Organic farmer Eliot Coleman ‘gets some things off my chest’ in new book

Eliot Coleman says organic certification isn’t what it used to be, thanks to a “cheapening” of the designation.

By Steele Hays

BROOKSVILLE—In his first new book in 15 years, which goes on sale Nov. 4, bestselling author and organic farmer Eliot Coleman of Brooksville “gets some things off my chest,” he said in an interview with The Rising Tide.

The Self-Fed Farm and Garden presents Coleman’s “self-fed” growing methods that continuously sustain soil fertility and produce healthy vegetables with no need for purchased fertilizer or compost.

Coleman and his wife, Barbara Damrosch, are arguably Maine’s best-known farmers, thanks to their many books, newspaper columns and a TV show, Gardening Naturally, which ran from 1993 to 2003 on the Learning Channel and other networks. They developed their Four Season Farm into a nationally-known model organic farm. 

Coleman said he was motivated to write the book because he is concerned that “organic farming has changed from a system of working with the natural world to purchasing products that can stimulate fertility.” He also said that the guidelines for what constitutes organic food have been weakened, saying the “USDA (Department of Agriculture) is cheapening what once had some strength to it.”

Companies that produce compost “are paid to turn waste products into something that can be sold. That was troubling me,” he said. “The eaters (consumers) were being sold a bill of goods.” 

In the book, Coleman discusses how farmers and gardeners can use natural methods to replenish their soil’s nutrients by growing “green manure” crops–crops that are grown to be tilled back into the soil. Using those methods prevents the risk of contamination by so-called “forever chemicals” and reduces operating costs, according to Coleman. 

Coleman’s book is available for purchase at Blue Hill Books and other local bookstores as well as online.