Appreciation of the Tomato Plant
Yesterday as I was walking in my field, which seems more like a bog at this point, I was amazed at how well some of the tomato plants were doing. I was even more amazed that some of the older…
Category Field Crops
Humbling
Just as I was starting to agree with passersby, that yes my field was looking good. Boy, those corn stalks are getting really tall. Those tomato plants are filled with tons of green fruit and those gourd vines are huge.…
Chilly Autumn Days
It’s hard to believe that it is November already. We have not yet had a frost (though it should be any day now) so I am still picking tomatoes and peppers, not many but just enough for Quarter Acre EATS…
Hello, Fall
Today is the fall equinox the sun is hanging much lower in the sky, there is a crispness to the morning air, and the daylight turns to twilight much sooner than before. It seems too early for all these autumnal…
It Has Been A Year
Last July we moved from Sonoma, California back home to Maryland. After farming for over ten years in arid California I have been relearning how to grow with rain, humidity, and hot nights (and days). I knew it would be…
Weedin’ Tomatoes
Lately my main task has been weeding the tomatoes. Since my field was previously fallow and mowed regularly for years, the main weed is grass. Or shall I say the main weeds are various grasses, from my hours spent with these…
Tomatoes and Pumpkins and Winter Squash, Oh My
With a period of sunny and (mostly) dry weather I was able to get in the field and do a little maintenance work on my tomatoes. I weeded around each of the plants and I used my broadfork to aerate…
Working in the Field
A few weeks back I rototilled the field and applied the amendments recommended by my soil test. I added a chicken-manure based pelleted fertilizer and layed out the drip irrigation. Then on April 30th I transplanted approximately 400 tomatoes. Each…
Time for Tomatoes
The cherry tomatoes have begun to ripen, just a few on this plant and that plant. I have to walk up and down many rows to fill a flat of pint baskets. The extra early heirloom tomato variety glacier has…
Women in Farming
I have been following the cross-country journey of two wonderful women, Caitrin Hall and Lake Buckley. They have recently finished this amazing journey which they did all by bicycle. What makes this cross-country journey so important is that during their…