Sleep Deprived

I am a light sleeper. T is generally a heavier sleeper. so, you know things are getting pretty raucous when the weather wakes BOTH of us up.

Tuesday night was the 2am storm that included a tornado touch down 2.5 miles south of us. I got to see that wall cloud and can tell you that it certainly looked dangerous. A few homesteads on highway 93 took some direct hit damage, but it seems that most of the houses survived well enough. Lots of damage to outbuildings. Our only damage was the lack of electricity, combined with water in the well 'room' that covered all of the electrical components. So, they all needed replacing, of course.

We've had two nights in a row with some significant thunder, lightning, rain and wind. And, I think you can forgive people in the area if such weather makes us a little skittish. But, they are all happening at night - makes it very difficult to get some good sleep.

And, once again, the rain gauge had 2 inches of water in it. Looks like we have until Wednesday before we can till and plant. We'd just started to be able to do that sort of work Friday. And, unfortunately, the weather is making the weed situation difficult as well.

Must be a farmer - just can't be happy with anything!

so, to end on a positive note. The baseball game was rained out. The fields were too wet. We were very tired. We took a nap. A long nap. In the middle of the day.

Ha!

Eeek!

Well, we started to be able to work the field today. And look at the radar at this moment.

Sigh.

Yet Another Quick Farm Report

So you all know what is going on:

- Jeff S was kind enough to come out and help take down the flexible auger in the soon to be Fowl Palace (or whatever we decide to name it)
- Dad F is working on a room for the turkeys. They're going to love it. they'll have a huge pasture to themselves!
- A batch of Auracana chicks (they lay the green/blue eggs) just arrived at the farm
- Fields are just NOW beginning to be workable - and guess what is forecast for tonight?
- The kale looks great.
- Tomatoes look good.
- Much more progress on the clean up of the downed building. Most of the salvaged lumber is now under cover for later use (much in the Den of Fowl Inventions)
- Finally was able to go out and cut down the fallow plot in the east rotation. Just beat the thistles to flowering!
- Mudded in five rows of lettuce. for the unitiated that's 200 plants in a row. So 1000 plants are in.
- Finally was able to get the hot peppers and rest of the eggplant in. As with the lettuce, it was slow and difficult going. The amount of mud on our jeans made it difficult to walk afterwords.
- The tiller attachment on the tiller broke again - this time it is the OTHER spring that is constantly under tension. And...when it's not...the tiller no spin. Sigh.
- The walk behind tiller is still faithful - so we were able to cultivate the peppers and eggplant this PM.
- And, of course, the weeds are flourishing and we're fighting to get them "to leave town."
- We still have not been able to seed out two plots and are behind in three others. This does not make us happy.
- Most of the area for the high tunnel is now cleared for construction - we still need to move a few more plants and level the area.
- We may need to consider an industrial use washer given the amount of clothing we go through in a week (and the amount of mud and sweat on our clothing - ugh).
- The garlic scapes are being harvested and the plants generally look very good. This is the cleanest we've ever had them (in terms of weeds) and should make harvest much more pleasant - and therefore - timely.
- if your personal farmers seem a bit edgy, it's because they are not as happy with the early season crops as they wanted to be. And, it's because there is so much that was supposed to be done during the last three weeks that *could not be done*. We'll get there. Have to accept that we cannot go back in time - and even if we did, we couldn't fix it.

Absitively Posolutely

Sometimes you just have to think about good stuff to bring yourself out of a funk. And, I'll admit, the extra doses of rain and the wet fields are stressing us out a bit. So....

• Dad F has put in some wonderful work in preparing a new place to house turkeys. And, the tractors have all gotten a much needed maintenance. Thanks Dad and Happy Father's Day!
• We're still appreciating the fact that some scrub trees that were in the wrong spot have been removed and the wild plums were tamed (as much as wild plums can be tamed). Thanks Dad Z and Happy Father's Day!
• D.D. & A.D. come out to the farm four days a week and put forth excellent effort to help us get things done on the farm. They do their best to help us do our best. Thanks to both of you!
• S & J have also been out once a week and each has diligently done what they could to help! The weeding has been a good thing, well done and thank you!
• I've had the privilege to pitch on a ball team that in each of the last two games I've thrown have done an excellent job of catching the ball and making me look good. Thanks Cards!

