The Ever Changing Fields

It is amazing how much everything changes around here in just a short period of time. Peas, June berries, scallions, turnips, Pak Choi and most of the lettuces are now gone. Kale, collards and beets are winding down (chard is still going strong, btw). We are now in the midst of picking around 100 lbs of squash and zucchini per day. Cukes are gearing up (Holly picked 60 lbs yesterday, the pickling AND slicing variety). Tomatoes are ripening on the vine (they say that even though the first tomatoes were seeded in the beginning of March, we won’t see a harvest until mid July.) James is plowing a new field every day it seems. The second succession planting of squash and third tomatoes were put in the ground this week.

Planting in succession ensures a longer season for harvest. Also, if one planting fails, not all is lost. The first tomatoes (around 400 plants) were planted a little early to get an earlier crop than usual. The second and largest batch of tomatoes (around 700 plants) was planted 10 days later and will be ready during the height of tomato season (August). Two weeks later the third tomatoes were planted (this week). And in a couple of weeks, the fourth and last (fall) tomatoes will be planted.

A few other things are growing right now (a lot of weeding is going on in the meantime). Peppers (1900 plants), okra (300 plants), eggplant (150 plants), basil (I can’t even tell you how much basil we have,,, it seems like there is some basil in every garden planted) several beautiful flower gardens as well as an incredible herb garden. Everything is growing beautifully and we will be picking these items very soon. James and Holly tell me that we are enjoying a lull in production at the moment….until tomatoes come in. Yikes!  I hope I can keep up!

I do have a different kind of blog a brewing in my head… more on my thoughts on organic gardening in general. And what I want to do next year, in my own back yard, and the reasons why. Stay tuned. I’d better take advantage of this so called “lull” before the tomatoes start coming in!

Eat Your Greens

Ahhh, greens!

Spinach. Kale. Chard. Collards. Mustard, Beet and Turnip Greens.

I am finding many people at the Charlottesville City Market who love to share their love for greens. Whether it is roasted, sauteed, wilted, baked, blended, or just thrown in a salad,,,,everyone has their favorite way to eat greens!

Tender greens (i.e. spinach, chard or beet greens) are delicious sauteed. Holly shared a recipe that calls for sauteed tender greens in olive oil, with onion, crushed red pepper, sea salt and garlic and then add granny smith apples right at the end for a tart crunch. Mmmmm.

Most other greens (Kale, Collards or Turnip greens)don't do well with sauteing and are better steamed or boiled. (they don't have enough moisture in them and just burn if sauteed)

Curly Kale is a favorite for tossing in olive oil and roasting in the oven with sea salt for about ten minutes to make kale chips (kids love them)

I was introduced to Lacinato (or Dinosaur) Kale this year that seems to be a favorite among market goers. It is sweeter and milder than the typical curly kale and it is dark green and rich with nutrients. And the general consensus is that it is "Delish!"  This type of kale is quickly becoming a favorite for my "green smoothies".

 Please feel free to share your love for greens and your favorite greens recipe! As greens are prolific in the garden right now, I am willing to try any new recipes...please share!

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we love/hate row cover!!!

This little piece (or not so little piece) of fabric, I believe, is a major key to successful organic gardening. Plants are transplanted from the greenhouse into the garden and then this "row cover" is placed on top until the plant produces a flower. In the case of plants that don't  flower (as in root crops or lettuce) the row cover is left on until harvest. 

I must admit, it is difficult for me to cover these beautiful new transplants,,,I would like to admire my work for at least a day before putting them under cover, "but it is for their own good", Holly assures me as we hide our hard work. We have essentially created a little greenhouse under that fabric. The soil stays moist, the tender plants are protected from the harsh sun and pests (including deer), and the plants grow twice as fast as they would if they were exposed to the elements! And once the flowering plants are uncovered, they are stronger and hardier and can withstand heat, pests and disease.

Hoops keep the row cover off of the plants and bags of rocks around the edge keep it from flying away. The rock bags also make it easy to remove the cover for weeding, watering, harvesting, etc.

Having said all that, we definitely have a love/hate relationship with this row cover. It would be so much easier to do without, of course. It rips easily and does take time to cover and uncover for harvest (especially when you are harvesting lettuce 4 days a week). It can become quite heavy when damp, crushing the plants in the process of covering/uncovering. In the larger fields (60 x 100 ft) it is quite cumbersome and takes two people to maneuver. But it is a necessary part of the job and the results are amazing!

