Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
- Agronomic: clovers, corn, sunflower
- Vegetables: beans, squash
Practices
- Crop Production: cropping systems, multiple cropping, varieties and cultivars, 3 Sisters
- Education and Training: demonstration, display
- Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
- Pest Management: mulches - living
- Production Systems: permaculture
- Sustainable Communities: public participation, quality of life, sustainability measures, urban agriculture
Summary:
Original Project Timeline for 2024 which was adjusted due to health challenges faced by the Principal Investigator, Lindsey Krantz:
January
- Submit project timeline for the 11-month no-cost extension with progress report
- Inquire about funding for printer assistance (start-up capital)
- Make outlines and assign ISBNs to the two books written for this project:
- String Revolution Method of Perennial Planting Layout
- Reflections and Research Findings from FNC22-1337
February
- Field research in Crop Circles #1, #2, and #3 to figure out how to explain the string revolution method
- Write out seven illustrative anecdotes from the project (qualitative data)
- Seeking funding assistance for printer
March
- Develop first half of outlines for both books into prose
- Seeking funding assistance for printer
April
- Develop second half of outlines for both books into prose
- Seeking funding assistance for printer
May
- Seeking funding assistance for printer
- Write introductions, indices, and glossaries for both books
- Space available to receive printer at farmstead
- Develop book distribution plan
June
- Printer funding assistance in place
- Specific printer identified to purchase (local preferred)
- Double check that there is space in laboratory to receive printer
- Formatting and editing of both books
- Continue development of outreach plan for book distribution
July
- Contract negotiations for printer
- Continue development of outreach plan for book distribution
August
- Contract for printer signed
- Printer delivered
- Acquire paper, ink, staples, etc. to print books
- Finalize outreach plan for book distribution
- Finalize formatting of books based on equipment capabilities
- Print books
September
- Print books
- Begin distributing books
October
- Continue distributing books through end of October
November
- Prepare and submit final report
December 2024
- Due date of final report for FNC22-1337:
- December 15, 2024
- Proposals for NCR-SARE's 2025-2026 Farmer Rancher Grant due
- TBA which day in December 2024
The timeline above has been preserved into this final project report to demonstrate how projects can be adjusted to conditions met in the field. Please see below for information from the end of the 11-month no-cost extension of time which I was grateful to receive to be able to complete this project. Thank you to all who made the no-cost (as in, no additional budget) extension of time possible.
Information from the proposal which still applies to the final outcomes of this project:
In this project, "Inspirational Three Sisters Mounds Sunshine Experiment with Sunflowers and Community Seed Distribution in Evansville, Indiana," we will grow three spectacular 24-ft-wide formations of seven 4-ft-wide mounds each. We will grow specialty/ancient varieties of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers that are native to the Americas.
This project is ecologically sound, because 3 Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) enrich the soil and help each other grow. A 4th Sister of sunflowers enriches the fabric of the plantings, too, and will be planted on the North side of the formations to avoid shading the 3 Sisters.
This project is socially responsible, because it is a type of intercropping/symbiotic planting practiced in Indiana since time immemorial, but has died out almost completely in Evansville, IN. Much respect goes to Indigenous peoples' planting techniques which inspire this project. The community seed distribution will cause 3 Sisters plus sunflowers plantings to proliferate across Evansville, IN.
This project is economically viable, because it transforms lawns into productive cultivated land that can be cultivated for food production after this project. It pays decent compensation to the people working on the project.
Final notes about the outcomes from this project:
-
Respect and educate about the Indigenous agricultural practice of 3 Sisters (corn, squash, and beans) plus sunflowers mounds plantings.
-
-
Results: objective #1 successfully achieved.
-
I communicated in the languages of Spanish and English during project activities.
-
I spent most of my time at my vendor mall booth working on objective #1. For instance, my presentation to booth visitors started with the demonstration table. There were many questions about why exactly the Jimmy Red corn is red.
-
Neighbors and I discussed the project and about how productive agriculture enhances Evansville, Indiana, for the purposes of human nutrition, preservation of biodiversity in plant genetics, business/community/household development, pollinator habitat, and human flourishing. Discussions included topics about the water cycle, potassium cycle, phosphorus cycle, nitrogen cycle, and carbon cycle.
-
I spent extra effort on explaining the benefits and drawbacks to using cover crops as distributed by this project (medium-tall red clover and low-growing sweet clover).
-
When I discussed anything about the two small books I had planned for this project, not a single visitor expressed interest in reading the books themselves, but did their best to encourage me with variations of, “Oh, that sounds like an amazing idea. I wouldn't read it, but I'm sure someone else would read it with interest.” Due to such an obvious vote of no-confidence about creating such materials, I aborted the mission to create the two small books as not to waste federal funds and my precious time on a vainglorious endeavor.
