where to put everything!

now that the seed ordering is complete (all but one local place), i have been working on where to put all these plants and seeds in the field. what a task. i am trying to think about one field at a time, but that is hard to do. i want to rotate crops from where they were last year. at the beginning of the season, everything should be put in rows close together because they will need to be covered with plastic to protect them from the cold early spring. and after covering and uncovering rows this fall, it would be much easier if those rows are next to each other. then, in the fall, the same thing applies - i want the later fall crops to be close together. i have to decide what plants/seeds are planted on plastic and what are not. i have to look up spacing for every variety we plant, know how long each row is and how many plants can fit in a row. i am also taking into consideration the required nutrient level of the plants, trying to put similar needs together in one row to make for easier fertilization. once again, a lot to think about all at once, but this, too, will be done soon and another big accomplishment made.

the seed orders have already started to come in. it is exciting to unpacked the fresh, new packages of seeds and think about what they will become.

the greens in the greenhouse look good, though i am concerned they won't be picked for another week and a half for market. some of the arugula is going to seed (flowering, likely causing it to become (more) bitter). we'll hope for the best.

seeds!

a big step was made today...all but one of the seed orders were placed. there is no turning back now! the plants and varieties have been chosen. the quantities decided, adjusted and decided again. when seeds will be started inside and then the plants planted outside has been calculated. progress. now i just need to find a place for everything in the field...

let's talk local

before i talk local, i'll just say that work on 14 and 17 january was uneventful...more watering in the greenhouse and working on this year's plan. things are looking great in the greenhouse. we should have lots of salad greens for february's markets. the planting plan is coming along, slowly but surely. i don't know why it seems to be taking me so long, but it is. there is a lot to think about and since i've never done this before, i don't really have a system down. but i'm working on the seed order and hope to be done within the next day or two.

now...local. i went to my local, neighborhood cafe sunday morning, chestnut hill cafe. this place is great. i am not sure what this neighborhood ever did without it. the coffee is great (thanks to counter culture), the food is good and the atmosphere is friendly, fun, relaxed, familiar. everyone seems to know everyone else. you might run into someone you know there, or plan for a meeting. you might see someone you haven't in awhile. you might go because you know someone who works there. you might be stopping in on your break (ie - mail delivery guy, EMS guys, etc). it is great to witness the interactions that happen. it was a happening place sunday morning. i had to wait for a sit. yet, saturday evening was quiet and more relaxed. local bands play on sunday afternoons. local artists display their work. this is not a plug for chestnut hill, as wonderful as it is, this is a plug for all local establishments. they provide a unique and inviting environment with unique and cool things to offer. i imagine every local coffee shop like this. why would anyone go to starbucks when you have something like this?? their coffee sucks, their serve sucks and every location looks the same. please, tell me, what is the draw to a place like that?! the same goes for clothing stores, gift shops, restaurants, jewelry stores, etc. supporting local business is more fun, more interesting, more unique, does more for the local economy, is better for the environment, gives you a sense of community (i am sure there are more reasons i am forgetting), than going to any big, national chain ever could. LONG LIVE THE LOCAL, INDEPENDENTLY OWNED BUSINESS

11-13 january

before i tell of my happenings for the past three days, i first must say, as i sit here writing this, i am eating an amazing salad. a salad that is fresh, local, organic, tender, tasty and it is the middle of january in lancaster, pennsylvania. whoever said you can't eat local greens year round wasn't familiar with the growing process. yes, it is more work, sometimes more difficult, for a farmer to grow greens in the winter. and yes, there won't be nearly as much or as many varieties to choose from. and yes, most farmers choose not to attempt the task. but...i am finding out it is worth it. not only because i benefit from these greens, but because the customers at the winter farmers markets gobble them up. it is nice to please the customers and bring in a little extra money during the winter.

i have done more or less the same thing for three days - worked on next year's planting plan. i am pleased to say, i am making progress, however slow it may feel. the varieties and quantities of the produce are picked and the timing for planting everything is done. there is still much to do - figure out how many seeds to order from where and where everything is going to go in fields - but things are moving along.

one exciting thing from today was all those flats of greens we planted on monday...have sprouted! it still amazes me how seeds i plant grow and turn into something that will feed people. i think this is why i like taking the farm's products to market - i can see people buying these products. it's great to see people get so excited about lemon cucumbers or purple broccoli, especially when i had a hand in growing it!

