Since the creative juices are now at an ebb after the Oh Well Trilogy, we'll just do a bunch of short items here to keep everyone interested.
Noticing Little Things
Since we started the farm business, we find ourselves looking at little things that other businesses do that irk us just a little and try not to do those things. Though, I am sure we do plenty of little things wrong, it doesn't hurt to observe our own reactions when we are customers and try to use them as a learning experience so we avoid these same issues.
For example, I have been doing a great deal of paper work this weekend - which includes paying bills. I was pleased to note that one small business provided me with a Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope (SASE). I was NOT pleased when I realized it was an odd-sized envelope. I even had to fold the check down. It's a stupid little thing - and not a big deal. But, for that moment, I was irked.
Then, there are the instances where I get the itemized bill, but there is no section intended to return with payment. I don't want to send the whole itemized bill back, that's for my records. And, I am sure they don't want ANOTHER copy of that bill. So, I end up having to throw something together to make sure it identifies the proper invoice/account, etc. Again, it is not a big deal, but when I DO get these things from a small business, I find my opinion of them goes up.
But, then I realized something. We probably do a number of things that might irritate for a moment. We always hope for understanding. And, if it is a thing we can fix, we appreciate getting a kind comment suggesting a change. At the very least we are aware of the issue. And, if we can find the time and energy, we can correct it. Maybe I should say something to each of these businesses? Hm.
Crop Report
Rabbits have discovered they like to cut down our peppers. The field peppers are down about 400 plants right now. This is particularly hard on us after the effort we all put into planting, cultivating and laying drip tape. We're struggling to find solutions for this problem. On the plus side, the zucchini and summer squash are showing rapid growth. The tomatoes are beginning to show some growth, as are the cucumbers. The batch of kohlrabi, pok choi and chinese cabbage people helped plant during Iris Fest TSD are growing well. On the flip side, everything needs to be weeded. The rain has prevented us from getting out there with cultivators. Ahhhhhh, life on the farm. Never a dull moment.
Fourth of July Week
As the Cedar Falls CSA members should already know, we are not doing a distribution on the 4th. A significant number of people indicated that they would not be able to pick up and many others were unsure if they could do so.
At present, we still expect to do the Tuesday and Wednesday distributions. But, that assumes certain crops get us what we are expecting. If they do not, then we'll chalk it up to wishful thinking and set our sites for the week after.
Our plans for the 4th include: weeding, planting, watering, feeding critters, mowing and whatever else the weather allows us to do. Then, we might grill some grass-fed beef and see if there is any greens to cook up. We may start a small fire after chores are done and sit and watch the Fredericka fireworks while we sit at the farm. Even if we don't do that last bit, I'll try to catch a firefly. It's tradition, you know.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Oh Well - Nonsensically Speaking
Part one of the saga is here.
Part two is here.
By now you may have heard a little bit about a particular farm. On this farm lived two people, five cats, some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees. The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm. Sometimes, they asked others to join them on the farm to do a little work and then celebrate the day with good food.
While the farmers and the workers accomplished many things on the farm, they were visited by a Snort and a HAAAACK. The Snort ate the farm's well and created holes that were big enough to swallow Durnik, the farm's small tractor. The HAAAACK and its mate were kind enough to replace the well, but the ensuing mess was a bit slimy and caused the farmers, the workers, the cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even some of the earthworms to wonder what else could possibly happen.
Some things didn't work out. For example, many plants in trays were no longer good enough to plant in the ground. So, the farmers pulled them out of the trays and decided to turn them into compost, which is a good thing even if it wasn't the reason they planted these things in the first place.
And, wheels on the carts broke. But, the farmers knew these sorts of things happened, so they moved one wheel to another so only one cart remained broken instead of two. They expected that they would replace the wheels soon.
One of the things that reminded the farmers and the workers of the good things in life when bad things happened were the flowers on the farm.
And so, they continued to do things to make the farm a better place to live and work. Mr. Jim helped organize all of the tools in the truck barn by making a farm tool wall.
And Mr. Tyler created a drip tape dispenser that dispensed, of all things, drip tape. The farmers, Mr Tyler and the cats all agreed that "dispense" is a silly sounding word. But, the farmers, Mr Tyler, Miss Rachel and Mr Denis all agreed that, despite the silly sounding word, the drip tape dispenser dispensed drip tape well, so they all suggested that the farm should not dispense with the dispenser.
Then, another good thing happened. The ground was dry enough to plant for a few days and the farmers and the workers did their best to plant things in the ground.
Durnik the tractor avoided the Durnik sized hole made by the HAAAACK and he helped prepare fields for planting. Some areas were still a little wet and made the ground a bit pebbly. But, all agreed it was necessary to get the plants into the ground.
Trays and trays of plants went to the fields to be planted.
