Interview with Organic Gardener Duane Marcus

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Duane Marcus is more than just an organic farmer, he and his wife Robin are avid permaculturists. They live their lives looking through that lens and strongly believe in the permaculture ethics of caring for the land, caring for the people and that everyone is entitled to their fair share of the abundance of the Earth. All their decisions are tempered by that; from the food they eat, the vehicles they drive and even the kind of toilet paper they use. Duane thinks that if everyone would embrace those principles everyone in the world could be happy and healthy. We chatted recently to learn more about what they do:

FriendsEAT: When was that moment you realized you wanted to be an organic farmer? Have you always wanted to farm, or did it just happen?

Duane Marcus: My wife and i grew up during the hippie, back to the land era. Both of our grandparents had big gardens. Our grandmothers cooked everything from scratch, canned, pickled and made jellies. While neither paid much attention to that growing up, it was in our blood so to speak. We planted our first organic garden in 1974. We discovered Organic Gardening magazine and Mother Earth News. We read Frances Moore Lappe´s books Diet for a Small Planet and learned to cook from her Recipes for a Small Planet and Deaf Smith Cookbook. We became vegetarians.We joined a food coop so we could get whole wheat flour to make bread and brown rice because it was healthy. We bought a canner and started preserving our own food. Then we turned to our grandmothers to teach us the skills they had practiced their whole lives. We planned to live the hippie dream of living off the land and being self-sufficient.

However, somehow or other that dream got pushed aside. We needed an education and a way to earn a living. I went to college to study ornamental horticulture then on to a graduate degree in landscape architecture. We had organic gardens through through those years. We continued to make our own bread and maintain our vegetarian ways. After graduate school we moved to the big city, Atlanta, to pursue careers. Life in the city was fun and hectic and we got caught up in that. We worked and played so much that there was no time (or place) for gardening, or cooking. Grabbing a burger at a fast food restaurant for lunch and eating dinner at our favorite bar became the norm.

We lived that life for about 15 years before we became completely disillusioned with it. We decided we wanted to open a business of our own. One day i was driving down the street through our neighborhood when I saw a for lease sign on an empty lot. A light bulb went off in my head. This would be a good place to open a garden center I thought. We agreed to give it a shot.

I spent 6 months writing a business plan. Integral to that plan was the concept that our business would be driven by the desire to be stewards of the planet. The Urban Gardener became the first garden center in Atlanta to be all organic. Organics just beginning to come into the mainstream. We did not sell chemical pesticides or fertilizers. We carried vegetable plants and fruit trees. After being in business several years I had my next “Aha moment”. Next door to the garden center was an abandoned lot owned by our landlord. I got the idea that we should start a community garden on that property. I have no clue where that idea came from. I had heard of community gardens but had never actually seen one. I contacted a friend of mine and, together we put together a plan for the garden and Urban Gardener Oasis Community Garden was born. Through this process we learned that there were over 100 other community gardens in the city. We made connections with lots of other people who thought like us.

Most importantly of all we were growing our own food again! Our souls and bodies were being nourished. We didn’t realize how much we missed this until we started doing it again. I get bored really easily. I was starting to lose interest in the business and i began spend more and more time in the garden. We started doing workshops there to teach other people how to grow food organically. We decided that we were ready to resurrect or dream. We began looking for some land outside the city where we could grow food for ourselves and others. Farmers markets were starting to crop up in the city and more and more people we knew were starting small organic farms. We told our friends to be on the look out for land that might be suitable for us.

One day our friend Charlie called Robin and said her angels told her to turn right instead of left and she saw a property for sale that we might be interested in. We went to see it the next day. We fell in love with the place immediately. We made an offer which was accepted, sold our house in the city right before the economic bubble burst, moved to the suburbs and started The Funny Farm. We were living our childhood dream after 35 years of seeking!

FE: Do you have a personal philosophy that encouraged you to do organic farming?