I'm feeling better already.

Rain Rain Go Away....

We're getting a bit annoyed with the persistent rain on the farm right now. so many things were supposed to go in the ground and have not been able to.

And the forecast calls for a chance of rain almost continuously.

Unfortunately, in terms of crops for the season - this is getting more than just annoying. Remember, it takes several hours for the soil to dry out enough to be workable - so a sunny day is nice, but that doesn't mean we can till - or plant.

Don't know what else to say - just what's on my mind right now.

More Rain... and first CSA Distribution Week

It is official - we're getting tired of the rain on the farm. We don't want to say that too often or too loud as we really don't want MN (Mother Nature) to decide we shouldn't get rain until September at this point either. However, it has been very difficult to get anything done on the farm that has to do with our crops.

Case 1: Lettuce
We have trays and trays of lettuce that has been started. They need to go in the ground so they can form full heads and become tasty treats for everyone in the CSA, etc. If the soil is too wet, we can't make the transplant 'bed' - and it is very difficult to plant them when it is this damp.

Case 2: Eggplant
This is a microcosm of something else. We pushed and got all of the sweet peppers and many of the eggplant in prior to this batch of rainy days. We had a short window where we could actually till and then plant and we took advantage - putting in about 600 plants in short order (just T & R). But, there are still hot peppers and some eggplant to go in. This AM, we went and 'mudded' in 55 more eggplant as the rain started again. It wasn't pleasant - but it got done. It shows how quickly we can get things done - but we need just a bit of a break in the weather to do it.

Case 3: Weeds
The weather is perfect for weeds right now - and not perfect for weed removal. We really do need a few dry days to have a chance here!

and..

CSA Week #1 begins with the farm pickup group on Monday June 14. Then the Waverly Farmers' Market group Tuesday and the Roots Market group on Thursday. The Spring dry and then wet weather has conspired to cause some issues with the early season produce - but we'll give it a go - it always seems to work out.

Remember - we are distributing each week on your given date, time and location unless we send out a note stating otherwise. If it is raining - we're still there with YOUR food.

June Farm Report/News

A newsletter is on its way - but in lieu of that - here is a newsy GFF farm post.

• Current rain patterns are welcome for crops but difficult for workers to get things done. We needed just 12 more hours of workable soil times one of the last four periods between rains and we'd be fine. But, since we haven't gotten that. And, no, we have not considered getting miner's helmets and wearing those to work through the night....at least not too seriously.
• The first CSA deliveries will begin next week (June 14,15,17). Expect just a few things early on for each delivery - but it builds up dramatically as the season goes forward.
• Crop report: Potatoes all in, winter squash all in except 2 rows (trying to find where the seed was placed), onions in with a few late rows planned, brassica plantings 1&2 in, 3 is ready to go in soon. Lettuce plantings 1 & 2 are weak and did not enjoy the dry, windy weather. #3 is waiting for soil to be ready to transplant. Sweet peppers all in, tomatoes all in, eggplant 75% in, summer squash & zucchini plantings 1 & 2 in. Garlic sending up scapes for harvest. cucumber planting 1 in, 2 is on hold until weather allows. Pea planting 1 in and replanting of 1 is 50% done. Pea planting 1 suffered from the weather and germinated poorly, we have tilled in most rows and are replanting. They'll do fine now, but will be later than we wanted. Green bean planting 1 is in, 2 is due to go in. Dry beans 75% in. Lima beans in. Beet planting 1 failed. Turnip 1 is good. radish 1 is weak, but ok. Radish 2 is still waiting to go in (do you get the feeling radish are not high priority for us?) I'm sure there is more to report, but can't think of it right now.
• Plant sales report. Plant sales were reasonably good this year, with a few sales to local retail businesses and the rest to those who are growing the plants out. Remaining plants have been donated to the Food Bank and to a community garden in Cedar Falls that will grow the plants to donate the fruit to the Food Bank.
  
• Building reports. Work on wood salvage has resulted in piles of useful lumber - most of which is now moved to another building to dry out/stay dry. There is still much clean up to do yet, but most will simply be burned at this point. Work has begun to create new rooms for the poultry in the old hog confinement. And, the high tunnel field day is coming in early July.
• Meat chickens are growing well. New hen chicks are healthy and the turkey chicks are growing and needing a place other than their starter boxes to be. (see above endeavor).
• We're considering another Tom Sawyer Day VERY SOON to help us get things done prior to the field day. There are numerous things around that farm that would be nice to have completed that could use extra hands. Anyone have suggestions for when?
  

