08/02/2018
A life well lived and well served. A gentle goodbye to a lover of nature, true food, and his community. Good journey!
We'd like to take a moment to honor the legendary Malcolm Beck, who passed on yesterday. Malcolm's light will shine on gardeners the world over for generations to come.
Malcolm Beck was a pillar and a pioneer in the movement that is now known as "organic gardening." His simple,home-spun storytelling style taught innumerable people the joys and nuances of being in harmony with nature. His shop, Garden-Ville, which was started in 1957-- a full quarter century before organic gardening became a well-known and well-researched field, acted as the prototype for many, many garden centers, compost manufacturers, teachers, and even professors. Malcolm loved to have someone say "you can't do that, Beck!" so that he could showcase his monster okra, or monster pumpkin, using only natural fertilizers or amendments. Because he grew such strong plants, the need for pesticides was almost non-existent, but Malcom also invented and offered natural-based ones of those too. Some folks forget that it wasn't that long ago that gardeners were taught that the only way to garden was with toxic chemicals. Malcolm is one of my heroes for dispensing with that myth, and inviting the world to see the magic of nature, and his magical gardens.
I have some very fond memories of walking with Malcolm, hearing him riff like an excited kid about the pecans he grew, or his fish in the greenhouse, or seeing his outstretched arm to grab me a juicy tangerine; "They told me I can't grow these, but they'll stand up to a stiff north 10-degree wind!"
Mr. Beck, you've made the world a better place, and we'll miss you profoundly. Thank you.
