Continuously Delayed Perfection

The Genuine Faux Farm has been in existence since 2004.  Well, we "officially" started really doing this farming gig in 2005, but we actually did hold a spot in some farmers markets as early as 2004.  And some folks might be surprised that we held a table periodically in Decorah even earlier than that and sold a couple of "farm boxes" informally when we lived in Chokio, MN as well.

In 2008, the old barn was still in use, with the hens being housed in a room inside the barn we built to keep the varmints out at night.  The pasture to the East of the barn was where the hens went to play each day.  So, we knew how we were dealing with our laying flock, but we had other planning to do and decision to make.  And, almost exactly thirteen years ago, on January 10, 2009,  I wrote a blog that shared some of our thoughts on our plans for the future of the Genuine Faux Farm.

We titled that blog "... or was it Continuously Delayed Perfection?"

I found it enlightening (and maybe a bit amusing) to see what was on my mind at that time.  And, I thought it would be interesting for me (and you) to see what I think NOW about what I thought THEN!

THEN

We realize a few key things about veg farming:

1. What works in one growing season may not work the next
2. What works for some farmers may not work for others
3. You must be ready to make a change and be prepared to maintain it - otherwise it will fail

NOW

At least I have some consistency with myself over time.  Happily, I think I can identify MORE key things about vegetable (and poultry) farming than I did in the 2009 blog.  I am afraid if I tried to do a post on that, it would start to look more like a book and less like a blog.

It is comforting to see that some of my observations then STILL align with my observations since that time.  It is true - as far as I can tell - that each season will have its own, unique challenges.  This holds true even if some of those challenges follow a theme we have seen before.  And, it is actually possible that I believe the 2nd item (what works for some may not work for others) even more than I did then.  Every farm has its set of assets and liabilities, strengths and weaknesses, and the goals rarely match precisely from one operation to another.

As to the third part - that was in reference to much of the rest of that blog in 2009.

THEN

We are certainly capable of expanding our season.  But, the question may not be "can we?" and it may be better to ask "should we?"

We could invest in a high tunnel (unheated greenhouse) and work hard to expand our season on both ends. It would cost money to do this - but I suspect we could find a way to get it funded. We've never put up a greenhouse - but we can get help and we're not helpless - we can figure it out. We've never grown things this way before - but again - there are plenty of resources and we have plenty of knowledge to start us out. So what stops us?

A shortage of resources? Yes, time and money are part of the equation. But, the real resource that isn't currently available for this project is personal energy to make it happen. People tend to forget what season extension implies for the grower in terms of workload. For an additional X weeks of the year, we will have to be planting/tending/harvesting/distributing. Right now, we need the time away from the growing season to accomplish other necessary things in our lives!

NOW

My - how things have changed - and stayed the same.

For those who do not know GFF history, we actually put up our first high tunnel in 2010 (just one year later) and our second high tunnel went up in 2015.  We did end up creating extended Fall and Spring CSA seasons and, at our peak, we delivered fresh produce for as many as 38 weeks of the year.

Many of the things we cite above turned out to be entirely true.  The pressure of producing something to deliver to individuals for three-quarters of the year with a farm share program WAS pretty high.  And, of course, we had sales for eggs, poultry and any remaining storage crops during the rest of the season.  There was no off-button.  

And that might explain why we did not push the edges of the season very hard over the last couple of years.  While I admit to missing a few things myself - I appreciate having a break from the continuous stress and strain of growing, harvesting, cleaning, packing, promoting and delivering.

Does that mean I am willing to give up the high tunnels?  Not at all.  I actually enjoy growing in the high tunnels.  We're just using them differently now - and it fits our new farm realities.  Perhaps we'll spend a blog on that one next week?

THEN

We've done Fall planting to over-winter crops before with reasonable success. The hardest part was finding the time and energy to put these things in with proper timing.  Things are not always so simple as 'just do it'....the list of things to 'just do' is often too long for that logic.

NOW

This is where I was just amazed how much more perspective I have gained since the time I wrote the 2009 blog  And, I am equally pleased (or dismayed) by some of the consistency my former self has with my present self.  I guess it depends on whether I am feeling self-critical or self-supporting in a given moment.