10 january 2011

i spent the morning planting more flats of greens to grow in the greenhouse for the winter markets. to do this, i combine the soil mix we buy with compost soil from the farm. i fill flats (plastic trays) with the soil, sprinkle some seeds, label each flat and cover with a light coating of soil. everything is carried out to the greenhouse where we have lights, heat mats, fans and a heater set up. i water at least once a day, sometimes twice. having greens in the winter is no easy task, but they are in high demand and taste great. so tender, as i say about most of the items we grow. i planted another 20 flats today including lettuce blend, mesclun mix, arugula, vitamin greens, rhubarb swiss chard and micro greens. everything but the arugula will go into one salad mix blend. this is in addition to the 30+ flats we already have in the greenhouse. the greens in those flats were cut on friday for saturday's markets. we got 20 small bags of greens from all those flats. those greens will re-grow and will be cut again next month for markets. with these new flats, we should have lots of greens next month (fingers crossed).

the afternoon was spent working on next year's planting plan. it is coming along, but there is still much to do. today i worked on root crops - turnips, carrots, beets, radishes and green onions. there will be several varieties of each in a range of colors. i was fascinated this past year with selling bunches of carrots and beets in a rainbow of colors - white, red, orange, purple - it's beautiful. i am expanding the color of radishes this year - purple, white, yellow and red. should make a beautiful bunch and look great in salad. it takes time to see what we did this past year, figure out if it worked and what needs to change or stay the same. then i go through the many catalogs we get and see what varieties we should grow - which ones do best in our climate, what looks good, what can we grow to be unique from other growers, what seeds are organic (or at least untreated), what heirloom varieties should we try, etc. then i need to figure out how many of each variety to plant, when to start the seeds inside (if that is necessary and it is in most cases) and then when to plant them outside, or when to start the seeds outside and where the plants/seeds will go in the field. multiple that times every vegetable/fruit/herb we grow.... i enjoy this kind of thing because i am a very organized person and i like having a plan, but there is a lot to think about and plan for. and i could do all this and it might all go to shit because it rains for a week in april and things can't get planted. or we lose crops due to insect or fungus damage (remember this is an organic farm). it's just part of farming. you pick up the pieces, do what you can with them and move on.

new look and update

i realize i have not been able to keep up with writing a blog. i am going to change how i approach things a bit. my boyfriend had the idea that i should write a blog almost daily about the happenings on the farm...give people an insider's story of farming - a day in the life of a farmer. i am going to keep the same blog name, i may want to throw in some other topics as i go, but for the most part, i will be writing about my life on the farm.

update - life on a farm in the fall is, well, nuts. most people think summer is when you get local produce. honestly, summer was our least productive time, in terms of having a lot of product to take to market. the heat greatly effects plants' production - lettuce, and other leafy greens, just go to seed and die in extreme heat. there is nothing anyone can do about it. so when did everything become ripe and ready for picking? september. cooler nights, less sun (shorter days), everything we planted a couple of months or weeks earlier - all of a sudden, we had lots of product to sell. tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, beans, summer and winter squash, beans, tomatoes, peas, salad mix, herbs.....we struggled to fit everything on our tables at market. plus, bird seed, wheat berries and all the meat. there were many 50+ hour work weeks mostly spent picking, washing and packing for market and then going to market. unfortunately, we lost most of the fall crop of kale, cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts due to insects. i can't imagine if we had more produce, though we probably could have sold it. people loved our stuff. every week - 'your tomatoes are amazing.' 'your lettuce keeps so well.' it made all the long hours and hard work worthwhile to see produce selling and hear people complimenting us.

winter on a farm is not boring. when the first hard frost hit, it was both a happy and sad time. sad because there was a lot of product lost in the field. a lot of plants were still producing well and we were still picking and selling. happy because it meant less work. but winter certainly doesn't mean i am sitting back and relaxing. it means i try to catch up on all the work i don't have time to do during the regular growing season. i have been working on the plan for next year - i order seeds, i see what worked this past year and what didn't, i come up with a new plan for the next year (what to plant and where) and.....we have winter markets. we have two different winter markets, each one once a month (eastern market in lancaster city and oakmont market in havertown). it does take time to get ready for market and then go to market. and it is cold, baby!

my job did not end in november, as planned. there was plenty of work to do through november. i was told there would be part time work through the winter, maybe working with the animals and learning what they need. then the produce manger said she wouldn't be back next year. i am now filling her position. i am working full time through the winter and am pretty much in charge of everything produce related. i will also be staying on at this farm (lime valley mill, if you forgot) for another growing season. i am looking forward to seeing it grow and techniques being perfected, and to learning a lot more.