May 2013 : Blossoms

Here is a photo of the raised beds.  No, it's actually a photo of the beautiful apple trees in the background.  Last year was such a devastating year for fruit and the trees have a natural reaction - to come back stronger the following year.  This year the blossoms were most numerous and fragrant than anyone can remember.  All cultivars blossomed at the same time, too, for an extra point on the that-is-so-awesome scale.

Onions were transplanted a few weeks ago and have happily adjusted to life in the field.  The first stand of sweet corn has been planted and so have beans and edamame although the dry weather may delay germination.

Rainfall is forecast for this week so that will encourage germination.  It will also help put the finishing touches on the raised beds.  Once the beds contain sufficient moisture I can make one pass with the rototiller to prepare a smooth bed then immediately cover with plastic mulch.

April 2013 : Twigs

Here is a photo of a raspberry plant.  Really.  I understand the theory of planting dormant, bare root nursery stock.  But Nathaniel asked why we were planting twigs.  Normally we direct sow seeds or transplant green leafy plants with a root ball so this was a fair question.  All the peat enriched soil is under the surface while the clumps are on the surface to prevent crusting.  Eventually 4 - 6" of mulch will be added.

We planted 12 raspberry plants and 6 blueberry plants.  The raspberries are the Heritage cultivar while the blueberries are Bluecrop, Patriot and Herbert culitvars.  Heritage raspberries are ever-bearing which really means they can produce two crops a summer depending on pruning techniques.  Blueberries need multiple cultivars for proper pollination and maximum fruit set.  These cultivars also ripen early, mid and late season for a steady supply.

It will take at least two years for the twigs to establish and bear fruit.  Even when these plants reach maximum bearing capacity there will never be sufficient harvest to take to market but plenty for the kids to eat.  These plants are more for learning the art of pruning on a small scale before attempting to produce on a field scale.

April 2013 : Field Work

Here is a photo of the tractor and the subsoiler engaging the soil.  The subsoiler works to a depth of 24" but does not invert the soil.  In fact, when performed properly, subsoiling barely disturbs the surface. Last year's mistakes inadvertantly proved the benefit of subsoiling to me.

Of all the mistakes I made, last year's biggest mistake was making passes 60" apart when passes should be 30" apart.  In effect, half the field was subsoiled.  Remember the hot, dry summer?  The sweet corn stalks that grew over or close to the subsoiler passes were noticeably more vigorous than the stalks that grew between the passes.

Over the winter I also learned how to set up the three point hitch and adjust attachments.  The hitch has several adjustments and the most important to a subsoiler is the angle of the tip.  A properly angled tip will pull the attachment downward into the soil.

Another mistake I am willing to admit was over inflating the rear tires which reduced traction.  Proper inflation of the rear tires is only 14 PSI.  I inflated the rear tires to 36 PSI, which is the proper inflation of the front tires.

But correcting all those mistakes, this year subsoiling was performed, almost perfectly.

February 2013 : yumions

This is a photo of our red onion transplants.  Starting onions was different than starting our typical peppers and tomatos.  Onions are started much earlier in the season and are started in smaller cell trays.

The transplants are ready for the field in 8 weeks from sowing.  The onions are ready to be harvested 125 days later.  Seeds that are sown in trays February 24 can be harvested August 24 under usual growing conditions.  The trays contain 144 cells and each cell contains 3 seeds for a total of 432 seeds per tray.

That is an awful lot of tedious hand seeding!  I was a bit annoyed performing this labor on a cold February night particularly when I realized we wouldnt be grilling these onions until Labor Day.  But the yummy thought of red onions motivated me to finish.

Another month will pass before additional transplants are started.  Thanks to the onions early start, all the necessary supplies have been replenished and all the starter trays and tools have been sterilized.

January 2013 - Closed

Here is a photo of the field ... all the vegetables harvested, plant debris flail mowed, soil subsoiled and seeded to winter rye cover crop.  Now it's frozen and partially covered with snow.  The cover crop was seeded later than ever - October 18 - but had sufficient germination and fair top growth.

I look at this photo and see the weed seed bank.  Research has estimated up to 3,000 viable weed seeds exist in the top six inches of each square foot of soil.  Our weed management practices have reduced but not eliminated that seed bank.  We shall meet again ...

While planning the crops for this upcoming season, I have decided to try grafting some tomato plants.  The concept is simple, start two tomato plants; one for good roots and one for good fruits.  A few weeks after planting, cut the stem of each plant and use clips to hold the good roots bottom to the good fruits top.  This technique is typically applied to heirlooms to improve plant vigor.

The bad news is my favorite heirloom seeds are becoming very scarce!  I will fess up - at the end of a growing season, saving seed is at the bottom of my list.  At that time, I gladly trade extra sleep then for couple extra dollars in seed packets later.  The problem is that Nyagous seeds are surprisingly scarce.