Seeds for a Bright Future

Most people are much less enamored with their gardens once we get to October in Iowa.  As a matter of fact, many vegetable gardens become lost causes by August and are typically mowed down or otherwise cleaned up on a sunny, dry, Fall day.

But, this is the time of year when some of next year's promises are made.  This year's plants are working hard to create seeds to start next year's seedlings.  Perennial plants are working hard to store up energy so they can wake up again once the soil warms and the Spring rains encourage their return.  The bees, wasps, toads, snakes and other creatures are putting the finishing touches on what they need for hibernation or to prepare the emergence of the next generation.

The seeds for a bright future are here, in front of our eyes - even if we don't recognize them.

Not every seed will reach its intended goal - to produce a new flowering plant.  Some will provide energy to birds and smaller mammals during the colder months.  Or perhaps they'll still be there in the early Spring for the critters that emerge earliest or return as they migrate back to the North.  

Perhaps still others will not have what it takes to germinate, or they will fall in a spot that does not nurture them enough to grow into the plant they could be.  These, too, will still have a purpose as microscopic life breaks them down so they can help to feed those seeds that find themselves in the right spot to emerge and grow.

 
Perhaps the humans at the Genuine Faux Farm will step in and circumvent the process a bit.  Collecting a few seeds and giving them a better chance of becoming next year's flowers.  Or maybe, they'll just let nature do its thing - making its selections as to which seeds will reach their fullest potential.

Every year, we get a few surprises on the farm.  It has been a few years since we planted any hollyhocks here.  Even so, a couple of volunteers popped up in the corner of the plot where we were growing Thelma Sanders squash and pumpkins.  We recognized the plants for what they were and found a way to cultivate around them.

The reward?  A couple of plants with some flowers.

Flowers a bumblebee visited.

Maybe.  Just maybe.  We'll have hollyhocks again next year - even if we don't plant them.

We can hope.  We can dream.  And we can select a few seeds for ourselves too.

Miss it - Sort of

Just a few years ago, we were still doing the Farm Share CSA program.  That meant that I had shares to deliver twice a week for 36 to 38 weeks of the year.  In addition, there were egg and other sales the rest of the season. That meant that it was typical for me, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to hook up a cart to Rosie, the tractor, grab a batch of harvest containers, some tunes, a clipboard and a scale - and go out to harvest whatever was ready (and needed).

Of course, Fall usually meant there were additional harvest tasks that had to occur on the other days.  So, nearly every September day had some sort of harvesting going on.

Like all things of this nature, there was a certain amount of stress that came along for the ride.  Would there be enough of each crop so everyone could get a nice share of it?  Will the quality be up to my standards so I could feel good about what I was providing?  Could I get it all done so that I could clean, pack, load and go - in time?  The answer there was that we were often late during September because my helpers had all gone to their various schools.

The days are getting significantly shorter, but the work could still fill a July day's sunlit hours.

Over the last couple of years, I find that I am having trouble just finding time and energy to do farm things.  But, when I do, I am reminded that I do enjoy the harvest.  Especially, of course, if it is a reasonably good one.

But, I am also pretty sure that I don't have the desire to go back to the way it was either.

So, here we are again.  Looking for balance.  How much of this can I set myself up to do in the future so I can still enjoy the harvest... until I cross the line into being stressed by having too much of a good thing?

This year, we had a nice acorn squash, watermelon and pumpkin harvest.  Several other things have done fine.  And others - not so good.  But we do have more data to consider so we can keep working on finding the answer to the eternal Genuine Faux Farm question.

How much is the right amount of "much?"  

Well, we know one thing for certain.  Next year will be different.

Again.

What's Next at GFF?

I was trying to find some August pictures to share in today's Genuine Faux Farm blog post and I realized something.  August is a month where we have traditionally done poorly with our photo taking.  In fact, most the years where we have some decent August pictures are the ones when we hosted some sort of event or field day and someone other than us took them.  The photo above is one of the few exceptions to that rule (from 2016).

This year's growing season at our farm has been the most inconsequential of any year we've been at the farm.  I can't even say that we've done a very good job of growing much of anything.  Yes, we've had some wonderful green beans and we're pulling in some great potatoes.  So, I suppose I shouldn't be quite so down on what we've been doing - especially when we've started to pull in some ripe tomatoes too.

But, when I see pictures like this one, I can't help having to fight all sorts of conflicting feelings.

In 2016, we had, if I recall correctly, about five or six hundred tomato plants and three or four 200-foot rows of different kinds of basil in this field.  Everything was nicely mulched, tomatoes were caged and irrigation lines were run.

Now, I remember clearly that there were plenty of issues during the 2016 growing season, so this is not one of those moments where time has erased all of the bad stuff.  What IS happening is that I am dealing with a mix of feelings that run the gamut from regret and loss to relief and gratitude.  I can't help but feel disappointed in myself that we have grown the small fraction of the produce as compared to most years on the farm. On the other hand, I am relieved that we aren't because we've had more than enough to be getting on with this year.

Neither of us could have predicted exactly how disruptive something like Achilles tendon surgery was going to be.  I think we both knew earlier in the year that there was going to be a disruption of some sort because of it.  And, I am certain we made the right choices for timing.  After all, it would have been miserable for Tammy to have to continue her work teaching while having to scoot around on one leg.  This way, we could deal with the early post-surgery recovery at home.

But, it did mean the farm took a backseat.

So, I need to get over my disappointment and/or guilt about a farm year that kind of... wasn't.  We made the right choice.  And we still had some broiler chickens, laying hens and turkeys this year (in fact we still have layers and turkeys).  There is produce - it's just not at the level we're used to.

So, we are working on accepting this year for what it was and we're starting to look forward to what's next for the farm.

What's next at that farm?

We do have some unfinished business for 2022 to deal with first.  We do have the aforementioned chickens and turkeys to continue to care for.  We will have a harvest of winter squash and we need to finish the potatoes.  The garlic needs to be cleaned (and the seed garlic planted) yet this fall.  There are a few melons and watermelons to harvest and some pumpkins.  And there will be more tomatoes, beans and peppers.

We are hopeful to plant some fall crops, like lettuce and spinach - and there is always excess beyond what we can eat there.

But, what about 2023?  What's the plan?

The answer right now is - we don't know.

We are establishing a younger hen flock this fall, so we should have eggs for the foreseeable future.  We intend on continuing to maintain and grow in and around our two high tunnel buildings (Eden and Valhalla).  But, will we back off of growing anything in larger amounts? 

Can we back off of growing anything in larger amounts?  (that may be the better question)

Would we like to take another crack at growing a couple of crops for seed production and Seed Savers?

The reality is this.  As long as we live at this location, we are going to want to do something with either food crops or poultry.  We're just having a hard time deciding two things.

1. How much is doable without getting overwhelmed with what we do here and our two jobs ... and life, in general?  How much energy can we give to this?

2. Knowing we will need to continue to step back from some of what we have done, what will be the things we will allow ourselves to focus on in 2023?   Will we decide that we might enjoy setting up to raise starter veggie plants and selling those in the spring, but back off of food crop sales?  Will we want to focus on seed production and leave food crop production to our own use (plus the normal extra that is going to happen with us)?  How much poultry are we going to raise?  Or will we back off to a small, personal laying flock and skip a year of meat bird production all together?

Regardless of what we do decide, I can tell you that there will be plenty to do.  There always is.