Inside a cool season hoop house.

Dr. Ron Walser (NMSU and the Los Lunas Science Center) was the featured speaker. He provided great information on successful cold season growing, organic pest control, and results from the research fields at the Los Lunas Science Center.

He began his presentation by showing fresh chard that was "rock hard frozen" when he picked it that very morning. By the time of the meeting however, the thawed chard looked great, illustrating the true hardiness of cold season crops. When cold hearty plants are frozen by snow or frost, he explained, their cells do not rupture, unlike warm season crops which turn limp after a frost.

Dr. Walser covered a variety of other topics including:

• The use of solar heating for year-round growing
• The use of hoop houses and row cover materials
• Low water requirements of cold season growing
• A yield comparison of common crops, showing which crops can be most productive
• The use of cover cloth for pest control

In addition to asking Dr. Walser great questions, many of those in attendance shared their own growing tips, resources, and experiences. Elliot Coleman's book, Four Season Harvest, was recommended by a few members as a great resource. Member Michael Reed also had many tips to share, ranging from selecting the right varieties of cold season crops to building up the sugar content in plant sap as a solution to squash bugs.

Be sure to mark your calenders for next month's Agriculture Collaborative meeting on Local Beer. The meeting will take place on December 10th from 9 am to 10:30 am at Marble Brewery, located at 111 Marble Ave NW near Downtown Albuquerque.