A New Look

We try to remind people who visit us on the farm that temperatures and winds can be very different in the country than they are in town. The picture below illustrates the point fairly well - though you might want to click on it to enlarge it so you can appreciate this.

When it is windy enough and there is some moisture in the grass/clover/dandelions that we cut, everything on the discharge side of the tractor can get covered in a hurry. This is only a mild case of 'grass barnacles' on the tractor. It's been much much worse.

Consider this - if the side of the tractor looks like this - and the side of the seat is also covered - what did the driver of the tractor look like?

Real Dirt

Some real dirt about the Genuine Faux Farm - right HERE!

Above you will see one of our plots half tilled. On the left is an area that has had the tiller run through once. On the right, you will see light green strips of annual ryegrass being used as a cover crop. The foreground had no such cover - so most of the green is Canadian thistle - one of our arch enemies on the farm. Interesting to note that there is a much lower thistle count where the ryegrass resides. Also of note, the soil seems much healthier in the soil that had cover crop. Got to like it when efforts to improve soil health appear to be working.

And, here is what happens if you till and plant - then get a downpour overnight. The ground crusts over and some of the finer seeds end up losing a battle to weeds. This field is due for some compost and a cover crop this fall. I suspect it will handle this better after that. Some of these crops are slated for tilling and restarting.

Just how it goes sometimes.

Consistency

It's been a while since I've done something for this topic.

You know - I've been thinking.....
(everyone together now) - A dangerous pastime!

I know.

One of the things that is very elusive for us on the farm is consistency. Or maybe it isn't. See, I can't even decide if it is an issue or not - therefore it must be.

The weather is consistent in that it is inconsistent. Sort of. In any event, no two seasons are the same, which means someone growing food, as we do, can not count on things going the same way from year to year. So, in a way, we can only be consistent in our willingness to work with/around the weather.

One thing is certainly consistent - and that is the number of projects and tasks to do around the farm. In fact, the laws of expanding lists apply here in all of their glory. On the other hand, the priority level of items on these lists can change daily - or even on a moment by moment basis.

Example: R needs to till the plot that will hold the tomatoes. It MUST get done today. He gets on the tiller, begins tilling. After a while, he smells something burning. It is coming from the tiller jack shaft. Uh oh. New priority, fix the tiller (note, this happened a few weeks ago - not currently an issue).

Example 2: Got to plant the broccoli and cauliflower transplants. Ups, those tomatoes look VERY wilty - better see what's up. Need water? Ok, better water them. Ups, hose doesn't reach. Better go get another length. Ups, the extra length of hose is in the building over there. The one where I stacked some boards to be put away. Guess I have to put those away before I can get to the hose. Ups, can't put the boards away until... ya, you get the idea.

At least we're consistent in our inconsistency.

Note: the tomatoes DID get their water.

Making Lemonade

A few years ago, a 90 mph microburst took out a building on our property. It also did a number on our pickup. And, this is a picture not too long after that event. Some salvage had already occurred, but not much.



After a few years, we began to realize that we just weren't going to find the time to remove the good lumber we knew was still in this building. So, we finally broke down and hired someone to do a little bit of the cleanup. And, here is a picture from a couple of weeks ago (it has progressed since then).



The lumber is going to be a valuable part of a new place for the turkeys. We'll try to take a few pictures and share them as time and our progress allows.

Some May Crop Pictures (but we don't)

The nice thing about a blog is the relative ease with which we can give everyone some idea of how things are going on the farm.

Below is a picture from May 20:

The garlic in this picture has grown a good bit in just a couple of weeks. And, of course, the weeds have as well. The good news here, however, is that the garlic survived the winter well and are growing on schedule for the season. We should be able to begin harvesting scapes in mid to late June. And, the garlic harvest typically begins around July 21. And, thanks to our most excellent work crew - we were able to clean four of the six 70 foot rows of weeds today!)