Summer squash and zucchini were planted between rows of garlic. Some of the plants were planted into paper mulch and some were planted without paper mulch. The farmers were doing some research to see if the paper mulch made difference. They even polled some of the earthworms to see what they thought. The earthworms were too busy deflating their water wings and putting them in their closets to respond.
The farmers and workers even spent time weeding the beans and potatoes.
And many cucumber plants were given homes. The farmers were pleased to see that the plants seemed healthy and the rows were almost straight!
But, the farmers and the workers were a little chagrined when they realized they would have to use the drip tape dispenser to dispense drip tape so the drip tape could dispense water to the new plants. They found this ironic. The farmers, the workers and the cats all agreed that "chagrined" and "ironic" were also funny sounding words, but not nearly as funny sounding as "dispense."
Mother Nature noted the dispensed drip tape and decided to dispense alot more rain. The earthworms had to run to their closets to find where they had placed their water wings. The farmers had to make more decisions about changes that would need to be made in order to keep growing good food on the farm.
The farmers received more dirt to place in the two raised beds Mr Denis built. The truck driver that delivered the dirt looked at the biceps on the farmers and found them wanting. So, he placed more dirt in each bed than was necessary.
"There, you can build up those muscles by shoveling," said the truck driver.
The farmers removed excess soil and added some peat. Then they planted lettuce and onions.
She continued to watch.... the SNORT!
One of the chickens said,
"Hey Mr. Snort, would you leave our new well alone? We need the water it provides for us. While the rain leaves us puddles, the puddles do not always stay."
But, the Snort did not answer.
The ducklings said,
"We love our water..." slurp slurp splash splash
They were so distracted by their water that they didn't finish whatever it was they were going to say.
The turkeys said,
"Mr Farmer, will you please tell the Snort to leave our well alone? We need the water from the well too. Did you bring us more food? What was I saying? Did you bring us more food? Food? Food!?"
The farmer realized that when turkeys talk, either the farmer needs to seek professional help OR he should do something to honor their request.
So he gave them food.
Then, he tried to scare the Snort away!
But the Snort did not respond.
So, the farmer asked Sandman, the cat, to talk to the Snort.
Sandman said,
"Mr Snort, your presence is no longer welcome here. If you want water, we will pour you a large tub of water to drink. But, we do not want you eating our new well. So, we would like you to leave.
I, the Sandman, have spoken."
And so, the Snort took a cool drink.
And called for a cab.
So it could go home.
The Snort left the farm. It left the farmers. And the workers.
It left the cats, the chickens, the ducks and the turkeys.
It even left the earthworms to float in the fields wearing their water wings.
And once it had gone, they all started to wonder.
Did we remember to close the high tunnel door?
Yes.
And everyone was happy.
Part two is here.
By now you may have heard a little bit about a particular farm. On this farm lived two people, five cats, some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees. The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm. Sometimes, they asked others to join them on the farm to do a little work and then celebrate the day with good food.
While the farmers and the workers accomplished many things on the farm, they were visited by a Snort and a HAAAACK. The Snort ate the farm's well and created holes that were big enough to swallow Durnik, the farm's small tractor. The HAAAACK and its mate were kind enough to replace the well, but the ensuing mess was a bit slimy and caused the farmers, the workers, the cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even some of the earthworms to wonder what else could possibly happen.
Some things didn't work out. For example, many plants in trays were no longer good enough to plant in the ground. So, the farmers pulled them out of the trays and decided to turn them into compost, which is a good thing even if it wasn't the reason they planted these things in the first place.
One of the things that reminded the farmers and the workers of the good things in life when bad things happened were the flowers on the farm.
And so, they continued to do things to make the farm a better place to live and work. Mr. Jim helped organize all of the tools in the truck barn by making a farm tool wall.
And Mr. Tyler created a drip tape dispenser that dispensed, of all things, drip tape. The farmers, Mr Tyler and the cats all agreed that "dispense" is a silly sounding word. But, the farmers, Mr Tyler, Miss Rachel and Mr Denis all agreed that, despite the silly sounding word, the drip tape dispenser dispensed drip tape well, so they all suggested that the farm should not dispense with the dispenser.
Then, another good thing happened. The ground was dry enough to plant for a few days and the farmers and the workers did their best to plant things in the ground.
Durnik the tractor avoided the Durnik sized hole made by the HAAAACK and he helped prepare fields for planting. Some areas were still a little wet and made the ground a bit pebbly. But, all agreed it was necessary to get the plants into the ground.
Summer squash and zucchini were planted between rows of garlic. Some of the plants were planted into paper mulch and some were planted without paper mulch. The farmers were doing some research to see if the paper mulch made difference. They even polled some of the earthworms to see what they thought. The earthworms were too busy deflating their water wings and putting them in their closets to respond.
Hundreds of tomatoes were taken out of their plots and planted in rows.
The farmers and workers even spent time weeding the beans and potatoes.
