Organic Farmer October/November 2019

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Continued from Page 42 The herb display garden is one of the largest of its kind in the northwest. The Hagens use yellow sticky cards there to keep the leafhoppers under control. The cards are something they recently tried and are pleased with how many of the insects hopped or flew onto the traps. It pretty much took care of the leafhopper problem this year. And leafhoppers really can create a problem. They are piercing, sucking insects with toxic saliva that causes white spotting or yellowing of leaves. Along with transmitting viral diseases, leafhoppers can cause other damage, too, such as leaf curling, stunting, and other plant distortion. The Hagens sometimes put yellow sticky cards to use in the greenhouse and conservatory, too. The cards trap fungus gnats, and to a lesser degree, white flies. Bethany Glanville screens seeds. In the hops field, the Hagen family hand-picks any leaves or shoots that harbor downy mildew and disposes of them so the mildew doesn’t spread. They also lop off the first new shoots of vine growth in the spring, which, because of the wet spring weather, are more susceptible to mildew. “We remove the primary shoots and let the secondary growth come out,” Rolfe said. If downy mildew strikes the hops later in the season, they use a spray of potassium bicarbonate, which is another form of Epsom salts. It changes the pH of the leaves, which effectively fights mildew. The potassium bicarbonate then breaks down into fertilizer. The Hagens also discourage mildew by watering in the morning, and not late in the day, so the leaves have a chance to dry before nightfall. If spider mites prove a problem in the field or garden, the Hagen family cuts, bags and throws away the affected plant parts. “It’s a lot of physical labor removing stuff,” Bethany said. “We do a lot of pruning back and dumping.” As much as the Hagens would like to compost everything, diseased or mildewed plant bits are the exception and go in the trash. A butterfly sips on a flower in the herb display garden. Clean Up Clean up is a large part of the process at season’s end, especially in the greenhouses. “Less habitat for things to grow in,” Bethany explained. For the overwintered greenhouse stock plants, such as scented geranium, the Hagens use an all-purpose, slow, sustained-release fertilizer from Down to Earth in Eugene, Oregon. They take the stock plants out of the pots “fluff the roots” and repot. When planting hop rhizomes, which the family has grown commercially now for 15 years, they stir a three-manure mulch mixture (horse, cow and chicken manure) into each planting hole. Seed Collection The end of summer and into fall is seed collecting time. Seed is gathered by hand into paper bags, dried in Rolfe and Janet’s house. Next comes winnowing the chaff from the seed with a set of different sized screens, or with an air separator that Rolfe made. The seeds are labeled and stored in plastic lidded containers in the seed room. Bethany fills 10 packs of each variety at a time—The Honeybee on coneflower in the herb display garden. 44 Organic Farmer October/November 2019
special events each year, such as the Fall Salmon Celebration when, for the price of a ticket, the public is invited to enjoy appetizers and watch salmon spawn in one of the two streams that run through the property. In 2002, the family started a salmon restoration project. What started with two pairs of salmon has grown to more than a dozen pairs returning to spawn after years at sea. All the hand work involved—hand weeding, hand growing potted herbs for sale to the public, and hand harvesting herb and flower seeds, and hop rhizomes—is a true labor of love for the Hagen family. They share a passion for nature, and a reverence for good food and good company amid the delicate balance and beauty of the natural world. Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com Bethany Glanville packages seeds for The Thyme Garden Seed Company. Thyme Garden sells nearly 500 different varieties. “We want the seeds to be as fresh as possible when we ship them out,” Bethany said. Each seed variety has a story. For instance, the African savory came from a woman in Africa 25 years ago. She didn’t have two dollars in American currency for the herb seed she wanted to order, so she offered to trade some savory seed. Janet and Rolfe took her up on the offer. The plant has been a favorite of the Hagen family ever since. Janet reuses the seed-collecting bags season after season. Each year she makes notes on the brown paper bags about harvest amounts. “I’m keeping track to see if climate change is affecting our plants and seeds.” The verdict? So far, she has not noticed an adverse effect. Special Events November 20th, 2019 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM Tulare Fairgrounds 215 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, Tulare, CA 93274 • Free Event • CE Credits Offered • Seminars & Workshops • Networking Opportunities • Free Industry Lunch • Free Coffee & Donuts • Cash Prizes Growers, Applicators, PCAs, CCAs, and Processors Welcome! Pre-Register at WCNGG.COM/SVNCC Over the years, The Thyme Garden business has matured and evolved. It’s no longer simply a mail-order seed company and herb nursery, it’s become an event destination for weddings, and for special celebrations put on by the family with the herb display garden and the forest as backdrops. Luncheons are a big draw. There are farm tours and luncheons, and classes and luncheons. The family also puts on a few Powered by: @jcsmarketing JCS Marketing Inc. @jcs_marketing October/November 2019 www.organicfarmermag.com 45
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Page 23 and 24: "It’s best to hang them before bu
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