You may find it helpful to click on the image below and open the picture in a separate tab or window. You'll might be able to see it a bit better:

this is a picture of some of our early cabbage, onion and broccoli planting on May 20. They don't look like much - but Tuesday night's rain really helped these things take off. Guess we'd better find the battery charger so we can take new pictures!

Cold Frames

A while back we recounted how the winds took out a couple of our coldframes and beat on a number of our plants. The picture below shows the plastic covered cold frames that we have relied on the past couple of years to begin the process of hardening off plants for production or sale. And, if you look carefully - you'll see our NEW cold frames made out of salvaged storm windows and wood.

Don't get us wrong - the original structures have done fine for us. But, the covers only last through a season or two (at best). And a wind tends to bend up the light metal tubing. We have enough tubing for six of these at least - but only enough *unbent* tubing for four.

Our thanks to Dad for these structures that are already working out wonderfully. The windows are hinged in the back so they can be lifted up and attached to the wall behind it.

Digits, Specifically TOES

Today, we'd like to talk about TOES. Two kinds in particular:

• Tomay
• Potay

Thanks to help from various individuals - we have been able to broadfork the potato rows. This helps loosen the soil. It is our belief that it helps the potato plants and actually is an early season effort that reduces labor later on the farm. We can get into that more later. In any event, the rows are broadforked and tilled. We have planted 2/3 of the taters we intend to put in for the season. Is it late? Not terribly. We have planted potatoes as late as June 15 and gotten a fine crop. We usually do not intend to harvest potatoes until September anyway - so this should work out fine.

And, thanks to some help from our family - we got alot of the tomatoes in today. Again, about 2/3 of the plants are in the ground. Interesting to note that the plants this year are actually BIGGER than they have been any prior year. And, we haven't done too many things differently. It is looking like it could be a very good year for them.

A Weekend with Lots Going On

Ah... Memorial Day Weekend and lots going on at the farm.

- We have the Waverly Farmers' Market tomorrow AM from 8:30-11:30. We will have leeks, lettuce, spring garlic, spring onions and asparagus for eating. And...lots of tomato, eggplant, pepper and onion plants for planting. Come one, come all.

- We have a Tom Sawyer Day from 2pm to 6pm tomorrow afternoon. We encourage interested CSA and 'honorary' CSA members to come out and see what the farm looks like and how it feels to do a little work on there. We try to accommodate all skill levels, etc.

- Monday is our annual Iris Fest. This one requires no work. We ask everyone to bring something to grill (if that is your thing) and something to pass. We'll have the grill going. It is a kid friendly gathering. Bring favorite lawn games. Gathering starts at 4pm.

- Tuesday - we wonder where the weekend went.

Market Prep

Ah, it is 10pm and we're ready for market. Except for some signs, packing the truck, remembering a few other odds and ends, cleaning a table, etc etc.

That's ALOT of pots

It's a short post, but it tells you something about the farm.

We have completed the transplant of tomatoes from tray inserts to individual pots. T does most of the potting and I am support staff for that effort. Thanks also goes out to those who provided some time putting these little guys into pots as well - you know who you are!

Potted were 1750 tomatoes.
Of those tomatoes:

• 514 will go into production on our farm
• 120 are at K&K Gardens in Hawkeye. Go visit them!
• 36 are at Roots. Go visit them!
• 129 are at Shamrock Acres. Hope they grow well!
• 60 are already at individual homes via farmers' market sales. We spoke with them prior to sale and they know what to do.
• 51 more are spoken for and we are training them for their future homes.
• 65 were lost due to wind or other issues

This leaves us with 785 tomatoes looking for homes. Want some?

Farm Report

I think a quick farm report is due.

