Posts by Jenks Farmer
Momma and Her Machete
How many people do you know who still have machete skills? And how many use them in everyday gardening? When I was writing my book, the Timber Press editor laughed when I wrote half a chapter on this noble tool. Of course, my Momma knows how to use one, and to make the best slaw…
Read MoreHow to Propagate Bamboo from Cuttings
How many things can you use bamboo for? If you live on a farm, eat Chinese food, walk on alternative floors, wear eco-friendly fabrics, then you know the list never ends. I know a bunch of native-plant-nazis are going to call me out on it, but in my new book, I promote proper bamboo planting.…
Read MoreNo Better High
I got credit and joy but all I did was to deliver the good news. A few pictures and an update and Yvrose face was shinning with pride. Her homeland, her country, the place of peaceful memories— like being put up on a mule to walk the farm roads was looking good. I can only…
Read MoreRemarkable people on a road trip to the Haitian/Dominican Frontier
We traveled about 200 miles today. It took over six hours. The map makes it look easy and smooth. But this is Haiti where sometimes pavement turns into goat paths and sometimes street rioters block the entire road with felled palm trees and burning tires. Well, that was a tiny part of the adventure of…
Read MoreProtected: Plant Nomads
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Read MoreSchools Out for the Summer (appropriately, it’s about 90F!)
My final day of teaching small farm and garden design at Zamni Agricol CFFL school started with coffee and bread (typical Haitian street breakfast) and ended a few minutes ago with a last minute request for me to teach again Tuesday. Students presentations of their design project proved they totally got the idea of bringing…
Read MoreLittle Plantlets: Just Like Their Mother
Pink Heliconia is parthenogenic. That means it makes little plantlets on the dying flower. Daylilies and other plants do it too. All are exactly the same as their mother. You can take those off and put them in nursery pots. On the day we picked the pink ginger plantlets, my friend Gillaine gave them away…
Read MoreVoodoo Gardening
How to protect your garden from thieves in Haiti. Hanging on the tree is a Human Scarecrow. It keeps thieves at bay by tricking zombies into stopping and sitting at night. It calls out to them , Uncle wait for Aunt here! The zombie waits and if a thief comes around the zombie holds him…
Read MoreBare Root Pecan Trees
My Christmas presents came! Bare root pecan trees. I know some of you have read all you can from me about this topic so I’ll just post the picture and give a quick recap. You order now (or in the fall) and at some point in the winter, the nursery ships to you, in big…
Read MoreSleeping Students, Dog Penis Fungi & More from Intern Isaac
I was teaching a college level class the other day when one fella rolled up his jacket, made a pillow, took some sleep supplements, and went right to sleep. I thought, ‘Son; do you know what an ego blow that is to a teacher?’ But I did something else of course. For five weeks I’m…
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