Kevin Twomey returns home from an eco-conference in the United States. He is filled with wonder and excitement over what he learned, and he shares his excitement with Dorothy.
For example, very soon there will be an environmentally friendly product available to replace RoundUp and its pernicious glyphosates that permeate the food chain and affect us all. They also discuss the effectiveness of liquid corn gluten meal which Mr. Tomato swears kills creeping bellflower and Canada thistle. Corn gluten meal is a byproduct of commercial corn milling. It contains protein from the corn. Chiefly used as a fertilizer it is also reported to be a pre-emergent annual weed control by inhibiting seed germination.
They reveal some of the secrets of the soil and the nutrients that are important to healthy plant growth and discuss how the lack of these nutrients contribute to the health issue suffered today by many.
Kevin’s travel companion was a local agri-businessman named Harvey Dann who is very interested in this issue. Mr. Dann believes you are what you eat and that applies to the plants that feed us.
Of great interest to Kevin was the revelation of how organics work to effectively amend the soil and make it more fertile. At one time it was believed that plants derived all their nutrient for dissolved minerals, but it is now known that bacteria play an important role. Dorothy is currently writing about this for the next issue of Canada’s Local Gardener.
Kevin, who has sold his interest in T & T Seeds, is currently working with the Red River Ex and Canada’s Local Gardener on plans to hold a garden show this coming spring. This is planned for mid-April, just when gardeners are longing to be back in the garden!