potatoes!

200lbs of potatoes were planted this afternoon - 150lbs of red norland and 50lbs of superior. it was a bit chilly out there, but at least the sun was shining.

a day in the life of a farmer

tuesday -

watered the seed starts in the front room and the flats of lettuce and other salad greens in the greenhouse

planted outside in field 1 flat (72 plants) of red russian kale and 1 flat gypsy broccoli, and 5 thornless blackberry plants

continued cleaning out trays from last year for reuse this year

started seeds for landis valley plant sale - 146 tomato plants consisting of 7 varieties

left early to deliver meat to the caterer for a fundraising event on saturday

wednesday -

watered front room and greenhouse

moved flats around in the front room to make room for more seed starts

started seeds for landis valley - 320 tomato plants consisting of 17 varieties (all different from tuesday), 40 tomatillo plants consisting of 2 varieties, parsley, genovese basil, bravo cabbage, de cicco broccoli, graffiti cauliflower (purple variety), snow crown cauliflower, red russian, lacinato and vates kales

seed starts to be planted on farm - green wave and red giant mustards, green magic broccoli, violet queen cauliflower (purple broccoli), savoy and bravo cabbages, pac choi and escarole (1 flat each), 157 tomato plants consisting of 20 varieties

thursday -

watered front room and greenhouse

picked, washed and packed greens for fundraising event on saturday

salad mix - consisting of lettuce blend, mesculin mix and baby swiss chard (from greenhouse), baby spinach and baby lacinato kale (from back garden) - 12lbs

red russian kale (from back garden) - 2lbs

savannah mustard greens (from back garden) - just under 8lbs

cut 100lbs of red norland potatoes to be planted next week (we, and most farms, grow potatoes from potatoes, not seed. we buy potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces, about the size of an egg. each piece must have at least one sprout. the seed potatoes are cut several days before planting so the cut sides can dry out a bit making it less likely for them to rot in the field once planted.)

friday -

watered front room and greenhouse

delivered greens from yesterday to caterer

picked, washed and packed 2lbs of arugula from the greenhouse for a different fundraising event on saturday

sprayed the washed trays with bleach to disinfect them for use this year (lots of diseases and fungus can survive in the plastic pots and trays. we do not reuse pots or the 72 cell flats, but we do try to reuse the trays the pots and cells sit in. to help reduce the risk of disease, we wash them out to get rid of any debris (old soil, leaves, etc) and then spray them with bleach and let them dry in the sun.)

the plants that have been growing outside all winter and the plants that have been planted so far this year, are covered with clear plastic to protect them from wind, cold, frost, etc. we hold down the plastic with plastic milk or iced tea jugs that we fill with water. this works fairly well, but if it is really windy or the ground is too uneven for the jugs to rest in place well, it doesn't work. we discussed ways of fixing this problem and for now have decided to tie the jugs together. we'll see how well this works.

we still have an aphid problem in the greenhouse and this is becoming more and more of a problem because i need the space to put the new sprouting seed starts. after cutting everything for the events on saturday, i went through all the flats in the greenhouse. i got rid of the ones that were too infected with bugs. (the chickens got those flats because they like to scratch around in the dirt and peck at the plants.) i sprayed the mildly infected flats with an insecticidal soap (made from plant oils and animal fats, harmless to the plant, people and beneficial insects, like our ladybugs). i moved all the flats that i thought were worth keeping, outside the greenhouse under plastic. i took everything out of the greenhouse that didn't need to be there (fans, extension cords, cardboard, etc), turned off the heat and opened up the door and sides. i am hoping the colder temperatures over the weekend will help kill whatever is left in there.

cut 50 more pounds of red norland potatoes and 50lbs of superior potatoes

that was my week in a nutshell.

playing in the dirt

my mom always used to say, 'i'm going out to play in the dirt,' when she was going out to work in her gardens. well, that is what i need today. the first outdoor planting happened today (besides peas). peas are planted by seed in the field by a seed planter and the guys take care of that. today was the first planting i did outside...transplanting some of the plants i grew from seed inside. i planted black seeded simpson lettuce, coastal star romaine lettuce and broccoli raab - one flat (72 plants) of each. it was a nice day to plant, pretty sunny and in the 50s. the soil was wet, but not terribly muddy. the black plastic was laid in the fall (remember we plant on black plastic to help control the weeds...it also helps warm up the soil in the spring so things can be planted out early), so it would be ready to plant early this year. hoops and clear plastic are now over the plants to protect them from cold nights and frost. if the days get really warm, we'll have to uncover the plants so it doesn't get too hot under there (the hoops and plastic recreate a greenhouse effect). now that the planting outside has started, it will only continue until well into the fall. here we go!

landis valley

i've talked a bit about how much money i've been spending to get the farm ready for the upcoming growing season. buying seeds is probably the biggest draw of money right now, however, supplies add up quickly, too. farms have a lot of money going out this time of year and, even with our successful winter markets, not a whole lot coming in. one thing lime valley mill started doing a few years ago was sell plants. plants are sold fairly early in the spring when there isn't a lot of produce to be sold yet. it is a way for us to make a good chuck of money early in the season.