1. The tiller attachment on the tractor is in the shop. The timing isn't horrible since fields have been too wet to till. But, it does mean some serious work has to be crammed into the 2nd half of May. We realized that this tiller attachment is not likely designed for the 5 acres of 'garden' we grow. It probably has more hours on it than most tillers of this sort get in a lifetime.
2. Thanks to Dad, we now have several heavy-duty cold frames in which we can put plants. The up side - these are unlikely to blow away or beat on the plants. The down side - they hold fewer trays in each. We're learning how to take advantage of them though. Either way, they are an excellent addition. We'll try to get a picture out there eventually.
3. The old hog building that has been down for a few summers is getting cleaned up and wood is being salvaged. We'll try to take some pictures of that as well.
4. The meat chickens are doing well in their 2nd (entering their 3rd) week. Starting to see wing feathers, which means they will begin getting some outdoor time.
5. In the ground - planting 1 of peas, broccoli, lettuce, radish, carrot, spinach, arugula, beet, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, kale, kohlrabi
6. Cover crops are in a couple of plots. The plan calls for alot more work with them this year.
7. Looks like we'll have a decent iris bloom this year. Nothing like a few years ago - but I don't expect we'll ever see that again.
8. The tomato plants have a little bit of sun scalding on them, but they grow through that pretty well. It's what happens when you start hardening them off and you have cool, wet and cloudy weather - then they see the sun for the first time.
9. Tomato transplanting is nearly done. The peppers and eggplants are now in line. We always wonder (especially T) if this process will end.
10. The dandelion bloom is past its peak now. We've learned to kind of like these plants. They do some good things for the soil. But, they are a pain post bloom.
    
11. As is expected in any of our lists - this one goes to eleven.
    

Slooooow Mooooootion....

Once again, R takes his Sundays away from the farm with T's (conditional) blessing and goes forth to pretend like he can play baseball. It's a good thing I've always had a good imagination.

We were missing some people, so I *got* to play in left field. We play ball in Newton, so it is a bit of a drive. But, it is the town I grew up in and played ball in - so I know the fields. And, I KNOW that I don't like the sight lines in left field on the bigger field. There are these wonderful pine trees for background. And, like most trees, they have spots where you can see the sky through them. the result for many fly balls is that you get a strobe affect as you attempt to track the ball. Frankly, I find it to be less than helpful.

I was also allowed to toss the ball from the hill in the middle of the field towards the guy with a mask behind the pentagon shaped plate. I say toss somewhat facetiously since it is more normal for me to attempt to throw the ball every bit of 55 mph that I can. Oh, wait, that IS a toss. sorry about that.

In any event, many people can refer to scenes in many movies that involve sports of any kind where they slow the motion down - either for dramatic or comedic effect. It's sad when they try for one and get the other however.

I had one of those today. Ball is tossed towards guy with mask. Offensive person with a club swings at ball I have tossed and hits it. The world slooooooooooooooows down. It's one of those plays where the ball hits the plate area and hops up to my right side. Since it isn't particularly well hit, I know already that I have to get to it for any hope of an out. Usually, when the world slows down in a movie - the play will get made. I was seriously hoping for the director to yell cut when the ball got past me. No such luck.

Ok, granted it wasn't going to be an easy play. But, I feel cheated that my dramatic/comedic movie slow down resulted in a cheap infield hit. I want a new pitching category for script writer errors!

Just Plain Tired

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

There are just some days where you can't summon up any more energy to do anything.

Including write a blog post for the May Blog Blitz.

Tomaytoe, Tomahtoe

'Tis the season of tomato transplanting.

We start our seeds in 60 or 72 count inserts. (the standard 4 pack or 6 packs you might be familiar with seeing in a garden center) Then, we transplant them into pots before either selling them or putting them into the ground at the end of May.

So - it is tomato transplanting season. Soon to be followed by pepper and eggplant transplanting season. The task can be a bit daunting at times and keeping track of everything can be mildly difficult. But, the most difficult part has to do with finding places to PUT everything. The tomatoes in pots take alot more room.

So - come to Saturday's market in Waverly and get some tomato plants from us - that would help a great deal!

Which Came First?

Our laying flock of hens is producing well enough. Not really hitting on all cylinders (so to speak) but we still pull in around 2 dozen a day.

We collect eggs in the 18-hole cartons and bring them to a refrigerator in the garage. They reside there until we have time for an egg cleaning session. You can see what one batch of eggs to clean might look like below:



It takes a little bit of time to clean them - but that's just part of the deal when you have birds.

Some of our hens are Ameracaunas. They range in coloration and will lay green or pink eggs. They have not been the best producers for us - but the birds are fun. One of these birds has feathers in the cheek area that look a little like jowels. She had a foot injury a while a go, so moves a little slower. But, she does well enough. We've decided to call her Nixon.



