Perlite & Vermiculite

On Tuesday this week we talked a bit about perlite and vermiculite in seed starting mixes but I wasn't entirely sure what these materials were made of. So . . . 

Perlite, according to Wikipedia: "Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an industrial mineral and a commercial product useful for its light weight after processing." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite

And Vermiculite: "Vermiculite is a hydrous, silicate mineral that is classified as a phyllosilicate and that expands greatly when heated. Exfoliation occurs when the mineral is heated sufficiently, and the effect is routinely produced in commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite.^[1]Large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in Russia, South Africa, China, and Brazil." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite

Also on Tuesday we started some experiments with different seed-starting conditions so that you can get a visual sense of what a healthy (and unhealthy) transplant looks like. We used two different planting mediums Metro Mix 300 from Sun Gro horticulture and Seed Starter 101 from Morgan Composting.

Metro Mix ingredients: "Vermiculite, bark, Canadian Sphagnum peat moss, coarse perlite, bark ash, starter nutrient charge (with Gypsum) and slow release nitrogen and dolomitic limestone." (I think I told you that this was a nutrient-less mix, but as I look at the ingredients, I see that I was wrong in this. It does have that "starter" nutrient charge.) http://sungro.com/products_displayProduct.php?product_id=104&brand_id=17

Morgan's Seed Starter 101 "contains products like worm castings, meat and Bone Meal, Feather Meal, and paramagnetic rock." http://www.dairydoo.com/Morgan_Composting/For_Greenhouses.html

We planted four tomato plants in each of three 4-chambered plastic pots with two chambers filled with Seed Starter 101 and the other two with Metro Mix 300. We put one pot under a grow light, one in a sunny (well it will be if the sun ever comes out) window, and the other in a shady area of the porch. We'll water them and see what happens!

Farmer Panel at the Portage Library

WHO’S YOUR FARMER?

Wednesday, April 10th
6:30 – 8:00 PM

Location: Portage District Library (http://www.pdl.lib.mi.us/)

Come join us to learn why eating closer to home and supporting local farmers and farmers' markets is healthy for our economy, our community and you!

Meet a panel of SW Michigan farmers & growers.

Learn places to shop for fresh, local produce, meats & dairy products.

Co-sponsored by: The People’s Food Co-op, Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) & Portage District Library

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?

Course Components

The application: All students enrolled in this course have applied for admission by submitting a letter of interest which details their previous experiences and involvement with food systems and agriculture, states their personal learning objectives for the course, and proposes a project that will enable them to achieve these learning goals. The learning objectives described in the previous post were compiled from these application letters.

On-farm participation:  Students will spend a minimum of three hours each week on the farm, participating in farm activities under the supervision of the farm’s owners and learning how these activities fit into the larger scope of the farm’s operations. These class trips to the farm will occur on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, with approximately half the class coming to the farm each day.

Student-designed collaborative projects: Students will tailor this part of the course to their own interests, working individually or in small groups to carry out projects of their own design. Though they will relate to the course theme in some way, these projects may be widely varied and may take place on the farm or in other locations such as on-campus or in local community gardens.

Communal Research & Reading/Conversation/Reflection: Students will study the history and development of the Community Supported Agriculture movement in Asia, Europe, and the United States and will explore how farms in Southwestern Michigan are implementing the ideas and ideals of local, sustainable, and community-supported food production. This will be done through reading "Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture" by Elizabeth Henderson with Robyn Van En; taking field trips to visit a variety of local farms; sharing resources, ideas, and information with each other on the CSA blog; and meeting for brunch six times during the quarter for conversations about all of these experiences. Students will take turns hosting the brunches, with two people taking responsibility for preparing food and two others taking responsibility for facilitating the discussion. We may also decide to host a movie night or two at some point during the quarter.

Paying it forward: Farming is the occupation of a lifetime, not of a single day, week, month, or season. The learning possible in this course will also build year after year as students pass their insights, discoveries, and questions on to each other. As a final project, students must craft a vehicle of some kind that will communicate both what they’ve learned and what new questions have arisen from that learning on to the next year’s class of students. These projects can be produced in any fashion the students deem feasible and they will become a part of the next year’s course curriculum.

Amy Newday on a Tractor at Harvest of Joy Farm

Amy Newday on a Tractor at Harvest of Joy

Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm

Course Description

      This course will offer students the opportunity to learn about an increasingly popular alternative to the mainstream food economy from the inside. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms create partnerships between farmers and local community members who invest in a farm for a season or longer in exchange for benefits that may include a portion of the farm's harvest, educational resources, on-farm celebrations, and access to farmland. Students will explore the history, present incarnations, and future possibilities of community supported agriculture and its effects on both communities and farmers while working and learning at a local CSA farm.