This summer Rick Bowers of Candler tasted for the first time
a tomato he grew himself in his own no-till
garden. The multitude of flavors bowled him over.
"It was like an epiphany that these tomatoes were so
lush," he said. "The sensation was visceral because the flavor is so
deep and rich. It kind of took me back to my childhood. I never anticipated it
would be that great."
As Rick's garden coach, I was relieved that the tomatoes
were well worth the wait—and the work—it took to grow them. Rick, who spends
almost all of his mornings in the sky above the mountains as the owner/pilot of
Asheville Hot Air Balloons, is not used to waiting to eat something he put in
the ground two months ago. And he certainly isn't accustomed to spending a full
day laying out a 750-foot garden in the middle of January, only to let it sit four
months before the layers of organic matter had decomposed enough to be planted.
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| Photo of tomatoes at M R Gardens. By Vickie Burick |
During my seventh visit of the year with him, we chatted
next to his garden now sprawling with winter squash, cucumber and melon vines.
He was eager to understand exactly why
the tomatoes taste so much better than the ones he bought from the store.
After several months of consulting with him, I was very used to his why questions—and
greatly appreciated that he was trying to understand the reasoning behind what
he was learning so he could embed the knowledge in his mind.
I explained that field tomatoes are usually picked when they
are barely beginning to ripen, and only turn red in storage when treated with
ethylene gas, which triggers ripening. If the tomatoes are instead left on the
vine in the sun, the level of sugars are higher, as are the content of
essential oils and other compounds that contribute to flavor. These volatile
compounds start to evaporate, and the flavor begins to deteriorate, the moment
the tomato is picked.
Commercial growers are often limited in the varieties they
can grow due to practicalities of mechanical harvesting and transporting. Since
gardeners only have to walk their tomatoes from the garden to their own
kitchen, they have the luxury of growing flavorful heirloom varieties with soft
textures that don't travel well in boxes over long distances.
Quality of soil also contributes to flavor. In the backyard
garden, it's easy to maintain a high level of organic matter, which is the key
ingredient in no-till
gardens. Beneficial microbes in the decomposing organic matter unlock the high mineral content
in the Appalachian red clay soil, turning the abundant nutrients into a form that is available for
the plants to uptake.
Summer is perhaps the most satisfying season of garden
coaching as my clients exclaim over the fruits of their work, but the rewards
start early on, and in Rick's case, as soon as I sat down with him for the
initial intake interview. The simple things intrigued him—that the corn kernels
that we eat off the cob are also the seeds that we replant if we allow them to
dry before removing from the cob. He was also surprised that popcorn is a
similar plant to the corn he is well familiar with—it's just an extremely hard
strain of Indian corn, high in protein and starch. The popcorn ear stays on the
plant a lot longer than sweet corn, usually until first frost, when the kernels
are completely dry and hard.
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| Photo of Megan at M R Gardens. By Vickie Burick |
Rick appreciated that I bypassed complex scientific
explanations and delivered information in layman's terms. "I'm not
interested in the scientific names," he said. "I just want to know 'what
do I need to do to grow the food.'"
His learning style makes him well suited for my hands-on
garden coaching program. "The way I learn specifically is I have to
understand the logical foundation behind it," Rick said. "If someone
can help me build a logical conceptual framework, then I can translate the
information in my head. This is hard to do by just reading. It's important that
I not just read about it, but see it in practice and talk about it. Megan was
quick to understand that about my learning style and quick to accommodate
that."
He appreciated the student-directed educational approach
that I use. "Megan was responsive to me and my questions without making me
overly dependent," Rick said. "She wanted me to think." He was
also impressed that I was actually doing the physical work with him. "She
had said that she would be, but I didn't really anticipate that she was serious
about it to that degree," he said.
By harvest season, Rick gained trust in a gardening method
that he was at first skeptical about. "I'm more convinced that I don't
have to do the traditional till garden and have good results," he said.
Plus we didn't use any chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, he added.
Sharing a story about eating cucumbers, he said, "All I
have to do is rinse that thing off and I didn't have to worry about pesticides
or chemicals. It's such a freeing event to rinse it off with nice cool water
and sink your teeth in it."
"I love the idea of being able to feel more self
reliant," Rick said. "I love the idea that my property has a useful
function instead of just a decorative function. It feels good in terms of
stewardship of the property, in terms of ecology, and in terms of using the
land for a higher purpose."
Rick still has a lot of yet unfulfilled dreams for his property.
Just as I repeatedly encouraged his patience in not wanting to grow too many
crops his first year (which he later appreciated during the abundance of
harvest season), I also reminded him that it takes time to create the perfect
weed-free, grass-less paradise that is only possible with a good amount of
up-front work and time.
In the end, the independence he gained in gardening is the most
fulfilling aspect to Rick. "That sense that I can take care of
myself if I need to—and for my family if I need to—is incredible," he
said.
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Follow
this blog and the M R Gardens Facebook page
for information on low maintenance no-till gardening and edible
landscaping. You can also hire Megan Riley to help you design a garden
system that
fits your lifestyle and needs, set up a management plan, and work with
you in
the garden. Schedule an appointment with Megan by calling 828.333.4151 or
emailing gardens@wncmretc.com.
