What's New at Moose Tubers

Welcome to Moose 2012, our 26th listing of shallot and onion sets, sunchokes, and certified potato seed. Our comprehensive potato selection includes over 30 varieties of organic and conventional seed, boasting the best of both heirlooms and modern-bred marvels, ranging from early-maturing moist red-skinned premium-price-fetching boilers to late-maturing russeted dry long-storing bakers. For an overall comparison of potato varieties, see the chart

As our customer base grows and we handle thousands more pounds of seed each year, our objective remains to bring you the highest quality seed and serve as a distributor for the farmers growing with good health.

We understand the pressure and delight of an expanding economic sector. Our products offer the opportunity for easy growing and dramatic yields. We are always culling our selection for the most versatile and dependable varieties to deal with consistently novel weather patterns, and a market with critical standards.

Quality is of utmost importance for your growing business and ours. After more than several packages of Adirondack Blue and Purple Majesty arrived as blackish-blue mush on the doorsteps of growers along the East Coast, we decided to nix them from the lineup. Blue Gold, also known as Peter Wilcox, was the shining star of this year’s trials, and will remain our only blue potato until another proves worthy.

The late spell of heat at the end of September sweetened up the slice for this year’s growing season. The sun blessed us this summer, although we endured a small spell of drought and a hurricane. The blight menaced most folks, but not before a productive solanaceous crop fruited.

At home, my crew decided to trade salad mix for cows in our crop and critter operation. After four months of bottle feeding, milking, fencing, milk culturing, and curd cutting, we realized that much of the mixed vegetable routine had been adulterated. We skipped the fishmeal entirely. We missed all but three lettuce head seedings and definitely did not grow enough carrots or spinach for our Portland market. As far as fertility is concerned, previous cover cropping and intensive grazing saved the day for the home fields, but our loaner field in Thorndike suffered. We treated the garlic, tomatoes, squash, and spuds bimonthly with a fishy, kelpy, raw milky, Bioplin foliar feed. The plants responded with vigorous dark green growth and fruited like wild.

As I write this, the City of Portland debates the status of its raw milk regulation. Any farmer in the state of Maine with a state-licensed dairy and a mobile vendor’s permit can legally sell raw milk, except in Portland. The city has developed its own legislation regarding the issue, making criminals out of the heroic grass farmers and raw cheese makers. So what do we do in times like these, when large industries butt their way into farming, whether they be milk truck lobbyists or seed companies gobbling up patents?
As growers and grassroots agricultural traders, we can strive for more resilient growing systems and continue building cooperative relationships amongst ourselves. Please enjoy the varieties, supplies and tools we have to offer.

Good luck growing.
Margaret Liebman

Fedco Seeds, PO Box 520, Waterville, ME 04903
(207) 873-7333 or (207) 430-1106

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