the money is nice, but it also makes for a lot more work when things are starting to pick up on the farm anyway. we start almost all the plants we sell from seed, adding to the fullness of the front seed starting room. we then have to transplant all those plants (that were started in those small cells that i mentioned in the previous post) into four inch pots for sale. tags have to be made up for each plant so people know what they bought when they bring it home. extra supplies (pots, tags, trays, soil, etc) have to be purchased for all the sale plants. when i talked about working on the plan for this year, planning for landis valley herb and garden sale was a part of that. i looked at what we took last year - what sold, what didn't, what new varieties should we bring, how many, when should seeds be started, when should the plants be transplanted, etc. the sale is a two day event, plus one day before to bring all the plants to the location and set up. so there goes three days...plus all the time planning, planting and transplanting. most of the herbs we sell, we don't start from seed, but purchase small plants (kind of like our plants in the small cells). many herbs don't start well from seed for the 'home gardener' and it is easier and more cost effective to buy them in. once we get them, we have to transplant them into four inch pots, as well.

despite the extra work, it is worth it. the boost in income helps the farm. a lot of people attend this event and it is a great way for us to get our name out there and what we mostly sell (produce and meat) and where we sell those items. we try a lot of varieties of vegetables and sometimes they just don't work out for us. this is a way to use up any extra seeds we have around that we won't use. and at the end of the day, it is amazing to see all those plants we take (this year it will be about 2000 plants, i believe) sell. as simple as that.

this year will be a little more of a challenge though. the landis valley sale is the friday and saturday of mother's day weekend. saturday is also the winter market at eastern market. saturday is also the opening day for the quarryville market. we have committed to going to all three events, though the details are still to be worked out. here's to everyone coming out of that weekend alive. :-)

seed starts

things are moving along in the seed starting department. i thought i would post a picture so you have a better idea of what is going on. i've mentioned 'flats' before and how each flat has 72 cells and each cell has one seed that will become one plant. well, this picture gives you a visual of what i mean. the picture was taken in the front room of the house we use for work purposes. all seed starting takes place in this room. this is where all the lights and heat mats are set up. this flat is probably one of the types of kale we grow, though at this stage, many varieties look alike. seed starts will continue every week well into the summer so we are sure to have enough product for markets.

1 step forward, 1 step back

the step forward was that peas were planted in the field this week. pretty exciting that the first outdoor crop was planted.

the step backward was that we found aphids in the greenhouse on friday. last year, the aphids were bad in december and got out of control, preventing the greenhouse from being used for greens for winter markets. so this year, we planted several flats of cilantro for the greenhouse, which is suppose to deter aphids. we also bought ladybugs to put in the greenhouse. ladybugs are a beneficial insect. they eat the eggs of many unwanted insects, like aphids, and don't harm the plants at all. everything was doing really well, as i've been saying. but when we were cutting for market on friday, we discovered aphids on several plants. we separated the worst flats and sprayed them with an insecticidal soap (the main ingredient is neem oil) and more ladybugs were ordered. the ladybugs won't eat the adult aphids, but since there are still relatively few aphids, we are hoping the ladybugs can get things under control again. unfortunately, the ladybugs won't arrive until wednesday. fingers crossed we can get this situation under control.

winter is over

i'm not sure spring is here yet, but winter is definitely over. the front room, where we do all the seed starting, is getting pretty full. seeds have been started for lettuce, hot peppers, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, endive, swiss chard, artichokes and i am probably forgetting a couple things. most seeds need extra heat to germinate, then once they germinate, they are put under lights. the heat mats and lights are on and i will need to set up more lights next week. once the plants get big enough, they are moved to the greenhouse. the first flat (tray of 72 plants), broccoli raab, was moved out to the greenhouse on sunday. it is pretty amazing how quickly some seeds germinate. some seeds take 2 days (!) and some as long as 2 weeks, but most are somewhere inbetween there. it is an exciting time.

the catch about moving flats to the greenhouse is that the greenhouse is still half full with greens we have growing for the winter markets...and we just started more flats for a couple of special events at the end of march. there is going to be some overlap, and with that, i am anticipating a shortage of space (our greenhouse is pretty small). but things will work out. there are still three more months (march, april, may) of winter markets. then we jump right into regular season markets every week. one market starts the beginning of may, one the middle of may and one at the end. when was the 'off' season suppose to happen?!

one of the guys worked up ground in the field this morning for the first outdoor planting - peas. it is wet out there, but hopefully in the next couple of days, we can get the seeds planted. fresh peas are so good...

besides starting seeds inside, i have finally completed the planting plan and schedule for this year. i went over it with the powers that be and got it printed and put in the binder. it's done and there is no going back now. :-) i completed the 'cheatsheets' for various varieties to help us at market. so when someone asks the difference between a brandywine and a green zebra (tomatoes), we can tell them. we cleaned out a lot of stuff in the garage yesterday. it is amazing what can collect in a place that isn't used much. (the garage is where we do all the washing and packing of produce during the regular season.) i have been cleaning plant trays, glass jars and various other things we use during the year. we just don't have time to do so much during the season. we plant, pick, get ready for market and go to market and that is about it. i am trying to get a lot of stuff done now that i know won't get done in a couple of months.

now is also a time for market meetings. most markets have a meeting with the manager(s), vendors and any other important people to the operation in late winter so everyone knows what to expect for the coming market season. i went the oakmont farmers market meeting on sunday and the quarryville growers market meeting is tomorrow evening.

it is definitely a time of transition. still trying to have product to sell at the winter markets, while also making sure we will have product to sell in may. i just hope the greenhouse can hold every thing...