And many cucumber plants were given homes. The farmers were pleased to see that the plants seemed healthy and the rows were almost straight!
But, the farmers and the workers were a little chagrined when they realized they would have to use the drip tape dispenser to dispense drip tape so the drip tape could dispense water to the new plants. They found this ironic. The farmers, the workers and the cats all agreed that "chagrined" and "ironic" were also funny sounding words, but not nearly as funny sounding as "dispense."
The farmers received more dirt to place in the two raised beds Mr Denis built. The truck driver that delivered the dirt looked at the biceps on the farmers and found them wanting. So, he placed more dirt in each bed than was necessary.
"There, you can build up those muscles by shoveling," said the truck driver.
The farmers removed excess soil and added some peat. Then they planted lettuce and onions.
But, the little cat named Mrrranda continued to look away from the farm.
She continued to watch.... the SNORT!
One of the chickens said,
"Hey Mr. Snort, would you leave our new well alone? We need the water it provides for us. While the rain leaves us puddles, the puddles do not always stay."
But, the Snort did not answer.
The ducklings said,
"We love our water..." slurp slurp splash splash
They were so distracted by their water that they didn't finish whatever it was they were going to say.
"Mr Farmer, will you please tell the Snort to leave our well alone? We need the water from the well too. Did you bring us more food? What was I saying? Did you bring us more food? Food? Food!?"
So he gave them food.
Then, he tried to scare the Snort away!
But the Snort did not respond.
So, the farmer asked Sandman, the cat, to talk to the Snort.
"Mr Snort, your presence is no longer welcome here. If you want water, we will pour you a large tub of water to drink. But, we do not want you eating our new well. So, we would like you to leave.
I, the Sandman, have spoken."
And so, the Snort took a cool drink.
And called for a cab.
So it could go home.
The Snort left the farm. It left the farmers. And the workers.
It left the cats, the chickens, the ducks and the turkeys.
It even left the earthworms to float in the fields wearing their water wings.
And once it had gone, they all started to wonder.
Did we remember to close the high tunnel door?
And everyone was happy.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Farm Report June 24
We had a productive week on the farm last week. Fields finally were dry enough to work, so that's what we did. We worked.
Our last blog post provided a list of tasks we hoped to complete in a week. Our last update to that post just went live. You may go here to see it.
If you've looked out the window or listened to weather reports, you know we've been getting rain again. We thought we were going to get through it pretty well until the early AM rains. Now, we are very wet again. Not to the point of standing water in the fields, but we may have to delay putting more in for a few days. That's hard to take when we knew we were already four weeks behind on our planting. On the other hand, we are painfully aware that there are people who received so much rain that we are looking at near record flooding again this year. We are, in particular, worried about the New Hartford area that has been hit by so much adverse weather the past few years.
Nonetheless, we forge onward and will continue to make progress. Sometimes, that means we will need to decide to let a crop go. Other times, it means we will do work in the fields even though it is not the best conditions to work. And, in all cases, we will do what we can to keep our attitude positive. In every case this year we have made the best choices we could make given the conditions, resources and information we had at that moment. Sometimes, we chose poorly, others we chose well - and in most cases, it is hard to tell which way the chips will fall. Tammy and I are both certain we're giving this our best go. We have more knowledge and more tools to work with this year - and that has helped.
Broilers (chickens)
These are growing well, despite our inability to move them to the proper locations when we wanted them moved. They should be right around our normal weight ranges when processed (4-6 pounds). They will be available second week of July.
Hens
The young hens are now integrated into the flock. Laying rates are reasonably good and the birds are being bird-like. Therefore, all is well.
Turkeys
The normal early losses are over and the birds are curious about things and growing. Can't complain about that.
Ducks
Are also being ducks. Again, this is a good thing.
Potatoes and Beans
This field looks good as long as you skip the north part that was under water for a while. The dry beans are good. The green beans still need replanting. About 75% of the potatoes made it through the early wet issues and are on target for a decent year of production. The German Butterballs are gone. But, we have Carola (another yellow), Mountain Rose, Purple Majesty and Rio Grande going strong. They are on target for August/Sept harvest. Of course, the weeds are now becoming an issue, but we'll do what we must on that front.
Winter Squash
These are still in trays. The field was very nearly ready to be planted before we got more rain. The long season winter squash are now unlikely to have enough time to ripen. That means butternuts are unlikely to make it. We may opt to fill in with shorter season items and drop them entirely. This assumes we get into the field this week.
Brassica/Onion
We were able to put in 500 feet of broccoli, 200 feet of cauliflower and 100 feet of romanesco. We also put in 100 feet of white onions. The onion plants are still progressing in their trays, but we're not sure what sort of results we can get out of them now. At the least, we hope to pick alot of them as green onions for you later in the season. To give perspective, there are still approximately 1200 feet of onions left to go in the ground. Assuming they go in the ground. The brassica listed here are likely to be August/Sept crops now. The early crops just didn't make it.
