Today’s Accomplishments
· Built pea trellis
· Direct sowed peas and radishes
· Transplanted lettuce and bunching onions
· Cut blackberries
· STARTED MOWER
· Mowed West Orchard, ditch and driveway
Built Pea Trellis (1.5 hours)
I built the pea trellis from seven panels of 5’ X 7’ of concrete reinforcement wire lashed to T-posts with plastic cable ties. Both the wire and T-posts will be used for multiple purposes over the years before being recycled. At the end of the season, the plastic cable ties will be cut off and disposed of. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find a recycling facility that will accept them.
The use of the plastic cable ties for this project brings up the issue of the use of plastics on a farm which strives to be sustainable. It would have been possible to tie the panels up with biodegradable twine. But my experience has been that the twine breaks under the weight of the vines and it is difficult to hold up the trellis by myself while I am tying the twine. So, this time, I choose to use the plastic product. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye out for re-usable cable ties that are designed for outdoor use.
Direct Sowed Seeds (1.5 hours)
Now that the pea trellis is completed, I can plant the peas. As I don’t yet have a Seeder, this means squatting to plant seeds every two inches for the full 49 foot long bed. My thigh muscles will certainly be well developed by the end of the season!
I built the trellis near the edge of the four foot bed so that I could pick the peas from one side without stepping in the bed. This means I have a three foot wide strip that can be used for other vegetables. I planted two rows of radishes; “Cherry Belles” and “French Breakfast”, and one row of “Four Seasons” lettuce. If all goes well, you’ll find both the lettuce and the radishes in the first shares of the season.
Transplanted Lettuce and Bunching Onions (2.0 hours)
The pea trellis doesn’t take up the full length of the bed so I filled the remaining with more “Four Seasons” lettuce, plus some “Reine des Glacies.” The “Four Seasons” is a lovely red Cos (Romaine) type lettuce with an excellent flavor. “Reine des Glacies” is a classic green lettuce with a serrated leaf edge. It is supposed to grow well in cool weather, hence the name “Queen of the Ice”. However, I have been disappointed in its low germination rate.
This afternoon, I transplanted four flats of Lisbon White Bunching Onions, which translates to about 200 bunches of scallions. These are spaced five rows to a bed about 6 inches apart so they really don’t take up much of the row. I hope to include some type of alliums in the share every week so the remaining bed space will be filled as the season progresses.
Started the Lawn Mower (1.0 hours)
This was my biggest accomplishment of the day! A neighbor tells me that the recent switch to ethanol containing gasoline in the Portland Metro area is playing havoc with small engines. It clogs the carburetor. Since my old lawn mower has always been difficult to starts, this is not welcome news. I tried four times, for a solid 15 minutes each time before I finally got it started.
For reasons unknown to me, the lawn mower starting effort made me think of my friend Max, who died more than 15 years ago. As a self identified “born again” Catholic, he was fond of calling upon the Saints for assistance. He even had a Saint medallion hanging from the rear view mirror of his car… the “Saint of Parking Places.” Perhaps I need a “Saint of Starting Lawn Mowers” medallion. I’m sure if Max were still around he would help me with that.
Mowed West Orchard, Ditch and Driveway (2.5 hours)
After finally getting the lawn mower started, I spent several hours pushing it around. The trees in the West Orchard are too close together to mow with the tractor. From now until the rains stop, I will mow them every week, or as often as I can get the mower started!
Those of you that are particularly astute will notice that I have mentioned the orchards several times in this blog but there is no fruit promised in your shares. This is because the orchards have not been cared for in at least five years. The trees have not been pruned and the regular maintenance needed to control Coddling Moth has not been done. This means the fruit is likely to be of poor quality and full of worms. If you find apples, pears or cherries in you share, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. If you don’t find any, you’ll know that the trees did not do will this year.
On a positive note though, for the first time this spring, I did hear bees in the orchard today. I was beginning to wonder if the cold wet weather would keep the insects from pollinating the flowers.
In addition to the orchard, I also mowed as much of the easement along the street as I could. I will be posting signs along the street reading “Organic Farm”, “ No Spray”. However, the municipal road maintenance crew is under no obligation to observe them. Consequently, I will be mowing and weed eating the street easement and ditches through out the season in order to keep them from being sprayed.
When you visit the farm, you’ll also see that there are no vegetable beds within 25 feet of the street. I do this to create a buffer zone so that should the road maintenance crew apply pesticides along the edge of the street, there will be no danger of it over spraying on to your vegetables. I will grow flowers in some of the buffer zone this year. In the future, I’ll plant a hedge row there to shelter beneficial insects as well as block any sprays.
Cut Black Berries (.5 hours)
I try to spend at least 30 minutes every work day cutting black berries some where on the farm. The Himalayan Blackberries that infest much of North America are an example of some ones bright idea gone very, very bad. Though they were imported for their delicious berries, they quickly became a noxious weed. Let this be a reminder to you to be mindful when you choose non-native plants for your garden. They may haunt you, and your neighbors, forever. The Master Gardener program at the OSU Agricultural Extension Office nearest you will be able to tell you more about what plants to watch out for in your area.
Meanwhile, I long for goats. Is there any one out there dreaming of becoming a goat herder?
