Ross Creagan

I sat down with Mr. Creagan today and talked to him about his experiences as a gardener. He was also able to give me a little advice about some of my plants and what to do to solve some of the problems I have encountered.
Mr. Creagan has been gardening for over 40 years now. Since he has started gardening he has had 4, 1/4 to 1/2 acre plots of land that he has used for gardening. He has always been organic. When he began gardening the USA was in a time that had placed a focus of green practices and organic foods. When he saw that organic gardening was rewarding as well as healthy, he was excited to grow almost all of his own food. His methods involve deep trenching, french intensive methods of planting, crop rotation and the idea of companion planting which pairs beneficial plants with each other to help them support one another. In the local ecosystem Mr. Creagan has been an integral part. He has brought many species of insects including praying mantis, lady bugs, and red worms to green spaces around Ithaca.
When I asked him if he could answer a few of my specific to my garden questions he was happy to help.
I have had problems with my tomatoes ever since I put them in the ground. He told me that he had never had much success with tomatoes but what he suggested was that the soil may be too cold. He said especially my variety, brandywine pink, likes to be hot. He suggested using black plastic to help insulate and warm the soil. He proposed another method which sounds interesting and may be an interesting experiment.
The method lays in the idea of waters high spcific heat. If you place a plastic moat around the tomato plant, when you fill the moat with water, the sun heats it and then when night falls it holds on to that heat and keeps the plant warmer through the night. It may be interesting to try both ways and see the difference it may cause.
I asked him what he found to be the best to grow in this area. He talked of the success of his greens. All kinds of lettuce, and other similar plants like spinach and kale. He mentioned ones that due well most any where including squash and zucchini. Beans he added were a helpful way to add nitrogen to the soil, and they are very hardy when it comes to standing up to the Ithaca climate. In general he said that the best plants to use are ones that can be planted early in the season and give fruit before it gets too hot, or plants that can go in the ground in august and have fruit before winter comes.
The thing I found most fascinating about this interview was the passion that mr. Creagan showed. He was eager to share everything he knew and what he had accomplished. This showed me that gardening is such an intense process and takes a strong love for your plants and for the earth to commit yourself to such an extensive pundertaking gardening is. When I left Mr. Creagan he said to me that gardening is his heart and soul. What I have seen in Mr. Creagan is true happiness.