Pea/Cucumber/Carrots
the cucumbers like this rain as long as it doesn't pond on them. The peas are also fine with it. And, the carrots are big enough now to handle it. We expect the cukes to begin showing solid growth about 7-10 days after transplant. We're still a few days away from saying they're going to develop into the plants we want. But, so far so good. We usually figure about 30-40 days for cucumbers. So, July 20 is a reasonable guess for a first trickle from them. Peas may be a week away. Carrots? 3 weeks for smaller carrots is our current guess. But, they also sing theme song "Weed Me" along with other crops.
Tomatoes/Basil
No basil in the ground at this time. Tomatoes are in and are getting roots set. We expect alot of new growth starting about midweek. We will need to look to the high tunnel for early production, but they are still a ways off. Not likely to see any July tomatoes this year. We still hold some hope for early August tomatoes from the high tunnel. Likely late August for field tomatoes this year. We are in the same boat as many in our area. Lots of gardens just now getting put in - regardless of size. I am guessing we are all hoping for late frosts!
Summer Squash/Zucchini/Turnips/Garlic
Garlic is late - yes we planted it on time. The scapes are just now getting going, so we can begin harvesting them. Turnips look good and need thinning. We are about 2-3 weeks from small turnips to harvest. Summer squash/zucchini successions 1/2 are starting to show serious growth on the West end of the field. The east end was planted later and gets a bit wetter, but the plants are still growing. Succession 3 is still putting on the roots to grow. We often hope for our first summer squash and zucchini July 10 or so. That is likely too optimistic - we're hoping for July 24 this year.
Peppers/Eggplant/Okra/Beans
We put some green beans in this plot and they are germinating. That puts us with green beans in late July or early August assuming all goes well. Peppers and eggplant that the deer and rabbits haven't devastated are starting to take. The field needs another cultivation, but we should be ok. Move the dates for these about 2-3 weeks back from normal at this point. Okra has germinated. We will see what they do, but we expect little from them.
Melon/Watermelon
These are still in trays. We're very disappointed in this since this is one of our favorites to eat in the summer.
Greens
Regardless of how you feel about greens, they are the bulk of early season production. And, we're having a rough go of it this year. Our first arugula planting bolted before it got any size to pick. Thursday CSA got all we had for mustard greens in succession I. Succession II is getting ready to pick, but we're watching it closely as it may decide to bolt in the heat. We have radish getting ready in the next week or so. Kale is spotty, with many still in trays. Chard is starting to get somewhere but needs attention. Our field spinach planting didn't make it so we will till that in. Chinese cabbage looks like it is starting make a run of it, as are some kohlrabi. Both are 3-4 weeks away. We're trying to get more lettuce in and filled a raised bed with lettuce.
===============
There is likely more to report, but that is all I can think of at the moment. We hope you find these reports useful.
Rob and Tammy
Our last blog post provided a list of tasks we hoped to complete in a week. Our last update to that post just went live. You may go here to see it.
If you've looked out the window or listened to weather reports, you know we've been getting rain again. We thought we were going to get through it pretty well until the early AM rains. Now, we are very wet again. Not to the point of standing water in the fields, but we may have to delay putting more in for a few days. That's hard to take when we knew we were already four weeks behind on our planting. On the other hand, we are painfully aware that there are people who received so much rain that we are looking at near record flooding again this year. We are, in particular, worried about the New Hartford area that has been hit by so much adverse weather the past few years.
Nonetheless, we forge onward and will continue to make progress. Sometimes, that means we will need to decide to let a crop go. Other times, it means we will do work in the fields even though it is not the best conditions to work. And, in all cases, we will do what we can to keep our attitude positive. In every case this year we have made the best choices we could make given the conditions, resources and information we had at that moment. Sometimes, we chose poorly, others we chose well - and in most cases, it is hard to tell which way the chips will fall. Tammy and I are both certain we're giving this our best go. We have more knowledge and more tools to work with this year - and that has helped.
Broilers (chickens)
These are growing well, despite our inability to move them to the proper locations when we wanted them moved. They should be right around our normal weight ranges when processed (4-6 pounds). They will be available second week of July.
Hens
The young hens are now integrated into the flock. Laying rates are reasonably good and the birds are being bird-like. Therefore, all is well.
Turkeys
The normal early losses are over and the birds are curious about things and growing. Can't complain about that.
Ducks
Are also being ducks. Again, this is a good thing.
Potatoes and Beans
This field looks good as long as you skip the north part that was under water for a while. The dry beans are good. The green beans still need replanting. About 75% of the potatoes made it through the early wet issues and are on target for a decent year of production. The German Butterballs are gone. But, we have Carola (another yellow), Mountain Rose, Purple Majesty and Rio Grande going strong. They are on target for August/Sept harvest. Of course, the weeds are now becoming an issue, but we'll do what we must on that front.
