Weeks 2-4

Article 1:
I really like the idea of planting before winter, being that you get that head start on growing in the last weeks of autumn, then the plants have all winter to gather nutrients, so that they can finish growing come the first warm and sunny days of the new year.

Raised beds are a great idea as well, as they help with drainage when you have an excess of rainfall, but they can also absorb more sunlight and heat up faster with their increased surface area.

Insulating my plants is a concept I've never really thought of applying, but does make sense to do so! I've seen people make entire greenhouses for some crops, but I always thought that to be over the top. But these smaller canopies that they've made over their plants seem like a great idea. Even using some straw or a wide leafed vegetable in conjunction with your main crop sounds beneficial.

I will definitely be keeping an eye open for how other people cover their crops! I imagine there are hundreds of ways to do so!

Although I can see why they use fiberglass as a cover, I wonder why they are using the corrugated variety, being that it would just be more expensive, and the sun's rays would need to get through even more material at some areas. Would it not just be easier and cheaper to buy smooth fiberglass?

Article 2:
OK, first point straight off the bat is to deny the "ungarliciness" of  Elephant garlic. My family uses it all the time when it comes to any kind of roast, and it's positively delicious, and although it does not have the most intense garlic flavor, that actually allows it -along with its sheer bulk- to be eaten like a potato. Om nom nom

It seems home grown garlic needs a lot of attention in the form of additional fertilizer, mulch, weeding, and various duties which I did not at all attend to, so it would make sense why all of my family's attempts at growing garlic have been unsatisfactory.

Good drainage seems to be a big deal for garlic as well. They seem to have a greater change of rotting and getting root diseases than other plants, so perhaps heightened beds with say foot high wooden sides would provide adequate drainage, along with the other benefits of raised beds.

Next time I see someone growing garlic, I will definitely inquire as to what they've done to boost their yield and prevent rotting.

However, I wonder why garlic in particular seem to be so susceptible to rotting and root disease, would it have something to do with needing excellent drainage, perhaps because they absorb too much water?

Article 3:
This article is really humbling. It never even occurred to me that if soil didn't absorb rain, all land masses would be barren and desolate, and that without it, the earth could never have developed the first plants that produce oxygen, one of the corner stones of sustainable life for humans.

I really like the point on "soil mining", I think its one of the major problems in industrial farming today. The "population pressure" is of course a factor that this article states, but I think that soil depletion is also caused by farmers not rotating crops, being that some are far more profitable than other, so they stay on a single crop and supplement the soil artificially.

The separation of crops and farm animals seems to be one of the major leaps forward in farming. Due the increasing population on the earth, it is understandable that the traditional system of farming has to be reworked into a more productive one, but like the article states, the CAFO's are ruining soil and polluting the environment.

If I ever get the chance to, I will inquire with a farmer with regards to how they fertilize their farms, and weather or not they can (or even afford to) rotate crops.

I wonder, at what point will the move to industrial agriculture (with the use of synthetic fertilizers to supplement farms that don't rotate crops and separate farms for animals and crops) come back to bite us as it can no longer keep up with a rapidly growing population?

Article 4:
First of all, I find it both amusing and sad how it was actually questionable whether or not the conservatives will "respect the will of Western farmers". The plebiscite was clear, and yet there was still the distinct possibility of them abolishing the Wheat Board.

I never knew that there are significant quantities of farmable land that are not already in use in Africa, and that being the case, it is a wonder why they're not occupied. Furthermore, the expansion of African farming lands would indeed reduce their need for foreign food aid, as they would have an augmented local agricultural economy to supplement their needs.

Furthermore, the claim (if it is true) that there are in fact enough calories available to feed the entire planet is appalling, and I absolutely support the motion of expose the inefficiencies of our current agricultural system.

If I ever get the chance, I'd love to ask a farmer about the difficulties of getting a reasonable price for their crops.

I wonder why it is that the available lands for farming in Africa are not being used, being that fertile land is running low in North America with an ever growing population?