The Anishinaabe Traditional Farming Demonstration Project Seed Potato Trial

Before we turn our entire attention to the 2024 spring gardening season, we thought we would take a quick look back at the The Anishinaabe Traditional Farming Demonstration Project’s 2023 Seed Potato Trial as an example of what goes on in the garden besides picking tomatoes!

The 2023 Seed Potato Trial Project is a Native-directed effort supporting and expanding access to traditional Anishinaabe foods on Madeline Island and in the Great Lakes region.

The vision of the MICG is to:

●       Promote, create and maintain sustainable food security on Madeline Island

●       Provide an environment for community building and personal growth

●       Educate residents and visitors about horticulture, local gardening, composting, and preserving foods

And in alignment with that vision, in the spring of 2023 the garden partnered with the Middle Road Farm in their Seed Potato trial, funded as a part of a Minnesota/Wisconsin SARE Demonstration project.

The goal of the project:

Address the issues of species biodiversity loss in traditional Anishinaabe agriculture by expanding dramatically farming of traditional varieties of potatoes, corn, beans, squash on clay, sand and loamy soils of the island. The island presents a unique opportunity for heritage varieties due to its isolated geography, which prevents cross contamination from industrial crops and their associated diseases and pests.

Starting in late May 2023, The Anishinaabe Traditional Farming Demonstration Project began planting potatoes on the Island on two plots; the Middle Road Farm (or MRF) and the Madeline Island community garden. The farmers planted about 200 lbs across the two plots, with help from Community Garden board members and volunteers, using approximately 50 lbs of each of several varieties including:  Purple Majesty, Adirondack Blue, Adirondack Red,  Ama Rosa,  Red Pontiac, White Russian Banana.

The plots experienced some unique and several shared challenges such as nutrient-poor, clay dominated soil, borderline drought conditions in the early growing cycle, pest invasions and weed encroachment.

Success in Spite of Challenges! The harvest was impressive - thanks to the hard work and efforts of many. In total generous volunteers harvested:

●       Approximately 280 lbs from the MICG plot during a community harvest day that was well attended by many locals

●       Approximately 872 lbs of potatoes from the MRF plot
Project coordinators have distributed shares of potatoes to friends from White Earth, La Courte Oreilles, Leech Lake reservations and distributed across the island to our wonderful friends and volunteers who helped bring in the record harvest of potatoes. The rest of the project's harvest was securely stored for winter and will serve as seed potatoes for the 2024 growing season on the island, and in regional tribal partner farms from Minneapolis, to the 1855 Treaty Territory, to the Chequamegon Bay.

If you interested in knowing more about MICG, maybe even in having a garden plot this spring/summer, please check out the membership page. Note there are updated (lower) plot rental rates for 2024 - we would love to have you in the garden!

For periodic garden updates, follow the Facebook page “Madeline Island Community Garden Project at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/143881736834/