Winter Squash
These are still in trays. The field was very nearly ready to be planted before we got more rain. The long season winter squash are now unlikely to have enough time to ripen. That means butternuts are unlikely to make it. We may opt to fill in with shorter season items and drop them entirely. This assumes we get into the field this week.
Brassica/Onion
We were able to put in 500 feet of broccoli, 200 feet of cauliflower and 100 feet of romanesco. We also put in 100 feet of white onions. The onion plants are still progressing in their trays, but we're not sure what sort of results we can get out of them now. At the least, we hope to pick alot of them as green onions for you later in the season. To give perspective, there are still approximately 1200 feet of onions left to go in the ground. Assuming they go in the ground. The brassica listed here are likely to be August/Sept crops now. The early crops just didn't make it.
Pea/Cucumber/Carrots
the cucumbers like this rain as long as it doesn't pond on them. The peas are also fine with it. And, the carrots are big enough now to handle it. We expect the cukes to begin showing solid growth about 7-10 days after transplant. We're still a few days away from saying they're going to develop into the plants we want. But, so far so good. We usually figure about 30-40 days for cucumbers. So, July 20 is a reasonable guess for a first trickle from them. Peas may be a week away. Carrots? 3 weeks for smaller carrots is our current guess. But, they also sing theme song "Weed Me" along with other crops.
Tomatoes/Basil
No basil in the ground at this time. Tomatoes are in and are getting roots set. We expect alot of new growth starting about midweek. We will need to look to the high tunnel for early production, but they are still a ways off. Not likely to see any July tomatoes this year. We still hold some hope for early August tomatoes from the high tunnel. Likely late August for field tomatoes this year. We are in the same boat as many in our area. Lots of gardens just now getting put in - regardless of size. I am guessing we are all hoping for late frosts!
Summer Squash/Zucchini/Turnips/Garlic
Garlic is late - yes we planted it on time. The scapes are just now getting going, so we can begin harvesting them. Turnips look good and need thinning. We are about 2-3 weeks from small turnips to harvest. Summer squash/zucchini successions 1/2 are starting to show serious growth on the West end of the field. The east end was planted later and gets a bit wetter, but the plants are still growing. Succession 3 is still putting on the roots to grow. We often hope for our first summer squash and zucchini July 10 or so. That is likely too optimistic - we're hoping for July 24 this year.
Peppers/Eggplant/Okra/Beans
We put some green beans in this plot and they are germinating. That puts us with green beans in late July or early August assuming all goes well. Peppers and eggplant that the deer and rabbits haven't devastated are starting to take. The field needs another cultivation, but we should be ok. Move the dates for these about 2-3 weeks back from normal at this point. Okra has germinated. We will see what they do, but we expect little from them.
Melon/Watermelon
These are still in trays. We're very disappointed in this since this is one of our favorites to eat in the summer.
Greens
Regardless of how you feel about greens, they are the bulk of early season production. And, we're having a rough go of it this year. Our first arugula planting bolted before it got any size to pick. Thursday CSA got all we had for mustard greens in succession I. Succession II is getting ready to pick, but we're watching it closely as it may decide to bolt in the heat. We have radish getting ready in the next week or so. Kale is spotty, with many still in trays. Chard is starting to get somewhere but needs attention. Our field spinach planting didn't make it so we will till that in. Chinese cabbage looks like it is starting make a run of it, as are some kohlrabi. Both are 3-4 weeks away. We're trying to get more lettuce in and filled a raised bed with lettuce.
===============
There is likely more to report, but that is all I can think of at the moment. We hope you find these reports useful.
Rob and Tammy
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Can They Do It?
Rob and Tammy spent time today working on a priority list of items they hope to complete THIS WEEK.
We'll update the progress here each evening. Let's see what the farmers, the workers, the chickens, ducks, turkeys, cats and earthworms can accomplish this week! Completed tasks are in green. In progress tasks are in purple.
Alas - we are in a rain delay. Most of the field work will now need to roll into next week's list. But, we made a valiant effort this week to complete all we could.
========================================
End of week update:
Farmers, workers, volunteers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even the earthworms all agree that we put in a good week at the farm. A number of the items not completed were postponed due to rain. Can't control that. A few others changed due to circumstances. Some items were added and completed, a few others stayed but were placed at lower priorities. In other words, a normal work week.
Our thanks for positive thoughts. We may do this again as we found it motivated many of the workers to turn items on a list "colors." We hope you found it interesting as well.
========================================
Broilers
Hens
Turkeys
We'll update the progress here each evening. Let's see what the farmers, the workers, the chickens, ducks, turkeys, cats and earthworms can accomplish this week! Completed tasks are in green. In progress tasks are in purple.
Alas - we are in a rain delay. Most of the field work will now need to roll into next week's list. But, we made a valiant effort this week to complete all we could.
