Farm Blog: Mid-March through Mid-April

Due to many requests, as well as my own desire to keep notes on all that I am learning here at the farm- this blog will branch off from nutrition and health for awhile to focus on my new obsession.

It's been 5 weeks at the farm. March seemed to last much longer than the first 18 days of April have. As the days have warmed and gotten longer they have somehow seemed to fly by faster.

Growing things has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever put my effort towards. The excitement I get from seeing the baby plants I transferred from seed tray to field row growing big and strong and healthy must be much like internal joy that parents feel towards their children. Every weed and pest is a most hated enemy. The indignation and anger I feel at seeing weeds taking over a row of newly planted veggies could rival a policeperson's anger at gangs of hoodlums taking over the streets of their cities. When I kill a bug or weed I make sure they are truly dead, that no roots are left behind lest they should survive and multiply. I feel urges to check for weeds, bugs, and rodents even on my free time- because this has become more than just a job. I imagine these feelings must grow exponentially when the land is actually yours. This must be why my boss and his wife work 7 days a week, start before I do in the mornings and end after I do in the evenings. This is more than a job for them too.

So far on the farm-- if I can remember such a large array of plants-- Field 1: butterball potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, red and green cabbage, kales, spinaches, red and green lettuces including jericho, simpson, antago, outredgeous and more, red, yellow, and orange carrots, garlic, leeks, scallions, chives, red and white bunching onions, red and white spring onions, red and white bulb onions of 7 different kinds (did you even know there were more than 2 kinds of bulb onions? I didn't), peas, and radishes.

Field 2: (just begun) beets, red and green lettuces, broccoli raab, butterball potatoes, purple potatoes, red potatoes, canela russet potatoes.

Field 3: (perennial field- means these plants will last through many winters) purple and green asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish.

Field 4: (just begun) some kind of flower bulbs, scallions, collards

Field 5: (just begun) all the potatoes

In the big greenhouse the herbs are potted for single live sale. They are getting huge and beautiful! Thai basil, Italian basil, purple basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, thyme. 

Rosemary has been planted but, strangely, it takes 20-90 days to germinate and even then only about 10% will actually germinate. That is a crushingly low number over a crushingly long time. Usually people use cuttings to propagate more rosemary. I am sure that Nancy will use this method for future rosemary yields.

The tomatoes and peppers of such wide variety I could hardly name a few are growing well in the greenhouse, lots of flowers, and other things are working their way upwards including eggplants, and okra.

"The orchard" which really consists of a few sections that look like orchard space and many other trees spread all over the property includes plums, peaches, apples, pears, and walnuts. Did you know that walnut trees take 10 years before producing nuts and also send out a chemical that inhibits other plants from doing well nearby. Good for the walnut tree (it takes a lot of nutrients and energy to produce the protein packed nuts) but bad for anything else nearby-- so if you plan on planting some walnuts, make sure you plan appropriately.

The berry bushes are also propagated by cuttings. Nancy does it the way they do it in the wild-- as a bramble (branch) grows very long it begins to arch over and eventually may touch the ground. By burying it into the ground it will begin to take root and you may then cut it from the main plant. Pretty cool. They will start producing berries soon and they will ripen towards June. I can't wait to start sending them away to be eaten!

Nancy will be canning preserves and I will be helping her, so I am really excited to learn how. I know I could learn by reading a book, but I learn so much faster when I can watch someone else actually do it. 

The best part of being here on the farm, other than the beautiful scenery which fills me with joie de vivre every day, is the pedagogy of my boss. That's a fancy word to say that they are both really good teachers. They know so much about so much and are so interesting to talk to. I ask a lot of questions and they always have the answers and much much more. 

They understand that I may not be trying to be a farmer for money. What I really want is to buy land and to create a subsistence farm-- meaning I try to grow  everything I need/want to survive. They give me tips that are geared towards that idea even though that's not exactly the way they've been going about things.

Good advice: 

Find good soil- have your land thoroughly evaluated.

Water source nearby like a pond is key to cheaper irrigation.

Lots of yearly rainfall? Have sloping hills, it will drain faster. Invest in rain cachement.

Southern facing fields means longest sun exposure. 

Plant your nut and fruit trees first-- fruit trees take on average 7-8 years to produce. 

You'll have to till your land to turn up all the hidden rocks-- they will interrupt good root growth and you want them out of there. In the winter till everything under again-- all the "leftovers"-- you'll want them to rot in the ground and contribute nutrients and enhance your topsoil.

Invest in Beehives. These little guys are so crucial to pollinating our plants you don't even need to get them for the honey. If you do want to take their honey you will need to feed them. Local honey is good for allergies. 

Invest in building a greenhouse. You want this. You can start earlier in the year by getting everything started ahead of time so when the temperature is right you can transplant toddler plants instead of just starting from seed. You could potentially even grow things all winter long if you do it right.

Save your vegan food scraps! This means no animal products in the compost. Eggshells are okay but its better if you raised the chickens yourself, free-range. Also include leaves, sticks, and other organic matter. There are a million different ways to have a compost from small to large scale. The huge piles at this farm are turned occasionally by the tractor. Eventually this will turn into delicious smelling nutrient rich dirt. It also gives off a huge amount of heat--weird!!

Every plant has its own particularities. Some early crops  can handle a frost or two, some can handle an all out freeze. Some plants can handle a lot of rain, some will die if the roots soak too long. Some plants- like spinach- must be planted perfectly level with the ground, Cucumbers must be mounded up. Potato plants must occasionally be half buried by soil in order for them to produce more potatoes. Radishes are often planted by other plants like peas and lettuces because the bugs love radish leaves and leave the other plants alone. Parsnip leaves can give you a poison ivy-type skin rash. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous! You must not pick asparagus the first year. Marigolds ward of pests. Blood meal wards off rabbits and deer. Artichokes are a type of thistle, another type of thistle is a horrible weed which there are laws we must not let them spread--you could lost your agricultural license! You can get your artichokes to produce in their first year if you keep them in a fridge at night-- 500 hours worth. Who knew?

As for us-- the kittens have adjusted so well. They are finally perfectly at home in and out of the house. They kill mice and moles and they follow us to work sometimes. It's been so wonderful to wake up and know that your commute is a 15 second walk to the driveway. I miss my friends back at the place I called home for 3 and a half years. But I could not regret moving here. I don't believe I will stay here after the season is over. I have too many other things I want to learn and try. 

For anyone who has been considering leaving their current sub/urban lifestyle for a more natural life-- I support you!!  There is SO MUCH out there. I was blown away at all the opportunities for farm work on the internet. It has been very hard labor sometimes. I have had muscles sore and skin scraped and I seriously cannot get the dirt off of my hands completely. I have been exhausted when I come home and I have been grumpy when its been really cold, windy, and rainy all at once. I have had a few ticks on me and one I found in my bed. But I am so thankful for all of these experiences, especially the positive ones. 

Next stop, harvesting! Stay tuned.

The Future is Bright!