Report From The Organic Living Show

19 years ago

On our way to the Oklahoma Forum Plant/Seed Swap yesterday, we stopped by the Organic Living Show at the State Fairgrounds. Had a wonderful, though fairly brief, time there and spoke with some farmers/growers about what they are doing agriculturally. Thought some of you might be interested in a couple of them.

SUNRISE ACRES

We met the owner of Sunrise Acres, Robert Stelle, who has a certified organic farm near Blanchard. He is a wonderful, friendly and kind man who spent quite a while discussing with me all the tomato and pepper varieties he grows. (He grows over 20,000 plants a year!) He had a wide variety of plants available at the show yesterday. Here's what he grows/sells:

Tomatoes: 26 heirloom varieties, 61 hybrid or open-pollinated varieties

Peppers: 50 varieties and I believe he had both heirloom and hybrids

He also grows many kinds eggplant, squash, cucumber, okra, cantaloupe and watermelon plants.

He sells the plants right now at the OSU OKC Farmer's Market on Weds. and Sats. So, if you are looking for some heirloom tomatoes or peppers that the nurseries don't carry, you might want to visit him at the Farmer's Market.

He'll be selling produce there, including all kinds of heirloom, OP and hybrid tomatoes, later in the year. If I didn't grow a billion tomatoes for our own use, I'd be visiting him regularly at the farmer's market!

He also has a website: http://sunriseacres.home.att.net.

PIZZA GARDEN/FIELD TRIPS ETC./WORM SOLUTIONS

www.fieldtrips-etc.com

Met the owner of this agricultural enterprise--a family farm that has branched out and diversified to survive and thrive in today's tough agricultural environment. He sells worm castings which are an extra-rich natural organic plant food, and related products. (www.wormsolutions.com)

He has a large pizza garden, survivor maze, worm dig area, animal farm, pioneer museum, hayrides, pumpkin patch, etc. at his place, which is visited by many school groups, scout groups, etc. There are all kinds of things you can do with your kids at his place in Yukon. I think he told us that he has a summer day care and summer camp program, and is starting some sort of Laser Expedition program this summer.

If you want to expose your kids to farm life and activities, check out his web site to see what all he has available.

CATTLE TRACKS NATURAL BEEF, Fairview, OK

We met the owners of this farm, who sell what they call "100% pure, natural beef". They will sell their naturally-raised beef directly to you, and they do deliver to OKC. You can buy everything from a "Mini Moo" pack that is approximately 20 lbs. of beef to a half-side of beef or a whole beef. They will cut/process the half-side or whole beef to your exact specifications.

We sampled their beef and their home-made beef sausage and it was yummy! I intend to buy some of their beef, which is raised with no antibiotics and no synthetic growth hormones, in the very near future.

Their website is: www.johnsfarm.com.

BLUEBONNET FARMS Natural Products

There was a booth there featuring natural products from Bluebonnet Farms, affiliated with Bluebonnet Feeds in Ardmore, Oklahoma. This wasn't new to us, as we live near Ardmore and do buy plants, chicken feed, etc. from Bluebonnet Feed every now and then.

Bluebonnet Farms has a whole line of organic-type products, including Horticultural Corn Gluten Blend, Horticultural Corn Meal, Premium Organic Fertilizer and Soil Energizer.

I don't know if you've seen their products in your part of Oklahoma. Here, we obviously can purchase them at Bluebonnet Feeds in Ardmore.

Their website is www.bluebonnetfarms.com.

Many other exhibitors were there, and I could go on forever, but I won't. I tried to restrict myself to just discussing the gardener/ag types we met, as this is a gardening forum.

Dawn

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Comments (7)

Tomato_Worm59
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You know, Dawn, I was going to ask you myself about that show, but all we did was talk about our plants. I never even found out if it costed to go into the building. I will definitely be making some calls and visits.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Linda:

It did cost $5.00 per person to get in, but they stamped your hand (with organic ink made from veggie dye!) and you could come back as much as you wanted for both days of the show. You also could register for door prizes, and the first 500 attendees (which included Tim and I) received a free tomato plant and a sample of Humore.

It was a great show. There were all kinds of displays of organic products and dietary supplements, foods. etc. The Oklahoma Food Co-op even had a display. We would have spent more time there, but wanted to get to the swap early to help set up!

Would I go back to the show next year? Definitely.

