August 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere

[MarcR]

Robert,

Thank you so much for your article on soil blocks. Can soil molds be purchased?
If not, can you give guidance on how to commission them from a tinsmith?

With appreciation of you and your many contributions to the forum,

Marc

[Maggi Young]

Robert,

Thank you so much for your article on soil blocks. Can soil molds be purchased?
If not, can you give guidance on how to commission them from a tinsmith?

With appreciation of you and your many contributions to the forum,

Marc

I searched Ebay.co.uk  for  soil Block moulds and found results ....such as  Stainless Steel Soil Blocker Maker with Handle Plant Soil Blocking Tool Set and Soil Blocker Set Manual Quad Soil Block Maker 1.57×1.97inch Handheld Seed

and on Ebay.com  https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=Soil+Block+maker&_sacat=0

[Robert]

Hi Marc,

I bought all of my soil block makers from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, 955 Benton Avenue, Winslow, Maine 04901-2601. Telephone: 1-877-564-6697. Website: Johnnyseeds.com When I bought my blockers they were being manufactured in the UK, so they are likely available throughout Europe. They are high quality blockers and will likely last a lifetime even with continuous regular use.

For more information about the use of soil blocks and soil block makers you might want to check out some of Eliot Coleman’s books on small-scale market farming, The New Organic Grower and The Winter Harvest Handbook are two of his books that you might want to reference. They are for sale on the farm website fourseasonfarm.com however they are likely available at your local public library without having to buy books on small-scale agriculture.

Four Season Farm is located in coastal Maine. The climate is very cool and moist during the summer. I found that some of Eliot Coleman’s advice with soil blocks needed to be modified to work in the extreme summertime heat and dryness of interior Northern California. Below are a few photographs I took of Helen and Scott Nearing’s homestead in Maine. Eliot Coleman created Four Season Farm from land he purchased from Scott Nearing. I have never visited Four Season Farm, however the properties are very close to each other and the climatic conditions are basically identical. The photograph might give you an idea of the climatic environment in which Mr. Coleman is farming (at this time it might be his daughter who is actually doing the farming).







Orr Cove is across the road from the Nearing’s Homestead.

[MarcR]

I searched Ebay.co.uk  for  soil Block moulds and found results ....such as  Stainless Steel Soil Blocker Maker with Handle Plant Soil Blocking Tool Set and Soil Blocker Set Manual Quad Soil Block Maker 1.57×1.97inch Handheld Seed

and on Ebay.com  https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=Soil+Block+maker&_sacat=0

Thank you, Maggi!

Very helpful.

Marc

[Gabriela]

The feel of late summer with Rudbeckia, Delphinium exaltatum, Iris dichotoma and Giant Swallowtail laying eggs on Ruta graveolens; plus Gentiana paradoxa.

[MarcR]

Gabriela,

They are all lovely; but even more impressive than the plants themselves is how well grown they all are.
Your garden reflects the care you put into it.

[Andre Schuiteman]

I have sown this Kalmia microphylla var. microphylla in January 2018 from SRGC 2017 wild-collected seed. These are some of the first flowers. They are only about 1 cm diameter but still fairly large for the diminutive plant.

[Yann]

We recently had some good rains and the garden comes alive after a long period of drought and high temperatures.

Allium lenkoranicum didn't care about the drought, it's native from Azerbaijan.





In the 90's i collected few seeds of Allium colloratum in Slovenia, some seedlings turned blue/violet form .





Allium moschatum is about 20cm hight and can grows in the shade or full sun spots. I kept the plants very dry until early august when i first watered the raised bed.

[Yann]

Bulbs has started to bloom, thanks to the last rains.

Prospero autumnale is an easy species that grows in any kind of soils.



Hyacinthoides lingulata in buds



Allium saxatile sown 3 years ago and already showy.



Paeonia seeds are also attractive, i'll collected them in few days once matured.

[Leena]

August has been more rainy here than earlier summer, especially the past week it has rained a lot.
Plants like it.
Heleniums are flowering and also phloxes which seem almost too massive sometimes. Dianthus amurensis is one of my favourites, and Galatella linosyris is flowering for the first time.