During the years that we had Spring and Fall season extensions for our CSA, we had no choice but to implement a Fall planting schedule.  And, to be perfectly honest, it rarely followed the planned schedule because we had to adhere to the "we have a little time right now and the conditions are ok for it" approach.

In the end, seed is one of the cheapest inputs you have for a farm like ours.  So, if you throw in a few batches that don't produce, the loss is not necessarily all that bad as long as you don't also throw lots of labor at a failed crop too.  We almost subscribed to a "keep throwing seeds into the ground and see what you get out of it" approach some years.

Why did it end up that way?  

Well, remember that I told you every farm has different resources, assets and liabilities.  And, let's also recall that every season is different.  

On our farm, we usually have a labor resource issue in the Fall.  Tammy goes back to teaching and our seasonal workers leave.  The labor force goes down to one (Rob) with weekend or evening help from Tammy and occasional others volunteering or being hired for a specific task.  We just never did get to a point where we felt we were able to hire someone for the whole year - nor was it easy to find such a person.

So, this past Fall we did not put anything in for an over-Wintered crop.  Instead, we're looking to get early starts in the high tunnels and go from there.  We do miss our over-wintered spinach, so that might return this Fall.  But, other than that?  

Ask me again in the Fall.

THEN

We favored direct seeding until last year - when we had germination problems in the fields. Transplants may cost a bit more in terms of resources, but the success rate is far higher. So, the returns, in the end, are likely to be more consistent. It is far easier to keep a row clean with plants that are already established to the transplant stage.

NOW

Over time, we settled on which crops seemed to work best on our farm with transplants and which ones were better with a direct seeding.  But, the basics I wrote in 2009 turned out to be only partially true.

In the end, direct seeding or transplanting depends on each crop type.  And, sometimes it even makes a difference which succession of that crop we were looking at.  It even made a difference a couple of times when we planted inside the high tunnels versus in the fields.  

We still often have trouble with germination of seed planted directly into the soil that may be a result of a number of possible issues.  There are the normal things that we typically try to account for with our basic knowledge, such as soil temperature and moisture levels.  If we fail to pay attention to those things and still plant, then poor germination is due to our mistake.  Then, there are things that are a bit more beyond our control, such as residual pesticides from drifted applications and inconsistent seed quality from suppliers.  

One thing remains true from 2009, a row of transplants gets a head start on the weeds in that row - which makes it easier for us to cultivate.  And, we have more cultivation options when we transplant than we do with some direct seeding options. 

THEN

I've never been accused of failing to plan - at least where gardening is concerned. Up until now, our plans have been good, but not good enough to make the necessary improvisation that occurs each year any easier.  So, we're going to have a written week-by-week plan of intended tasks/goals.

I've heard from other experienced growers that this sort of planning is important -and I believe them. But, since I haven't tried to do this explicit planning before, it will be difficult.

Stay tuned and find out how we do with these changes! 

NOW

Ah.  How naive I was (and still am).  I am still waiting for the year that I actually complete an entire week by week growing plan.  I am also wondering when I will find a year when the week by week plan I devise doesn't have to get scrapped by the time we get into May.

I suspect that the former (my inability to do a full season's plan) actually comes from the latter (knowledge that it won't last into May).  The problem has been that season variability thing along with every other uncertainty you can name.  So, rather than getting too hung up on which week something will happen, we have "critical timelines" of tasks that depend on each other.  If something on a critical timeline can't get done, we know we may have to make the decision to scrap EVERYTHING ELSE on that timeline for the season.  

I've also moved to date ranges rather than growing season weeks.  For example, I know that field planted snow peas do very well if we get them in the ground during the last week of April until about May 10.  It makes no sense to push it earlier until data tells me I should do so and it means I should just give up on snow peas in the field if conditions never line up for planting during this date range.

It's a matter of knowing that planning is important - and so is flexibility.  It is also a matter of identifying when you should give up on a particular crop, project or process.  If you don't know those things, then a weekly schedule won't save you anyway.

And there you are - the farmer taking a moment to consider his former self's thoughts.  There's something you don't read every day!  Have a good one!