Coleman then made a pilgrimage to the Nearings’ new place in Maine; they hit it off so well that the Nearings eventually sold him part of their farm. Then, in the early 1990s, Damrosch went to visit her mother, who had retired to Maine. On the way, she stopped to introduce herself to Helen Nearing, and there met Coleman.
After marrying, Coleman and Damrosch stayed in Maine, for the lifestyle and the challenge: “We’re not trying to make it easy on ourselves,” says Damrosch, adding, “a lot of people live in zone 5; we wouldn’t be helping anybody by moving to a climate with optimal farming conditions.”
“You could do what we’re doing in any little town in America,” Coleman says. “You could do it in the cities; they might be even better—a full zone warmer than the suburbs and with a built-in market.”
But for all their talk of zones and profits, it’s clear that for Coleman and Damrosch farming is all about food. Forget the politics, forget the economics.
“People know what things are supposed to taste like,” says Coleman. “They may never have had fresh organic carrots in their lives but they still know great carrots when they taste them.”
Tips for Extending the Growing Season
“Plants want to grow,” says Eliot Coleman. Just figure out what they need to do that best and follow these rules (for more, refer to his Winter Harvest Manual, $15 postpaid from Four Season Farm, Harborside, ME 04642):
Feed the soil first. Coleman bulks up the soil during the off-season by digging in compost and growing green manures, especially nitrogen-fixing crops like clover.
Choose the right crop. Don’t try growing tomatoes or watermelons in winter. Instead, pick fast-growing greens like tatsoi, mizuna, spinach, and turnips.
Keep ’em covered. The secret of Coleman’s success is his original double-covering system: the outer layer is the plastic greenhouse; the inner layer consists of a polypropylene row cover about a foot above the ground.
Plant early and harvest often. Sow crops in autumn while there is still enough light and heat to get the seeds off to a vigorous start. Don’t let plants languish—old growth is more prone to disease and infestation.
Play around. Experiment with different crops and planting dates. Have fun, but keep good records. Be ruthless; abandon crops that don’t work.
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