-
-
Inspire an increase in urban agriculture by placing a spectacular 24ft diameter circular planting in my front yard and two 24ft plantings in by back yard (seven 4ft diameter by 4in raised mounds per planting), with 5 field days.
-
-
Results: objective #2 successfully achieved.
-
The circular planting in my front yard (Circle #1) attracted attention from my neighbors such that ears of corn went missing steadily over the growing season in 2023. See graph: “The Statistical Mystery of the Missing Jimmy Red Corn.”
-
Learning is a slow process. Many children walking to the schools close to my home (Dexter Elementary School and McGary Middle School in the Vanderburgh County School Corporation; Christ the King Roman Catholic School) have now seen that it is possible to grow corn, beans, squash, red clover, sweet clover, and sunflowers in an urban area. Now this project has encouraged many of my neighbor kids to know for themselves that caring for plants in a harsh urban environment is possible, beautiful, and worthwhile.
-
An avenue for future research is for scholars to study and implement plans for youth-directed agricultural inquiry (for example, increasing distribution of plant starts and utilization of 4-H resources in Evansville, Indiana).
-
-
Find out whether the shady or sunny plantings make more pounds of produce and distribute the information.
-
-
Results: objective #3 successfully achieved.
-
Circle #1 (nearly full sunshine) was much more productive than Circle #2 and Circle #3 in regards to the corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers plantings.
-
Circle #2 and Circle #3 were much more productive than Circle #1 in regards to volunteer trees (red oak and mulberry).
-
See visual aids: graph: “Spacing of Volunteer Trees in Crop Circles: Oak and Mulberry Trees Volunteered to Grow”; graph: “High-Value Plants Rising from Crop Circles: Volunteer Oak, Volunteer Mulberry, and More”; chart in 3 sections: “Various conditions present in NCR-SARE #FNC22-1337”: sunlight conditions, success of growth of plants, cover crop notes, square footage of crop circles, and other notes on conditions.
-
I encourage scholars to build upon my work, because mulberry and oak trees are valuable and there was so little input from me to get them to grow so heartily. As my family says about plants that pop up without our input: “Nothing beats stronger than the heart of a volunteer,” as in, transplants are weak compared to naturally-arising plants, especially trees.
-
A technique to encourage volunteer plants is selective mowing, in which desirable plants are spared from being mowed and allowed to flourish, such as with the many mulberry and oak trees now flourishing due to the creation of unmowed crop circles which this project funded.
-
-
Equip neighbors in Evansville, IN, with sunflower, squash, corn, and bean seeds, to be used to recreate my plantings or to innovate alike.
-
-
Results: objective #4 successfully achieved.
-
Discussions with neighbors about their dislike of weeding plant beds and difficulties with infertile soil led to the purchase and distribution of red clover seeds and sweet clover seeds with project funds.
-
Many people were unwilling to take corn, beans, squash, and sunflower seeds due to anxiety about wasting the seeds: “But what would I do with them? No thanks.” Such neighbors often accepted a distribution of clover seeds, because they are relatively simple to plant and maintain.
-
If I said anything to neighbors about “free seeds,” neighbors took no interest in acquiring the seeds from this project. The word “free” is stigmatized deeply to the point that I encourage scholars to build upon my research about how the word “free” makes people think that there is a hidden agenda and/or defect in the seeds due to them being “free.”
-
As compared to using the word “free,” neighbors were much more likely to discuss urban agriculture and to accept seeds from me when I described the seed offerings as “a seed distribution from a federally-funded farm project.”
-
Seeds funded: Arikara sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), Titan sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), Gete Okosomin squash (Curcubita maxima), Jimmy Red corn (Zea mays) from several growers, 1500-Year-Old New Mexican Cave beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), Cherokee Trail of Tears beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), medium-tall red clover (Trifolium pratense), low-growing sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), and inoculant (Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii) for the clover seeds.
-
A special thank-you goes to Joan Benjamin for mentoring me as a SARE grantee. Thanks also go to all of the SARE staff who made this project possible with their mentoring and efforts, as well. I [Lindsey Krantz, President, Catalpa Tree Publishing, LLC] appreciate you all very much.
Project objectives:
-
Respect and educate about the Indigenous agricultural practice of 3 Sisters (corn, squash, and beans) plus sunflowers mounds plantings.
-
-
Results: objective #1 successfully achieved.
-
I communicated in the languages of Spanish and English during project activities.
-
I spent most of my time at my vendor mall booth working on objective #1. For instance, my presentation to booth visitors started with the demonstration table. There were many questions about why exactly the Jimmy Red corn is red.
-
Neighbors and I discussed the project and about how productive agriculture enhances Evansville, Indiana, for the purposes of human nutrition, preservation of biodiversity in plant genetics, business/community/household development, pollinator habitat, and human flourishing. Discussions included topics about the water cycle, potassium cycle, phosphorus cycle, nitrogen cycle, and carbon cycle.
