This week on the farm we got a lot done. It was the last week of winter and it was a cold week. Monday and Wednesday when we were out on the student farm, it was around 30-37 degrees at the start of class both days. We were all a little cold but once you start moving around the weather didn’t seem as bad. One thing that was tough is when it would go from being really warm but got cold again once that wind starting blowing. Wednesday was especially bad first thing but we are all tough farmers, out there in the elements getting stuff done. By the end of next week the high will be 80 degrees. Just a huge shift in the span of a week. Welcome to the jungle!
Danielle was our farm manager this week and she did a great job. Really good at directing, while also working with us. We got a whole lot done in class this week and she did a good job of making sure we got everything we needed complete. It was really important to get stuff done because it is spring break next week. Short week so we needed to be productive and on point.
We did mostly prep work on the farm which resulted in weeding, putting row cover on all of the brassica beds we just planted, making sure the strawberries were all covered. One thing that was really impressive was how we dug up a bunch of leeks and onions that were started in low tunnel. We then went out and planted a 100 ft bed full of onion and leeks right as a few of us went in and dug the rest of them up. We did 3 row of onions and leeks on a 100 ft bed.
The Agribon ag- 30 row cover was used on all of the beds to protect them from the chilly nights we will have this week. It normally takes 4-5 of us to put the row cover on but to also take it off. All of the brassicas we planted last week in this bed, we covered this week. (kale, broccoli and cauliflower.) We had to get some metal rods to use as our arch. A lot of rods had to be bent a little bit to get them in ground right. Many hands make quick work when working with 100 ft beds and starting seeds. The row cover is huge because when we didn’t have it on last week a few brassicas got hit a bit by cold. They can recover but it was telling of the overnight lows we’ve had lately.
This is where we planted all of the brassicas last week. I wish I would have posted a photo of all of us putting row cover on. I think it was on my other phone that decided to stop working on me where I had photos. The ag-30 will keep all of these plants from getting too cold and tapping out before they had a little bit of time to get some roots and get big for us.
There were 5 of us taking this silage tarp of this block. The potatoes are going to be planted here soon so it was time to take it off. Everything was mostly dry and the wind was going to take care of the rest of it considering how windy it has been lately.
Owen, Jada and Hailey start our solanaceous transplants. Smiling while you work is the way to do it and these 3 do it well.
Making sure the leeks are covered. Once they get zapped by the cold there is normally no going back. We got all of this covered up and the strawberries as well to the left in this picture.
Danielle was not only managing her crew today but also getting down and doing some hand weeding on probably the hardest thing we had to weed today. The perennial flower bed.
I am excited to see how everything looks in a couple of weeks that we planted and the solanaeous seeds we sowed in the Greenhouse. This is such a great group of classmates and farmers. There is no ego and we all get along really well. Everybody here is more than capable of not only running a farm but also managing workers as well. I am very impressed of what we all got done this week in this cold weather. This was big for the farm and for the CSA that will be starting in a few weeks.
Stetson Million
The Student Farm at CCCC 