Dawn
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Tomato_Worm59
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, had it not been for the plant drop-off, I was actually wanting to go back to TLC for some more flats, go to a food warehouse type store and maybe [depending on how Mark felt, go by the organics show. I can't believe there's a big worm farm right under my nose here in Yukon!
heidibird
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I got to go to the Organic Living Show and really enjoyed it too. I was supposed to have a dance workshop on Sunday, but the instructor sent an email Sunday morning that they were out of town. My friend wanted to go to the city anyway to get sweet potato slips at Horns, so I suggested we attend the Organic Living Show.
I was VERY pleased to see Sunrise Acres there as I can pick up most of my heirlooms next year instead of spending a small fortune on having them shipped. I got my free Humore and tomato plant (Sivery Fir Tree)too. :-) I also bought 3 more tomato plants...Mortgage Lifter (the 2 I had ordered did not survive), Boxcar Willie, and Sioux. Now to figure out where to put them. *gulp*

At the stop at Horns, I found a beautiful climbing Iceberg that was begging for a home...so it climbed right into the truck. *LOL* When I got home,DH asked "Where the heck are you going to put that?" and I just smiled sweetly. (mainly because I have NO idea where!)I also bought some "stuff" that was safe to use to kill ants in the veggie garden as well as a different control for rose blackspot and some contender beans to plant. I do like my trips to Horns.

~Heidi
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Heidi,

You crack me up!!! I can just see you smiling sweetly at your DH while thinking to yourself "I have no idea where these are going, honey!" lol lol lol

I am SO GLAD you made it to the organic show! You and your extravagant mail order purchase of heirloom tomatoes in 2005 were one of the reasons I posted the report on the show, so you'd know that next year it wouldn't be necessary to order plants and pay a king's ransom in shipping!!!

Also, you know I will raise any tomatoes you want next year when I grow my own!

So, tell me what you bought for ants in the veggie garden.
I have purchased both Gardenville's Auntie Fuego and one of the new spinosad products for the fire ants in my veggie garden, but haven't put them out yet. And I bought Seranade for future, anticipated foliar problems on tomato plants (it is a given that they will occur, the only question is when and how bad they will be).

And, speaking of ants in the garden, did you see the thread a week or two ago from the guy who put Over and Out Fireant Killer in his vegetable garden? Might have been on the Vegetable forum or the Organic forum? Talk about ruining your soil for years and years to come. I belive if I were that guy, I'd hire a bulldozer and have several FEET of soil removed and replaced.

Did your friend get sweet potato slips at Horns? I know that it is the usual time to plant them, but the nights are staying so darn cold!

Well, I am glad you had a great Sunday in spite of your dance workshop being cancelled. ANY day spent shopping for plants is a great day, isn't it?

Dawn
heidibird
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh gosh, Dawn, I am serious about having no place to put that poor rose. The place where I have 3 others (had 4) has poor drainage and air circulation. I want to plant them along the back section of the chainlink fence, but he isn't keen on the idea. I think if he would allow me a bed next to the fence, then it wouldn't be any more obstacle in his way than just the fence itself is..right? :-P

Sunrise Acres also sells plants for fall transplanting, so I may have to try a few more from the guy then.

I will have to look at what I got for the ants when I get home as I don't remember the name of the product. I do remember reading the label and realizing I would have to still use it cautiously as it kills 100 insects. For ants you just are supposed to saturate the hills, so that should be fine.

Yes my friend got the slips at Horns. The slips didn't look too great, so the guy sold them 2 packets for the price of one. They were $4.50 for a packet of 20-25. I got 3 slips from my frind just to grow for the "heck of it."

Do you think it's these cooler nights that are making my tomato plants just sit there? They have put on some height and width, but not as much as they had last year after 4 weeks in the ground.

I hate missing any dance workshops, as that is my first addiction...but being able to have the fun I did anyway sure helped. :-)))))

~Heidi
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
19 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
H.,

Yes, yes, yes, I do think it is just the cool nights, which the tomato plants are not especiallly fond of. Mine had begun to grow pretty well before the nights cooled back down. If if ever gets a bit warmer, then they will take off like rockets! Just wait and see.

Be really careful with the fire ant killer, my friend, and don't put it on the mounds near anything edible unless it specifically says it is approved for use on/around edibles!!! Otherwise you could have a huge problem. Wouldn't want that to happen.

Well, if I were a sweet potato slip stuck waiting around in this cool weather, I'd probably wouldn't be looking too good right now myself. If I were a sweet potato slip, I'd be praying for warmer weather.

Dance may be your first addiction, but gardening is coming on strong now, isn't it!!! :)

D.

Report From The Organic Living Show

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