White Flower Farm's Common Garden Projects

Readers of this message are among the thought leaders in our country because you are the group moving most quickly to reduce your carbon footprint. It's true, and the reason is that you have displayed a willingness to conduct portions of your commerce via E-mail, rather than requiring repetitive printed catalogues to aid in your decision-making. We have responded to this remarkable change in consumer behavior by adapting our practices to send ONE CATALOGUE PER SEASON to each of our loyal customers and asking, by implication, that you retain it for use and reference. This change is better for the planet, and better for our customers because we will not be wasting money on books you don't want or need.

We recognize that this is a leap of faith on our part, and we have been at pains to make certain that our Web site is easy, pleasant, and effective to use. In addition, the efficiencies of the Internet have made it possible for us to expand and adapt our plant offering in ways that simply would not be possible in print, with the result that you will get more and better products plus better value. We appreciate your flexibility as well as your patronage.

Some months back, a friend made an investment in what was said to be the leading manufacturer of small windmills. We made bold to pester him until, at last, we secured a visit from one of the company's engineers. After a good deal of chat, we walked him to the top of the hill above our house where, on an otherwise calm day, a steady breeze was blowing from the west. We fully expected that, because it's what keeps the bugs off when we're staking Delphiniums and picking Raspberries. It also impressed the engineer, who did some fancy talking about topographical thermals. Then we did some fancy talking about you, our enlightened readers, and the first thing we knew, we were offered a free windmill (delivery and installation at our cost). It will be 40 feet high, which means it needs town approval, and will probably generate enough juice to run most of what we do in our house. We are assured that the noise will be minimal, but the vendor will not paint the unit green, which is our preference to reduce visual effects. We hope to pour the concrete pad in the next few weeks and be in business by the time fall nor'westers arrive. We have promised to expound on the experience in detail when we know enough to be trustworthy, so more will follow in this space.

The White Flower Farm IT department has teamed up with Hewlett Packard to begin recycling inkjet cartridges from any of the Hewlett Packard printers in our offices. We return the cartridges to Hewlett Packard for recycling into automotive parts, microchip processing trays, serving trays, spools, and other products. Since 1997, Hewlett Packard has recycled over 20 million HP inkjet supplies in Asia, Europe, and North America. That's a whole lot of serving trays! As an added benefit, the program has no cost to White Flower Farm, as HP provides postage-paid return mailers whenever we need them. For more information about this program, look for the Web link on the side of Hewlett Packard inkjet cartridges, or go to:
https://h30248.www3.hp.com/recycle/supplies/index.asp?__cc=us

No one here at the nursery will argue that working the land with horses is time efficient, but our magnificent pair of Shire horses, Blackmore and Langdon, are hitched weekly to tow a gang of reel mowers over the lawns around our house. They also drag harrow pastures, plow and disc fields, and instruct our Thoroughbreds in dignity and patience. They go through a good bit of local hay, almost no grain, and produce a fine grade of fertilizer that we use.

In the 1756 center-chimney farmhouse that houses our own office, we have reinsulated, installed double glazed windows, and updated the furnace. The most satisfying practice is the use of a small wood stove -- it allows our one large room to be cozy while the rest of the building remains at 55 degrees F. Most of the wood is simply collected off the ground in the nearby woods, an agreeable process we call "twigging." Oil consumption is down sharply.

Barbara Pierson, our Production Manager, is a gifted grower who grew up in her parents nursery business and graduated from Cornell University. She has, over time, manipulated the crop schedules in our greenhouses so that we use nature's energy (abundant on any clear day) and patience to get the sturdy, well-rooted, and properly hardened plants we want without pushing temperatures up in dead winter. Years ago, every inch of heated space was warm and full all winter, but January and February indoors are now strikingly similar to outdoors.

Under Barbara's guidance, our production staff practices Integrated Pest Management, with the goal of reducing pesticide usage and maintaining populations of beneficial insects or natural predators. This program starts with sanitation. Our greenhouses are kept free of weeds that harbor insects. Growers scout for insects and use low toxicity sprays, such as insecticidal soap, when a problem appears. Because we grow herbs and vegetable plants, certain growing areas are dedicated to the use of natural products, particularly Neem oil. These methods are used throughout the growing areas whenever possible.

There are plenty of reasons to rejoice in the marvel of the Internet, but one seldom hears about the decline in First Class mail (and attendant freight) that it has caused. Twenty-five years ago, our mail came in crates, and their numbers grew smaller as the toll-free phone number gained acceptance. Now, our incoming communications are about 55% E-mail, 30% telephone, and a still-dwindling balance of First Class mail. That translates to fewer trees and fewer mail trucks, not to mention the improvement in the quality and pace of service we can provide.