========================================
End of week update:
Farmers, workers, volunteers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even the earthworms all agree that we put in a good week at the farm. A number of the items not completed were postponed due to rain. Can't control that. A few others changed due to circumstances. Some items were added and completed, a few others stayed but were placed at lower priorities. In other words, a normal work week.
Our thanks for positive thoughts. We may do this again as we found it motivated many of the workers to turn items on a list "colors." We hope you found it interesting as well.
========================================
Broilers
- Finish new shelters
- Mow Field E1
- Move shelters to E1
- Fences to E1
- Modify current buildings to let in more air
- Move 1st batch broilers to E1
- Move 2nd batch broilers to E1
- Set up water reserve by E1
- clean up red building for ducks
Hens
- Move metal nest box into hen room
- move henlets in with hen flock
- move fence away from henlet area
- move triangle shelter to intermediate location
- Make another roost for hens
- straw in nest boxes
- take old fence down W side hen pasture
Turkeys
- clean out room
- straw into room
- Turks out of brooder and into room
- Move older ducks into bigger brooder
- clean out smaller brooder
- remove smaller brooder from room
- mow pasture for ducks
- move building to duck pasture
- move ducks to temp pasture location
- Finish scraping
- and sanding
- Prime 2 sides
- Message to Tue/Wed CSA members
- Message to Thu CSA members
- Pick/Clean/Pack for CSA
- Deliver CSA Thus
- Clean up after CSA
- cut down weeds along sides of building
- repair line on north side roll up
- set up irrigation lines
- weed north edge
- lay fabric north edge
- plant rest of peppers
- plant second bean succession
- clean out old plants
- staple down south fabric
- pull out bolted lettuce
- Harvest last of kohlrabi and lettuce
- boards on North wall
- set up tool wall organization
- organize and clean prior to Thus CSA
- Set up outside door for hens
- Fix South door to hen room
- Acquire drip line, feeder lines and parts for irrigation
- Acquire new picking tubs to replace worn out tubs
- Vet for cats
- Pick up new flair box trailer
- trash run
- wood mulch
- sandpaper
- barn lime
- wheels for carts
- part for hose reel
- excess plants to Food Bank
- gasoline for equipment
- cardboard recycling
- Fix hose cart feeder line
- Adjust new tool bar to row spacing
- Find parts for between row cultivator and fix
- Adjust mulch layer,
- replace set bolts - broke another one...
- put up calendar, clock, field map for worker area
- put up white board
- Build drip tape layer for cart
- Get a 2nd cart working (pirate a wheel from one)
- Clean out a cart and put power washer in it
- learn to use new irrigation feeder line
- E2 - Prep/Plant Beets/Radish
- E2 - Prep/Plant succession III summer squash/zucchini
- E2 - prep/plant melon succession
- E2 - weed garlic
- E2 - weed turnip
- E2 - lay drip line
- E3 - disk east third
- E3 - chisel lines for rest of tomatoes
- E3 - plant 250 tomatoes
- E3 - cultivate with Barty between rows
- E3 - drip line down
- E3 - Irrigate
- E3 - straw mulch
- E4 - Prep/Plant Succession I cucumbers
- E4- Prep/Plant Succession II cucumbers
- E4 - Irrigate
- E4 - weed/cultivate peas/carrots
- E4- replant pole beans
- E4 - pea fences up
- E4- hog panels out to E4 for pea fence
- E5 - disk field
- E5 - prep beds in middle of plot
- E5 - plant onions/broccoli/cauliflower
- E5 - side dress brassica with fertilizer
- E6 chisel field
- E6 mark out beds
- E6 lay paper mulch
- E6 plant winter squash
- E6 plant cover crop strips
- E7 cultivate and weed beans/potato
- E7 replant north 3 beds
- E7 drip line down
- E7 begin mulching
- T1 transplant kale and chard from hightunnel
- T1 till beds, put in transplants
- T1 chisel hardpan areas
- T2 prep field for melons/watermelons
- T2 lay paper mulch
- T2 plant melon/watermelon
- T2 plant cover crop strips
- T3 Drip line down
- T3 cultivate
- T3 Irrigate
- T3 replace any plants that have failed
- SW prep field for planting
- Sw weed asparagus
- SW transplant new asparagus
- Raised Beds - prep bed 1
- RB - plant lettuce/onion in bed 1
- RB - add soil to bed 2
- RB - plant as above
- RB - remove excess soil
- Waverly plots - prep beds 2 and 3
- WP - weed bed 1
- WP - replace failed plants
- WP - plant leeks, cabbage bed 3
- WP - plant cabbage bed 2
- WP - plant onion bed 2
- WP - water all twice in week
- Dig up dead trees
- plant 5 trees
- pictures of new t-shirts
- post pictures of new t-shirts
- take plants out of trays that are no longer viable and dry trays
- update website
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Oh Well - and More Nonsense
to see Part I click on the link here.
