Week 5 at Harvest of Joy Farm LLC

Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy, highs in the 70s

It's the week we've all been waiting for!! Or at least the week I'VE been waiting for, as we're finally going to get to plant a few things outside of the hoophouse. According to our planting schedule, the cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi should have been in the ground two weeks ago, but as you've seen, it's just been too wet.

It's still too wet in the back strip where we intended to plant them (that's the area where you laid mulch last week). I attempted to work up a few beds back there today and found standing water under the mulch:

The water table has risen so high that it's actually coming up to the surface under the beds. So, we're going to have to re-configure our carefully wrought plans at the last minute in order to contend with this reality. We'll be transplanting the brassicas into the somewhat drier beds behind my house rather than into the back strip  and John will be discing up some land on his property tomorrow morning in the hopes that we can shift some of the crops that were supposed to go into those beds over to his place.

So that's the plan for class this week--you'll be broad-forking the beds, raking them out, working in some fertilizer, and tucking our little plants into the ground. I'm really looking forward to seeing some green out there in the garden area!

Also, I found my first tick today, so be forewarned that you might bring home some unwelcome hitchhikers--if you feel the need to use tick repellent you might want to bring some with you.

Field Maps

Here are our field maps for the coming season. We'll adjust both the planning spreadsheets and field maps throughout the season to accommodate changing growing conditions, but it's important to have a solid plan to begin with! 

Grow At John’s: 

50 bed ft storage onions (4 rows/bed)

30 bed ft storage potatoes (2 row/bed)

(36 in beds)

Hoophouse:

2 1/2’ x 30 ? Parsnips? (not on pp)

2’

3’ x 30’ Late Kale (not on pp)

2’

2 1/2’ x 30 ? Late Salad? (not on pp)

↑N

Hoop management:

1        Frame ends.

2        Add second layer of plastic.

3        Install baseboard.

4        Build seedling tables.

5        Add a bean tepee at the east end for my Cherokee Trail of Tears?

Behind House                                                 ←N   Behind House  (320 bed feet)

2’ x 40’

3’ x 40’ Spinach (followed by late Kale)

2’

Snow Peas + 1 row Spinach + 1 row Radishes (followed by late salad)

2’

Salad

2’

Sugar Snap Peas + 1 row Radishes + 1 row Scallions (followed by late salad)

2’

Salad

2’

Sugar Snap Peas + 2 rows Scallions (followed by late salad)

2’

Salad

2’

Sugar Snap Peas + 1 row spinach + 1 row radishes (followed by 40 ft mustard greens)

2’

Spinach (Followed by late Cilantro/Dill)

2’

Cilantro/Dill (followed by 40 ft Astro arugula)

2’

Basil (20) + Radishes (10) + Scallions (10) (followed by 20 ft basil + a few nasturtiums? + a parsley?)

2’

Field Behind House Management Plan:

1         Repair fence

2         Compost on beds that didn’t get manured.

3         Strawberry management

4         Grass management around perimeter

Back Strip                                        ↑N    Back Strip  (640 bed feet)

5’ x 80’

3’ x 80’ Kale (20) + Snow Peas (followed by 40 ft Fortex green snap beans + ?)

2’

Kale (10) + Kohlrabi (20) +  Cabbage (60)  (followed by late chard)

2’

Kale (10) + Pac Choi (35) + Carrots (35)  (followed by 70 ft late broccoli)

2’

Kale (20) + Braising mix (Followed by rutabaga)

5’

Kale (10) + Turnips (70)  (70 ft late cabbage)

2’

Kale (10) + Beets (70)  (followed by?)

2’

Salad (40) + Arugula (40) (followed by late beets 70 ft)

2’

Garlic (followed by 40 ft late carrots + 40 ft late pac choi)

5'

Back Strip Management:

1        Manure on beds that got skipped or skimped.

2        Grass management around perimeter.

3        Repair fence.

Lake Garden                          ←N (140’ x 260’; 3120 bed ft + 40’ x 260’ for corn)

3’

Dark Red Norland & Yukon Gold Potatoes (120) + Melons (140)

3’

Broc (120) + Brus. Sprouts (100) + Fresh Onions (40)

3’

Leeks (75) + Head lettuce (60) + Storage Onions (30) + New Girl tomatoes (95)

3’

Edamame (80) + Yellow Beans (80) + Green Beans (40) + Hot Peppers, Jalapenos (20) + Hot Pepper, Anaheim (40)

3’

Plum/Cherry tomatoes (180)  + Specialty tomatoes (60) + New Girl tomatoes (20)

3’

Eggplant (100)  + Sweet Peppers (150) + Hot Peppers, Chimayo (10)

3’

Slicing tomatoes (260)

3’

Cucumbers (260)

3’

Summer squash (180) + Slicing Tomatoes (80)

3’

Winter Squash Delicata and/or Sweet Dumping for extended shares (80) + Spag squash (60) + Summer Squash (120)

3’

Winter Squash (Delicata and/or Sweet Dumping)

3’

Butternut 260’

3’

Pumpkins (150’ carving + 110’ pie)

8’?

30’ for sweet corn

Lake Garden Management:

1)      Install drain tile to the west.

2)      Disc & till.

3)      Bring in compost.

4)      Lay paper mulch.

5)      Fence against animal predation.

Across Drive                           ←N Across Drive

75’ x 150’ Growing area + field ends (approx, should re-measure)

Across Drive Management:

1        Jeff will subsoil in spring/early summer.

2        Plant buckwheat

3        Till buckwheat

4        Plant forage radish

5        Frost-seed white clover into winter-killed radish in 2014?

6        Add manure somewhere in this rotation?