TreeHugger Almost: Sunlight Gardens
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.27.05
While looking for native plants and vines, our tipster Meghan L. came across Sunlight Gardens. The plants that Sunlight Gardens sell aren’t necessarily organic (at least not what we found) but they do have a good policy about not removing flowers and plants from the wild. Instead, the husband and wife team go and collect the seeds in what seems to be a sustainable way, cultivate and propagate them in their greenhouse and then sell them on their website. Now of course all of you know that we’d rather you buy from a local nursery, but Meghan has a point in saying that they aren’t always easy to find. Thanks Meghan, and to find a nursery in your area, check Local Harvest. ::Sunlight Gardens
I'd also like to add that shipping is a little pricey, but if you live around Knoxville they're a good option.
Collecting seeds in the wild, as long as you're sure of identification, have permission from the landowner and careful not to destroy anything in your quest, is also an option.
Anyone know of a good resource on the economics of greenhouses - and possible ways to make them efficient use year-round in northern climates?
Can't think of any studies off the top of my head, but the best (only?) way to make them practical (and ecological) year-round in northern climates probably is to use waste heat from another industry nearby.
Thanks for that thought, MGR. It kind of vexes me the problem of local food supply in a northern climate. We are highly dependent here on long-distance trucking for our food supply many months of the year. Thinking of how to transition towards a more sustainable, local model based on decentralized agriculture (neighborhood-level even) is a tricky one.