics
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New ways of telling stories in the 21st Century There are so many ways to tell a story. Over tea, reading a book, at the theater, or in the Small Farm Quarterly. In the 21st Century, ‘infographics’ are a fresh way of telling your story. And just in the nick of time. The attention span of American adults continues to…
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New Heirloom Vegetables for the Finger Lakes
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Visionary collaborations are creating new varieties to thrive in the Finger Lakes — which ones will become heirlooms for future generations? Although they materialize everyday before our eyes, new books are written by people who spend countless hours and often years writing them. The plants that feed us daily also are created by people who…
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Cultivating the Heirlooms of Tomorrow
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Whether you plant seeds or not! Do you breed new vegetable varieties? Do you save seed? Do you wear clothes and eat food? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you impact our food system at the seed level profoundly. Every day we make decisions that influence what seeds will — and will…
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Four Easy Seeds to Save This Season
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Why save seed? You’ll have seed better suited to your farm or garden than any you could buy. You’ll learn tons about plants, food and yourself in the process. Growing, saving and sharing seed is as profound as it is fun! A century ago, to be a gardener was to be a seed saver. Selecting…
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