DM: We whole-heartedly embrace the ethical principles that are the foundation of permaculture: Care of the land, care of the people and everyone deserves their fair share. Our consumer culture is the antithesis of this. We believe that if most people do not very quickly begin to embrace these principles our species will suffer. Global climate change is already causing many less fortunate people to experience hardship. As more and more resources are being used up this will only get worse.

FE: Please tell us something about The Funny Farm and the organic farming workshops.

DM: We have 3 goals for The Funny Farm. 1-Grow as much of our own food as we can. 2- earn our living from our work here. 3- Share our knowledge with others. We want to help people take back control of their lives by learning how to grow some of their own food. We teach workshops on organic gardening, composting, vermiculture, food preservation and permaculture. We offer a 5 week intensive organic gardening/ permaculture workshop 3 times a year along with several single day workshops throughout the year. In the 3 years sine we started The Funny Farm we have taught over 75 people how to grow food, preserve food and how to live a life that is gentle on the planet, to become planetary stewards. All of our classes come with a healthy dose of food related politics as well. We must take back control of our food security from the hands of the profiteers.

FE: Is it really a challenge to become an organic farmer? What was the hardest hurdle you encountered?

DM: Farming is a challenge no matter how you do it. We have to deal with many factors beyond our control: weather, the vagaries of the market, rules and regulations. If you do it right, organic farming is no more of a challenge that conventional farming. The great advantage of organic farming is that the longer you do it the easier it becomes. As the health soil improves yields increase, as habitat diversity increases pest pressures decrease. Fewer outside inputs are needed so the cost of production go down.

We live in a suburban neighborhood. The biggest limitation for us is zoning regulations that do not allow us to grow the animals we would like. We want to be able to grow chickens, ducks and geese for meat and eggs, a goat for milk. These animals would also help with improving soil fertility and pest control too. We and others are working to get the regulations changed so all of us can have more flexibility to take control of our food security.

FE: Why do you think many Americans still do not embrace organic farming? Is organic farming even feasible at a commercial, mass-production level?

DM: More people are embracing organics every year. The organic food industry is a growth industry. I think many farmers think that it is not possible to practice organic farming on a large scale so are afraid to take the risk. Others just do not think it is important. They believe their methods are perfectly fine. The work of the Rodale Institute and others confirms that it is possible to produce comparable yields using organic methods vs. chemical methods.

FE: Evidently, there is science in organic farming. Doesn’t that make this practice more intimidating to some people, especially those who take up gardening for leisurely purposes? What do you advice to individuals who are interested in organic farming but they may be too intimidated to actually embrace them?

DM: People have practiced organic gardening for 1000’s of years without knowing anything about the science involved. If fact the science of organic methods is in its infancy. Only within the last 20 years or so has there been any serious research done. The knowledge base is expending rapidly now as the practice has become more mainstream and there is money to be made.

I would suggest to beginners to go to some conferences, take classes, read some books, do some research. There is a wealth of information available now to help people get started. My job as a teacher is to study the science,distill it and present it in a way that is understandable and applicable by the novice.

If you are just beginning you will find that is you begin by using organic methods you will be more successful more quickly than if you take the easy route by using chemicals. Most importantly your food will be more nutritious and taste better too.

FE: Is organic farming restricted to certain organic regions, i.e. it is not advisable to do it further up north, etc.?

DM: Organic farming methods focus on working with mother nature not against her. It can be done anywhere in the world under any circumstance, In the country, in the suburbs, in the city, on a balcony, on a roof top on a parking lot. There lots of examples cropping up everywhere. Look at the work of Will Allen at Growing Power and Elliot Coleman’s work in Maine.

FE: We all know that organic farming is growing produce the most natural way possible, so no chemicals and other unnatural additives. How does organic farming really work when it comes to dealing with pests and plant diseases?

