Frosty Beans: Unexpected extremes in a mild climate
Climate change is causing problems on our farms… droughts, floods, heat domes, fires, pests. 2023 is projected to be the first year that global mean surface temperatures exceed 1.5 C of warming. It may be getting warmer overall, but the transition to warmer conditions...
Blue Jay: Discovery in the Bean Patch
Few heritage beans receive much media attention, however the attractively coloured and named Blue Jay recently came to national notice through an article on in Canada’s Globe and Mail by Erin Anderssen...
Xico – Black Bean Bounty
Part of a series on growing heritage bean varieties for local food sustainability. Figure 1. At centre, a row of closely planted Xico bushes with pink flower (bottom of photo), Edamame (soy beans) to the left and various pole beans to the right. Dense planting...
Spanish Pinta: one early bean
Several years ago, I bought an attractive speckled bean in a local grocery store in Villanova, in Catalunya (Catalonia, Spain). Villanova is a small rural and vacation town about 45 minutes along the coast from Barcelona (Figure 1). When I asked the shop attendant if...
Pezel’s Giant Bean from Vancouver Island
Tiny gifts can bring huge surprises. Let me tell you about an incredible bean with a 70-year history on Canada’s Vancouver Island… a story of saving and growing bean seeds in one community for decades and an excellent example of the “Many eggs in many baskets”...Potatoes In The News
Gardening and Climate Change
This video by professor and botanist Dr. Richard Hebda looks at ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change within your garden. He specifically focuses on water managed landscape techniques, techniques for preparing excellent soils, the advantages of diverse and dense plantings, and the (numerous) benefits of mulch!
For more great gardening resources: www.growingfood-together.com
How Peru’s potato museum could stave off world food crisis
Read the Guardian article here.
With a climate changing faster than most crops can adapt and food security under threat around the world, scientists have found hope in a living museum dedicated to a staple eaten by millions daily: the humble potato
This spud’s for you: A breeding revolution could unleash the potential of potato
Potatoes that are resilient in the face of climate change is more important forever. This article talks of some of the challenges of breeding and selecting climate-smart potatoes.
Unleashing the potential of the potato
News from the Blog
Starting with 2 potatoes, in two years, Scott Harris harvests 120 pounds!
Read about Scott's success growing Ozette-Nootka potatoes in Metchosin, BC.