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…
Category Spring
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…
Spring at the Farmers’ Market
Seedlings are ready and I have been at the farmers market for two weeks now. I have a wide range of vegetable seedlings available including a few herbs (dill and cilantro) and flowers (borage, marigolds, nasturtiums, and sunflowers). Right now…
Seeding is in Full Swing
All my seeds have arrived! Every year I order from two of my favorite companies Fedco Seeds Co-op and High Mowing Organic Seeds. This year I also ordered a few things from Johnny’s Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I am excited…
Downsizing
This month I have been busy downsizing and getting rid of stuff. I’m amazed at how much stuff both at the farm and in the house, I have accumulated over the past dozen years. I mean I’m not surprise I…
Spring Work
Spring is here … or maybe summer I’m actually wearing shorts as I type this, hello 80 degree weather. This spring my workload looks a little different. I’m not sweating it out in the greenhouse but staring it out, at…
Get Outside
Since I’m not farming this year I have realized that I’m spending a lot of time inside. Working on the computer, reading books, organizing farm supplies, and other random indoor activities. This sedentary work is not new I have always…
Tomato Pollination
The tomato field is starting to shape up. I have weeded six of the twelve tomato rows and so far I have been able to trellis four rows. The plants are pretty big covered in yellow flowers and many have…
My Style
Every farmer has a style, so every farm has a different look. Farmers don’t just layout their fields differently but they maintain their crops differently. I for one ignore weeding, for as long as I can. It is not just because…
Just a Bit More Planting
The field is almost completely planted. The corn is about six-inches tall. Most of the dried beans have sent up stalks with two bright green leaves. The pumpkins should be germinating soon. And the tomatoes still need to be staked. The last…