-
I spent extra effort on explaining the benefits and drawbacks to using cover crops as distributed by this project (medium-tall red clover and low-growing sweet clover).
-
When I discussed anything about the two small books I had planned for this project, not a single visitor expressed interest in reading the books themselves, but did their best to encourage me with variations of, “Oh, that sounds like an amazing idea. I wouldn't read it, but I'm sure someone else would read it with interest.” Due to such an obvious vote of no-confidence about creating such materials, I aborted the mission to create the two small books as not to waste federal funds and my precious time on a vainglorious endeavor.
-
-
Inspire an increase in urban agriculture by placing a spectacular 24ft diameter circular planting in my front yard and two 24ft plantings in by back yard (seven 4ft diameter by 4in raised mounds per planting), with 5 field days.
-
-
Results: objective #2 successfully achieved.
-
The circular planting in my front yard (Circle #1) attracted attention from my neighbors such that ears of corn went missing steadily over the growing season in 2023. See graph: “The Statistical Mystery of the Missing Jimmy Red Corn.”
-
Learning is a slow process. Many children walking to the schools close to my home (Dexter Elementary School and McGary Middle School in the Vanderburgh County School Corporation; Christ the King Roman Catholic School) have now seen that it is possible to grow corn, beans, squash, red clover, sweet clover, and sunflowers in an urban area. Now this project has encouraged many of my neighbor kids to know for themselves that caring for plants in a harsh urban environment is possible, beautiful, and worthwhile.
-
An avenue for future research is for scholars to study and implement plans for youth-directed agricultural inquiry (for example, increasing distribution of plant starts and utilization of 4-H resources in Evansville, Indiana).
-
-
Find out whether the shady or sunny plantings make more pounds of produce and distribute the information.
-
-
Results: objective #3 successfully achieved.
-
Circle #1 (nearly full sunshine) was much more productive than Circle #2 and Circle #3 in regards to the corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers plantings.
-
Circle #2 and Circle #3 were much more productive than Circle #1 in regards to volunteer trees (red oak and mulberry).
-
See visual aids: graph: “Spacing of Volunteer Trees in Crop Circles: Oak and Mulberry Trees Volunteered to Grow”; graph: “High-Value Plants Rising from Crop Circles: Volunteer Oak, Volunteer Mulberry, and More”; chart in 3 sections: “Various conditions present in NCR-SARE #FNC22-1337”: sunlight conditions, success of growth of plants, cover crop notes, square footage of crop circles, and other notes on conditions.
-
I encourage scholars to build upon my work, because mulberry and oak trees are valuable and there was so little input from me to get them to grow so heartily. As my family says about plants that pop up without our input: “Nothing beats stronger than the heart of a volunteer,” as in, transplants are weak compared to naturally-arising plants, especially trees.
-
A technique to encourage volunteer plants is selective mowing, in which desirable plants are spared from being mowed and allowed to flourish, such as with the many mulberry and oak trees now flourishing due to the creation of unmowed crop circles which this project funded.
-
-
Equip neighbors in Evansville, IN, with sunflower, squash, corn, and bean seeds, to be used to recreate my plantings or to innovate alike.
-
-
Results: objective #4 successfully achieved.
-
Discussions with neighbors about their dislike of weeding plant beds and difficulties with infertile soil led to the purchase and distribution of red clover seeds and sweet clover seeds with project funds.
-
Many people were unwilling to take corn, beans, squash, and sunflower seeds due to anxiety about wasting the seeds: “But what would I do with them? No thanks.” Such neighbors often accepted a distribution of clover seeds, because they are relatively simple to plant and maintain.
-
If I said anything to neighbors about “free seeds,” neighbors took no interest in acquiring the seeds from this project. The word “free” is stigmatized deeply to the point that I encourage scholars to build upon my research about how the word “free” makes people think that there is a hidden agenda and/or defect in the seeds due to them being “free.”
-
As compared to using the word “free,” neighbors were much more likely to discuss urban agriculture and to accept seeds from me when I described the seed offerings as “a seed distribution from a federally-funded farm project.”
-
Seeds funded: Arikara sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), Titan sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), Gete Okosomin squash (Curcubita maxima), Jimmy Red corn (Zea mays) from several growers, 1500-Year-Old New Mexican Cave beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), Cherokee Trail of Tears beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), medium-tall red clover (Trifolium pratense), low-growing sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), and inoculant (Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii) for the clover seeds.
-
A special thank-you goes to Joan Benjamin for mentoring me as a SARE grantee. Thanks also go to all of the SARE staff who made this project possible with their mentoring and efforts, as well. I [Lindsey Krantz, President, Catalpa Tree Publishing, LLC] appreciate you all very much.