Meanwhile, there is the Barnyard Supervisor. Bob has been our rooster for two and a half years now (really?). He was not feeling like posing for the camera because his comb has not yet fully recovered from Winter. Once it comes back in full, I'm sure he will pose.



We run our laying flock on what is called a "day range" system. The birds are closed into a 'safe' room at night and let out in the morning to run in a fenced in pasture. The pasture area is largely grass & clover with a few fruit trees. Of course, some of the hens find their way out of the pasture every day and check out the yard area in front of the barn. It gets annoying - but evidently not enough to get me to redo all the fences in their pasture.

Spring Flowers

Many people may not realize this - but prior to the vegetable farm, we were avid perennial flower gardeners. Actually, we still enjoy our perennials - but we have a difficult time keeping up with them during the growing season.

We are in the process of attempting to pull perennials out of our old flower beds and moving them up by the house in hopes that they can be maintained. Here's hoping!

But, Spring is always full of hope - and the early bloomers are doing well enough for us:

Bergenia

Bluebells

Bleeding Heart

Primrose

Pasque Flower

One of THOSE Days

Yes, it was one of those days - or perhaps - it was a couple of those days?

The cold weather and high winds brought their own issues. In the last week, we've had two days with significantly high sustained winds. The first bout with the wind cost a fair number of tomato, broccoli and lettuce seedlings. The second bout cost us one of our cold frames as it decided to take a trip across and down the road last night.

What does this mean for us? We have to build some heavier cold frames and take the time and resources to build something more permanent to handle our seedlings. And, we need to do that quickly.

Then, there is last night's and this night's cold weather. That means all of the seedlings needed to get moved into the garage to stay warm enough for the night. We've handled this just fine. But, it does mean that you spend the time moving the plants around to get them in there and still be able to do work. Whatever, we were already moving plants out of cold frames in order to save what we could from the wind.

Oh, and today was a farmers' market day in Waverly. It was difficult to stay motivated on Friday to pick for a market where we were pretty certain the turnout would be poor. But, we still picked and cleaned the leeks, lettuce, carrots, asparagus and kale. We made a selection of tomato plants, etc. And - we made ourselves go to market. A few brave folks did come to market. For that, we are most grateful. But, as we expected, we came home with a fair amount of produce.

Unfortunately, the kicker to all of this occurred this evening when we went out to do evening chicken chores. We have, er, HAD several hen chicks. But, found all but one missing from the box. The meat chicks appeared to be fine. After some work, we discovered all of the chicks wedged behind the box. Evidently a rat has decided that they are tasty. And, in the tradition of critters like this on our farm - you can't kill just one. So, we have one hen chick left.

This meant we had to slap together more protection for the meat chickens for the night. It also means that we know what we are doing tomorrow, despite the original plans for the day. Hopefully a two pronged plan of rat removal and new lids for the boxes will solve the problem.

"The Safety Plantz" by a Man with a Hat

The Dance of the Seedling Trays got me thinking about a certain tune. Then I started playing with different words for that song. I couldn't help myself - so here it is:

Revised lyrics for the Genuine Faux Farm to the tune "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats

We can plant if we want to
We can leave clean hands behind
'Cause the seeds must grow and if they don't grow
We're in the unemployment line
I say, weeds can grow where they want to
Drive us out of our mind
But we can act like we care for this world
Leave the herbicides far behind
And we can plant

We can sow when we want to
The soil is warm, so we can try
And we can mess with peat, spend some time on our feet
And surprise 'em with the brocco-lie!
Say, we'll make a pact if you want to
If we don't, tell me who will?
And you can eat real food, good taste we'll include
And I can be green with chlorophyll!

[Refrain]
I say, we can sow, we can plant
Everything out in the ground
We can hoe, we can till
We're doing it from field to field
We can weed, we can mulch
Everybody look at our hands
We can wash, we can scrub
Nothing is gettin' them cle - e - ean!

We can water 'cuz we need to
We've got our seedling trays in line
As long as they could use it, not gonna refuse it
Everything'll work out right
I say, we can plant if we want to
We'll be plantin' all the time
'Cause the seeds must grow and if they don't grow
Well we're in the unemployment line

[Refrain in early Spring when it could still frost or freeze]

Is it safe to plant, oh is it safe to plant? [6x]

==========================

The original lyrics of Safety Dance can be found here:http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/safetydancelyrics.html