Organic gardening
by Susan Sandor
Organic, a now familiar word we see or hear every day in newspapers, magazines, supermarkets, commercials and conversations. But not long ago that word did not roll off our tongues so often. Some of the basic ideas of organic farming are the recycling of resources by composting, rotating crops to help keep the soil disease free, and refraining from using certain pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers so as not to pollute the earth, kill or sicken beneficial insects, animals and ourselves.
Would you consider planting a 5-acre organic vegetable garden and orchard for your neighbors, family, friends and passersby to put on their tables and in their bellies? And would you willingly give your money from sales of your crops away? That’s exactly what Bill and Jane MacDowell, two octogenarian Solebury residents, have done since the year 2000 when they placed an EZ Up pop up tent over a picnic table filled with trays of their vegetables and fruits on the edge of their property on Creamery Road. Homemade signage stated prices of organic items that were current at the supermarket to guide buyers paying for their purchases. But mom and pop were not present to collect the money. They had bigger chores to delve into which we’ll get into later. Instead they opted for the honor system, which translates to a large coffee can filled with dollars and cents to make change, and a scale for weighing the produce. Another sign informed the public of the local nonprofit organizations that would benefit from the sales of their crops.
The first year, the MacDowell roadside stand yielded $1,400 that was divided between Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve and Bucks County Audubon Society. As time went by the figure grew to about $3,700 annually. After 15 years of attending their small enterprise they gave away over $55,000 to the above mentioned organizations as well as the New Hope Historical Society, Solebury Township Historical Society and Riverside Symphonia.
This year the MacDowell’s have a quarter-acre under cultivation plus an orchard with 40 trees consisting of 22 varieties of apples, a few peach trees, one each of Seckel pear, nectarine, persimmon and a pawpaw that Bill hand pollinates with an artist’s paintbrush. The pollen is obtained by tapping the male flower to fill the brush with pollen and dusting it on to the female flower which then produces fruit. This gardening technique may truly qualify for something called tender loving care.
Vegetables and herbs are an enormous cornucopia of crops: eggplant, cabbage, beets, dill, parsnips, beans, rutabaga, carrots, kale, onions, sage, peppers, garlic, squash, oregano, asparagus, leeks, potatoes, onions, broccoli, radicchio, cucumbers, corn, lettuce, chard, and enough spinach to keep Popeye happy for a long time. Tomatoes of course, are every gardener’s favorite vegetable (botanically speaking they are fruits), but can you imagine growing over 60 varieties the same year? Yep, the MacDowell’s do just that—all organically.
Fruits grown on their 25-acre manicured hilltop include blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, melons, and eight grape varieties, as well as the fruits in the orchards. Jane also has a flower garden that she tends, some for cutting and some ornamentals that add visual pleasure to the landscape. There is a patch of cardoons that look beautiful and foreboding all at once. It is a tall, stout stemmed thistle-like plant in the sunflower family with spines that can do damage when touched, a perfect reason to let it be. Another exquisite ornamental in the flower bed is white allium, which is drought tolerant and pest resistant, perfect attributes for any garden in Bucks County.
It all begins in December when Bill and Jane start looking for seeds online and in catalogs that arrive by mail. When the meticulously chosen seeds are delivered, some are planted directly in the ground at the proper time, while most are planted in seed starter containers with 128 to 288 tiny cells. They are then placed in trays, tagged and taken to a greenhouse at None Such Farm in Buckingham, where they miraculously turn into seedlings that are planted into arranged, rectangular, raised beds when the time is right for each crop. Cages and trellises are placed where needed for support. Screening covers selected crops to protect against thieving animals. And an extensive journal and planting chart is kept so each variety of every plant is easily identified. The wait begins, sunshine and rain do their parts, then suddenly it seems the garden is lush beyond compare or control.
Skipping to harvest time for each crop to go on the stand for sale, there is obviously the picking, but it is not done randomly. Bill insists that each vegetable and fruit be perfectly ripened so it may be eaten the same day. This is sacrosanct and his mantra, therefore he does the majority of hand harvesting. Jane is happy with his rule since she has her own painstaking class act to perform, hand washing tons of produce and cleaning the trays they rest upon. So every day from the emergence of cold loving crops in early April to the picking of second cold crops and apples in November, work on the farm prevails.
The MacDowells bought their house and land in 1971 and although the structure appears much, much older it was constructed in 1943. The builder made an 18” concrete foundation and used stone salvaged from an old farmhouse where the Audubon Society is now headquartered adjacent to the MacDowell property, giving it the authentic 18th century appearance. It was serendipity when Jane tripped over the original cornerstone from the farmhouse dated 1773 while walking through some meadow grass. The cornerstone now embellishes one of their favorite entertainment rooms and is a conversation piece.
The property is located in the upper northeastern portion of the Honey Hollow Watershed. The original owners constructed an unusual pond lined in steel and stone that measures about a half-acre and holds a million gallons of water. Standing next to the pond is a healthy old sycamore tree, under which a ceremony was hosted in 1969, designating the watershed as a national historic landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is the branch of government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources. The pond is used in the summer for swimmers, both human and amphibian. During the winter freeze it is transformed into a skating rink where the MacDowell grandchildren play ice hockey.
Time travels and these determined octogenarians have slowed down just a little. Jane and Bill both have had knee replacements and neighbors recall Bill gardening while crawling on his belly several summers ago when he couldn’t walk. Determination is his strong suit. Their two sons and grandchildren now help with some of the chores such as climbing the tall orchard ladders, and their young black lab, Shanahan, acts as a cheerleader. Although they’ve decided to forgo the organic roadside stand at this stage in their lives, much to the sadness of many patrons, they insist on maintaining their massive organic gardens. Why? They gift friends and neighbors and hold huge family gatherings often where 60 or more need to be fed, all enjoying the vegetables and fruits of their labor. And because as they put it, it’s in their DNA.
Susan Sandor is writer an area freelance writer living in Solebury.