Farming is certainly humbling. We are seemingly constantly reminded that we are not actually in control. We are just trying to responsibly and opportunistically shepherd elements of nature in our favor to produce nutritious, delicious food. But Nature, in all its forms, holds most of the cards.
Weather is perhaps the most obvious one and we are all feeling the impacts of this cold, wet spring and the challenges it brings. It seems the soil in our squash field has a wealth of life and organic matter. Unfortunately this year, that also means a really fantastic population of slugs and snails. So our new teammates have started their summer farm job with the very glamorous job of picking slugs off baby winter squash plants each morning and encouraging the slugs to over-imbibe in some cheap beer.
Their efforts had been paying off, but this wet stretch had teammates discover 15 on one plant today and discover some new varieties of these gastropods. Hopefully with the drier, sunnier weather in the near forecast some of the plants are going to overcome.
And then there are the predators. Often that word evokes fox, fisher, coyote or even hawks that prey on young livestock. Fortunately, that has not been the case…at least not yet this year.
However, an elusive predator has now eaten all but 8 of the 500+ broccoli and brussells sprout plants that were transplanted a few weeks ago.
Darienne had grown a strong set of brassicas and our team rallied to get the beds ready and pushed hard that Friday to get them in on a good evening before some rain.
And spread chip and other love in the pathways on one of our very rainy days.
Apparently Mari & I weren’t the only ones appreciative of our team’s hard work.
The picture doesn’t do it justice as it was a full-scale eradication of all the leaves and plants in 2 days time. Woodchuck? rodents? birds? No tracks, no evidence, no setting off the game camera. Two leaves were left on the edge of a bed, seemed like an offering for the slugs. Some beast with a drone to hover in and take them all?
Fortunately, they don’t seem interested in the onions, at least not yet. And fortunately, it is early enough in the season that we can reseed those crops for a single later succession…if we can figure out what we are up against.
Amidst it all, we try not to lose hope and look towards the successes.
They hoophouses are chock full of goodness. Today, Darienne gets to put the empty field out of mind briefly to lead a team surrounded by the lush growth of peas, carrots, spinach and other greens in the West Hoophouse. It will be good for the soul to spend the day amidst abundance, cutting spinach to make way for sweet potatoes and harvesting the first snap peas!
Peas make everyone smile and have been a source of humbling in the past. But Louise & her relatives seem to be in check at the moment!
During the recent sunny, dry spells pollinators were active on the abundant apple blossoms.
And, we are super grateful for our infrastructure which is providing incredibly dry shelter in the early weeks for the Freedom Ranger meat birds and the Seychelles, Blue Plymouth Rocks who will grow up to be our future egg layers.
As you shop from local farmers, at the market or farmstands, be kind and remember they’ve been humbled, maybe not this week, but at some point recently (or in the near future) by nature and the challenges of growing food responsibly for your health and enjoyment. As much as we’d all like to have a full range of crops, meats, fruits and other products available reliably and abundantly, sometimes that is just not in the cards. But something great will be available to fully enjoy!
Back to the fields, the learning and the dance with nature.