Almost a dozen years ago, when I first moved to Schooley’s Mountain, I wondered as I peered into my neighbor’s yard, how he managed to grow such a bountiful garden. From my window I marveled at the beautifully framed space of vegetables and flowers–fountains of color and texture half hidden behind some of the most lush, decorative grasses I’ve ever seen.

I was sure he had developed a secret formula or shipped in special soil from some exotic place on earth. And then years later I learned his secret–he is simply knowledgeable about the environment and the earth.

I found out much later that my neighbor is Peter Nitzsche and he has served as the Morris County Agricultural and Resource Management Agent through the Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station (NJRAES) since 1994.  

Working as part of the outreach arm of the organization, Nitzsche’s area of expertise is agricultural and natural resources and works closely with local businesses and organizations involved in farming to help them grow more nutritious produce. 

“I’m in constant communication with the farmers throughout the county. I visit the farms on a regular basis and if they have a problem, I try to solve it,” said Nitzsche.

He and his colleagues are working on a number of issues including concern over Late Blight, a fungal disease similar to the fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine and Downy Mildew that is inhibiting the growth of Italian Basil.

One of the areas Nitzsche is exploring is the variety and flavors of tomatoes.

“We’ve had complaints from consumers that our tomatoes don’t taste as good anymore. And we certainly don’t want to lose our reputation when it comes to tomatoes,” said Nitzsche.

He said one of things he loves about what he does is that there is always a chance to improve upon last season’s performance.

“I guess you might say hope spring’s eternal,” said Nitzsche.

Nitzsche said that in Morris County we are fortunate that a lot of the farm land is preserved, but he’s also concerned about the long term impact of budget cuts we’re experiencing now.

“The kind of work we do is really what you would call a long-term investment. The cutbacks that are happening right now may not be evident for several years, and then all of a sudden you’ll see it,” said Nitzsche.

“It often takes people with experience and time to come up with research solutions to agricultural problems we face,” said Nitzsche. 

He said a tree fruit entomologist who was working on the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) a few years ago left NJRAES and because of budget cuts, they have not been able to quickly refill the position. 

“In the meantime BMSB has become a major fruit pest. We have other researchers working on the problem, but the result is farmers, and in turn consumers, may suffer extra crop losses in the short and long term because of this loss of capacity,” said Nitzsche.

Nitzsche knew at a fairly young age that he loved the land and gardening which he said he learned from his parents and his paternal grandmother who was a dedicated gardener.

“My father’s grandmother had a big garden and actually died with a rake in her hand,” said Nitzsche.

While his father and brothers went into engineering and physics, Nitzsche knew that he enjoyed the outdoors and found himself drawn to biology, botany and horticulture classes. He said one of the defining moments was when he took a vegetable production course. It was then that he realized this might be the right path for him.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science and a Master of Science degree in horticulture at Rutgers University.

He said it was actually his friend’s father, a farmer in Southern New Jersey,who suggested that he might make a good county agricultural agent, a role that he is deeply committed to.

He said one of the things he’s exploring right now is the community garden concept which he said is drawing a lot of interest currently.

In fact he said he has seen a considerable increase in the interest in gardening since the economy has taken a down turn.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in vegetable gardening, we call it recession gardening,” said Nitzsche.

He said when he gave lectures over the years, about 40 people might attend, but in the last couple of years, the audience as grown to more than 120 people.

He attributes this growth not only to an interest in saving money by growing one’s own vegetables, but he said there is also an interest in growing food for the poor and an interest in where the produce is coming from.

“People are much more interested in locally grown foods and buying local and more nutritious food,” said Nitzsche.

For those who are new to gardening and thinking about creating one this spring, Nitzsche urges residents to get their soil tested before they begin and to make sure they erect a fence to keep out the deer.

“In the Washington Township area we have very productive soil. We have rocks and some clay, and the clay that tends to hold moisture longer, so we are less dependent on irrigation,” said Nitzsche.

However, because the soil may retain the moisture longer in the spring, this often makes for a later planting season, he said.

The greatest challenges Nitzsche sees in the Washington Township area include: protecting both our ground and surface water from contamination and the growth of the deer population.

“There are lots of concerns lately about excess nutrients in the water. That’s why we urge people to take soil tests,” said Nitzsche.

Another challenge comes in on four legs.

“Deer may be the biggest challenge we face. The overpopulation is damaging the forests and the eco-system. The deer population has grown in size as we’ve fragmented the area with development, cut down the forest and removed the natural predators. We have gotten rid of the wolves and mountain lions – forest or no forest,” said Nitzsche.

 “Hunters can’t get near enough to houses to thin the population in these areas, and often hunters kill the bucks and not the does, which doesn’t help thin the population,” said Nitzsche.

During the winter months, when the fields lie empty and frozen, Nitzsche said he works with local farmers to plan and explore production issues for the upcoming season.

While it is a lot of work, Nitzsche said having a garden of one’s own is ultimately satisfying. He urges gardeners with little experience to “start small.”

He said, “When vegetables and herbs are grown fresh, it’s so much healthier and food just tastes so much better. There’s nothing like a cherry tomato picked right outside your door. You know that your family is getting something tasty and sweet.”

For more information about soil testing and the work of the New Jersey Agricultural Station at Rutgers, visit the Web site at: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/

Peter Nitzsche will be speaking about pest control at the 2011 Community Garden Conference on March 3, 2011 at Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 East Hanover Ave., Morris Township, N.J. 07962. http://www.arboretumfriends.org/events

At the end of August, he will be giving a presentation at the Tomato Tasting Event at Snyder Farm in Pittstown, NJ. Link to last year’s event: http://snyderfarm.rutgers.edu/html/GTT10/Event-GTT-10-contents.html