We love/hate row cover!

Please forgive me,,,

What? It's been 4 weeks already? Wow! I think I got a little lost in the garden.How so? Let me tell you...

So far, this early in the season, there are14 garden plots each around 30ft  x 100 ft (this is only 1 acre out of a total of 3 acres of garden) as well as a beautiful (overflowing) greenhouse about 90 feet long. It is easy to get lost out here!

We are already harvesting spring vegetables: several lettuces, 3 different kales, rainbow chard, 3 types of radishes, turnips, and a variety of herbs. Peas will be ready in about a week or so. We have recently planted starts of cukes, tomatoes, squash and are getting ready to plant peppers and flowers this week.

A very busy time indeed! Amidst all the planting harvesting and weeding we are selling to 3 different farmers markets each week. Which adds a whole new element to the week. This farm is definitely bustling from dawn til dusk every day. What I love about the work here is that I am never doing any one thing for more than a couple of hours at a time. Between the greenhouse work, weeding, planting, harvesting, preparing for market, etc., there is never a dull moment! I love it!

I am also amazed and in awe of the hard working couple that run this farm. They are completely dedicated to this daily (as in EVERY single day) for the next 6 months. No vacations, not even a weekend away. They did this completely on their own last year with no help. I remember talking to them during the peak tomato harvesting season and they told me that there were nights that they were too exhausted to even put sheets on the bed before crashing. My hope is that this year they are not only able to sleep on clean sheets, but to actually have time to cook a meal and enjoy their evenings!  I am here to make sure that happens!

and I will definitely keep you posted. And I promise not to wait 3 weeks before my next update. Please forgive me...

Every Seed Accounted For

A PARABLE:

Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

This parable always comes to mind when I think of farming. I envision a farmer tossing his seeds every which way in hopes that MOST of what he sows finds good soil...but in my short experience, I have quickly found this not to be the case here... Every seed is carefully placed and accounted for. Thousands upon thousands of seeds are individually handled, planted, labeled, color coded, tended to, spotted (will explain), transplanted, covered, picked over until and even after it bears fruit. This is definitely a labor of love here. I am fascinated and in awe! Let me go into a bit more detail....
In the short 3 hours that I have worked in the greenhouse, the 3 of us have planted 600 individual lettuce seeds, each in its own "pod". The soil is carefully blended to get just the right moisture and consistency, the seed is dutifully placed just a thumb print's depth into the soil and then soil is sprinkled on top. The pods are then stacked and placed in the "germination closet" for 7 days or until the first sign of life pops out of the ground (called  “knuckles” around here...aptly named). The germination closet, much to my surprise, has no light. Just a source of heat to keep the plants just above 70 degrees F. No light is needed until you see green. Interesting! 

We also “spotted” 1000 kale seedlings. The kale had been planted about 3-4 weeks earlier not in individual pods, but heavily seeded in open flats. This saves space in the germination closet (just a couple flats vs 1000 pods) and in the greenhouse (early in the season only part of the greenhouse is sectioned off and heated to save electricity).  Once the seedlings show their “true” leaves, 1000 of the healthiest plants are chosen to be transplanted in individual pots, watered and placed back in the greenhouse until time to put in the ground. This is called “spotting” or “pricking”.

So far, I am finding that the key to successful organic gardening is nurture. Pesticides and herbicides are not used and the only defense the plant has is its immune system. Individual plants are strategically cared for and strengthened before being placed in the garden. And once in the garden they are protected by “row cover” until flowering (about 2 to 3 weeks) to keep the pests out and the moisture in. The healthier plants are then able to ward off insects and disease. I can’t wait to see this in action! 

More to come next week…

METAMORPHOSIS PHASE ONE

I have always been fascinated with insects, especially their uncanny ability to undergo the process of metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is by definition: A profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.

I feel as though I am going through a metamorphosis of sorts. Long story short, 43 years of trying to be everything to everyone finally got the best of me and I ended up flat on my face. I needed a fresh start. Something new. Something ME. So I completely threw out everything I knew. EVERYTHING. The only thing I knew for sure was that I felt at home in the garden. God must have known that I needed something like this, because in the midst of the turmoil, I received a phone call from a friend asking if I was still interested in interning as a gardener at his farm. Perfect!

So, starting next week, I will be in the garden for the next 6 months, learning all aspects of organic gardening. I know this experience will change me, hopefully for the better.

And so begins the metamorphosis.