DM: The natural system is in balance. Healthy plants naturally resist pests and diseases. What we call pests serve the the purpose in a natural system to eliminate the weak. The first goal of organic farming is to grow a healthy soil with the full complement of nutrients the plants need to be healthy. The natural system is also complex. Farming is generally not a complex system. We want to grow a lot of the same plant. The second goal of organic farming is to promote biodiversity on the farm. It is a dog eat dog world so to speak. For every “pest” there is something that wants to eat it. Other insects, birds, toads, snakes, geese etc. The more we can do to bring the predators of the pests into our system the fewer problems have with pests.

Over the last three years, as we have increased the diversity of plants and animals on our farm we have seen a corresponding increase in the numbers and variety of helpers that have reduced our problems with pests.

FE: If I am going to start a small backyard organic plot, what are the basics you recommend I should get and do? What are the basics a gardener needs in order to start planting or farming organically?

DM: First you need commitment. You have to be willing to go out and tend your garden when it is 95º and 90% humidity or protect your plants when the forecast is for 14º temps in the morning and today it is windy and rainy cold.

Next you need to build a healthy soil food web with compost and cover crops. Then you need soil that has all the nutrients plants and those who will eat them need. You accomplish this by getting a soil test to see what nutrients are present and what you need to add. Then follow the recommendations. It makes no sense to me to grab a bag of fertilizer, organic or not, sling it out there and hope for the best. Most people do not do this and I don’t know why. The cost is not great and you will recover the costs in no time with improved yields and by being healthier.

You also need a plan. What do I want to grow, what will grow well under my unique conditions, how much do I need to grow, when do the desired crops grow best in my area.

Of course you need some basic tools like a shovel and a rake, some seeds and plants, a water source and a sunny place in which to grow.

FE: You mentioned in your blog that there is “delight” in the disorder of your garden/farm. But I guess this is actually an organized disorder, like a well-conducted chaos to promote biodiversity?

DM: You are exactly right. We know very little about the complex interactions among all the organisms in a natural system, the plants, animals, fungi, microbes etc. We make our best guess based on the experience of other and ourselves and emerging scientific knowledge. Permaculture teaches us to observe and interact. It is very important to spend time observing what is going on in the garden, what insects are present, what are they doing, what plants are growing where and what does that mean, when do plants flower and what creatures are attracted to them, what are the birds eating, where do the toads and snakes like to hide, who survived the cold or the excess heat, how much shade can that plant tolerate?

FE: How do you put together an organic farm in terms of the kind of plants you nurture?

DM: First you have to do an analysis of your particular conditions. What is the soil like? Where is the sun, the winds? Is it rocky, flat, steep? You should also access you skills and knowledge. Do i know how to grow fruit trees, vegetables, pigs. If not where can I learn those skills? You must have a business plan. What are the market options available? Where will I sell what I produce? How much can I get for it? What are my fixed costs, variable costs? How much, or little money do I need to live the lifestyle me and my family will be comfortable with? You need to know what other farmers nearby are doing. Can we share equipment? Can we work together on marketing?

FE: What is your view on the Food Safety Modernization Act or the S 510? Is it really going to affect organic farmers?

DM: I do not spend much time thinking about that witch I have no control over. Neither I nor anyone else has any idea how it might effect organic farmers if it passes. I do know we have some serious problems in our food system that need to be fixed and soon. I hope that this will help. Only time will tell.

People have practiced organic gardening for 1000’s of years without knowing anything about the science involved. If fact the science of organic methods is in its infancy. Only within the last 20 years or so has there been any serious research done. The knowledge base is expending rapidly now as the practice has become more mainstream and there is money to be made. I would suggest to beginners to go to some conferences, take classes, read some books, do some research. There is a wealth of information available now to help people get started. My job as a teacher is to study the science,distill it and present it in a way that is understandable and applicable by the novice.

If you are just beginning you will find that is you begin by using organic methods you will be more successful more quickly than if you take the easy route by using chemicals. Most importantly your food will be more nutritious and taste better too.

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