Once upon a time, there was a farm. On this farm lived two people, five cats,
some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees. The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm. Sometimes, they asked others to join them on the farm to do a little work and then celebrate the day with good food.
Sadly, a SNORT came and visited the farm and ate the well. There was no water for the farmers, the cats, the chickens, ducks, turkeys or people who visited the farm to eat good food.
Perhaps the SNORT felt that the farm had sufficient water since the earthworms were wearing water wings. After all, the SNORT had evidence that there was plenty of water on the farm when it watched a truck get stuck trying to deliver a load of black dirt to the farm. But, it still might have felt a little bit guilty and it helped pull the truck out.
Work on the farm continued. Mr Tyler found a way to put in an automatic vent for the high tunnel. The farmers agreed that a vent that opened and closed without electricity would be excellent, and so they found a product that did just that.
There was so much work to do on the farm that one of the farmers was caught telling someone that his head was about to explode because there was so much to accomplish in very little time. Or perhaps he was trying to imitate the sun in hopes that the plants would grow for him.
Miss Rachel and Mr Tyler helped the farmers complete building a small structure to help small plants to grow in trays. The ground was still so wet that most of these plants could not yet be put in the ground. But, they seemed to be happy in this building.
Then, a good thing happened! People came to the farm and they put on gloves. Gloves could mean several things. Perhaps it was cold outside? It is possible that it was a fashion statement.
But, happily, these people, and many others, came to the farm to help with some projects for a while. This made the farmers very happy.
The helpers weeded some of the flower beds around the house. Flowers help remind the farmers and the workers to enjoy beauty. But, no one was entirely certain if the cats, the chickens, ducks, turkeys or the earthworms cared one way or the other.
The raised bed frames that Mr Denis built were moved and dirt was placed on them. Perhaps with a little more dirt the farmers would be able to put plants in these frames. But, while the farmers and workers were happy with this, it was again unlikely that the cats, chickens, ducks or turkeys really cared. The earthworms, however, decided to move in.
Suddenly, an ettercap crawled from the stump in the front yard. A whole host of visitors on the farm worked feverishly to prevent the creature from escaping, efficiently placing the very things that will stop any self-respecting ettercap from terrorizing people ever again - grass and twigs. A tragedy was averted. The farmers and workers rejoiced. The earthworms continued to move their belongings to the raised beds. The cats, chickens, ducks and turkeys ignored the whole thing.
Then, a miracle occurred. One farmer discovered some of the land was dry enough to till and plant, if only barely so. And, a whole host of people helped to plant chinese cabbage, kohlrabi and pok choi.
In fact, the people who visited completed many items on a whole list of tasks.
The next day, when all of the glove wearing visitors had left, the farm was invaded by the giant HAAAACK and its mate. The farmers, workers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and earthworms looked on with concern.
The HAAAACK began to make a noise.
Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwwwwww
Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwwwwww
Rukrukrukrukrukrukrukrukruk
And it made that noise ALL day long until....
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
Now the farmers, workers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and earthworms understood how the HAAAACK got its name. None of them were pleased to have learned this.
There was a big mess to clean up, and there still wasn't a working well. The farmers looked at each other and realized they didn't have many resources to help with the cleanup.
Then, they noticed that the little cat named Mrrranda was not paying attention to the mess left by the HAAACK. She was looking in the other direction.
Something was lurking just on the other side of the farm...
This thrilling story to be continued...
Once upon a time, there was a farm. On this farm lived two people, five cats,
some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees. The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm. Sometimes, they asked others to join them on the farm to do a little work and then celebrate the day with good food.
Sadly, a SNORT came and visited the farm and ate the well. There was no water for the farmers, the cats, the chickens, ducks, turkeys or people who visited the farm to eat good food.
Perhaps the SNORT felt that the farm had sufficient water since the earthworms were wearing water wings. After all, the SNORT had evidence that there was plenty of water on the farm when it watched a truck get stuck trying to deliver a load of black dirt to the farm. But, it still might have felt a little bit guilty and it helped pull the truck out.
Work on the farm continued. Mr Tyler found a way to put in an automatic vent for the high tunnel. The farmers agreed that a vent that opened and closed without electricity would be excellent, and so they found a product that did just that.
Then, a good thing happened! People came to the farm and they put on gloves. Gloves could mean several things. Perhaps it was cold outside? It is possible that it was a fashion statement.
The raised bed frames that Mr Denis built were moved and dirt was placed on them. Perhaps with a little more dirt the farmers would be able to put plants in these frames. But, while the farmers and workers were happy with this, it was again unlikely that the cats, chickens, ducks or turkeys really cared. The earthworms, however, decided to move in.
Suddenly, an ettercap crawled from the stump in the front yard. A whole host of visitors on the farm worked feverishly to prevent the creature from escaping, efficiently placing the very things that will stop any self-respecting ettercap from terrorizing people ever again - grass and twigs. A tragedy was averted. The farmers and workers rejoiced. The earthworms continued to move their belongings to the raised beds. The cats, chickens, ducks and turkeys ignored the whole thing.
In fact, the people who visited completed many items on a whole list of tasks.
The next day, when all of the glove wearing visitors had left, the farm was invaded by the giant HAAAACK and its mate. The farmers, workers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and earthworms looked on with concern.
The HAAAACK began to make a noise.
Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwwwwww
Rukrukrukrukrukrukrukrukruk
And it made that noise ALL day long until....
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
Now the farmers, workers, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and earthworms understood how the HAAAACK got its name. None of them were pleased to have learned this.
Something was lurking just on the other side of the farm...
This thrilling story to be continued...
Friday, June 7, 2013
Oh, Well - and Other Nonsense
Once upon a time, there was a farm. On this farm lived two people, five cats,
some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees.
The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm.
Miss Brittney helped fill seed trays with starting soil mix. Once the soil was packed down, she put a seed or two in each round cell. After all the cells in a tray were full, she covered them with more soil mix and packed it down so the seeds would germinate.
Miss Kailey helped transplant peppers and tomatoes from seedling trays to small pots. This allowed the plants to get bigger and stronger so they would do better when they finally were put into the ground.
Mr. Elliot worked diligently to scrape and sand one of the buildings on the farm. He worked hard to make progress on this task because he knew paint helped the buildings last.
Miss Rachel helped the farmers work in their high tunnel. Even though the building had flooded about a week ago, the soil had finally dried enough to allow them to plant tomatoes and peppers. They even prepared a seed bed for green beans and carrots.
Mr. Tyler began work building portable poultry shelters. He found some cattle panels and some old lumber and made a hoop building. With a little more work, tarps were found to provide shade and wind shelter. Soon, these buildings will be used for some of the broilers that lived on the farm.
Mr. Denis knew that the rains had made it impossible to plant in the fields. So, he began work making raised bed frames. The farmers could put dirt in these frames and plant into them. Because the beds are higher than the surrounding areas, they would dry out quicker and allow the farmers to do work sooner after a rain.
But then.....
A SNORT came and attacked the farm.
The snort was thirsty and it wanted water. It dug and it dug until it found the farm's well. Once it found it, it consumed the well, pump and all. Suddenly, the farm was without water for the two people, the workers, the cats, the chickens, the ducks, the turkeys or the plants in pots.
But, because it rained and rained and rained, plants in the ground and the earthworms had more than enough water.
The SNORT felt some remorse for its actions, so it filled the hole back up. It left tracks so the farmers could see where it had been. But, the well was gone. The farm still did not have water for the farmers, the workers, the cats, the chickens, the ducks, the turkeys or the plants in pots. But, the clouds still brought rain and the earthworms and plants in the ground still had too much water.
What will the farmers do? How will the workers help? Will the ducks rebel and petition the government with a bill? Do you think the earthworms will begin wearing water wings?
Stay tuned for part two of this riveting story.
some chickens, ducks, turkeys and a whole bunch of earthworms. There were many vegetable and flower plants and even some fruit trees.
The two people worked hard to be farmers and they even hired people to help them grow the vegetables, raise the poultry and tend the farm.
Miss Brittney helped fill seed trays with starting soil mix. Once the soil was packed down, she put a seed or two in each round cell. After all the cells in a tray were full, she covered them with more soil mix and packed it down so the seeds would germinate.
Miss Kailey helped transplant peppers and tomatoes from seedling trays to small pots. This allowed the plants to get bigger and stronger so they would do better when they finally were put into the ground.
Mr. Elliot worked diligently to scrape and sand one of the buildings on the farm. He worked hard to make progress on this task because he knew paint helped the buildings last.
Miss Rachel helped the farmers work in their high tunnel. Even though the building had flooded about a week ago, the soil had finally dried enough to allow them to plant tomatoes and peppers. They even prepared a seed bed for green beans and carrots.
Mr. Tyler began work building portable poultry shelters. He found some cattle panels and some old lumber and made a hoop building. With a little more work, tarps were found to provide shade and wind shelter. Soon, these buildings will be used for some of the broilers that lived on the farm.
Mr. Denis knew that the rains had made it impossible to plant in the fields. So, he began work making raised bed frames. The farmers could put dirt in these frames and plant into them. Because the beds are higher than the surrounding areas, they would dry out quicker and allow the farmers to do work sooner after a rain.
The farmers were pleased with this work. Even if the efforts made everyone a bit tired.
But then.....
A SNORT came and attacked the farm.
But, because it rained and rained and rained, plants in the ground and the earthworms had more than enough water.
What will the farmers do? How will the workers help? Will the ducks rebel and petition the government with a bill? Do you think the earthworms will begin wearing water wings?
Stay tuned for part two of this riveting story.
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