Consistancy vs. Tribulations

Tommorrow (Saturday 8/28) will be the second week in a row that we will not be attending our regular farmer's market. Consistancy is one of the most importaint qualities we can provide our customers but despite a booming spring and mid summer, late summer is not looking so hot on our small farm. The heat wave we just escaped nearly killed the tomatoes, did kill many ground cherries, finished off the zucchini, made some of the fall plantings a bust, and the list goes on. But we don't have our heads hung too low. The pumpkins are ripening, some fall crops still have promise, and there have been lessons learned.

Ground cherries drying out and drooping in the summer heat.

We have got lettuce, radishes, and many other salad greens planted and coming up as I write this. Okra is still strong but isn't worth taking to market without other crops. We also have a second planting of beans which are a wonderful purple type called Royal Purple. We are looking forward to digging some sweet potatoes in the next few weeks. So not all is lost we are just in an unfortunate lull.

I have learned some valuable things this season. One thing is to not under estimate the power of succession planting. While the tomatoes are just starting to produce a second round and looking quite sad doing it a few "volunteer" tomatoes are looking healthy as ever and getting ready to produce soon. The "volunteer" tomatoes are at least four weeks behind the other tomatoes because they came up when the soil was warm enough. Next year I will certainly plant my tomatoes in two plantings staggered a month apart so we will have a continuous supply through fall. I am also going to do this with other summer crops that tend to wain off this time of year like zucchini, ground cherries, and cucumbers.

I know some will wonder why I wouldn't just water to avoid this but that really isn't the solution. Firstly, we are very conscious and work very hard at keeping the gardens as sustainable as possible, but most importantly it is not the heat which has defeated the plants because of drought but instead because of the plants age. By mid-late August the plants have been working hard for at least sixteen weeks. They have been attacked by bugs, wind whipped, stepped on by people and animals, flooded by torrential rains repeatedly and now dried out. It took seeing the volunteer tomatoes to make me realize this because they are growing as if the weather was just perfect.

Since this is our first full season I think we have done pretty well. Thanks to the cyclical nature of the seasons there is always next year to do better.

Only 10 Days Later...an update on the terrarium

It didn't take long for the tiny seeds to emerge from the damp soil...only 10 days. The planting took place on November 19th (see blog posting "A Moment of Sunlight") and so far this project has been completely maintenance free requiring no additional watering (notice the condensation on the walls of the clear container). The reused pretzel container has proven to be quite cozy for this variety of plant life and surprisingly the elderly seed has seemed to flourish in the enclosed habitat.

Although the mixed flower seed was more of a convenience (the only seed readily available on hand) and not the ideal, I can hardly wait for the fantastic blooms to add a touch of color to our kitchen during the white of winter! It is always so exciting to watch in anticipation the growth of the gardens in the spring, now the rewards have been brought indoors.
click on any picture to enlarge

What Pond?

After several days of rainy weather (with yesterdays exception of sunshine in the evening) it was a relief to wake up to the promise of sunshine and warmth. This morning when I took Moonie (our rescue dog) outside, I went ahead and threw on my boots and walked to the back of our 2 acre farm to see how high the water had risen in our pond...well, we call it a pond. Actually, some 20-30 years ago it was a watering hole for the sheep raised on our property (which has since been divided and is now known as our 2 acre farm). At some point after the original owners sold off sections of their property, along with the sheep, they knocked down part of the dam. Despite the attempt, over the years the small natural spring which fed the watering hole has continually replenished, keeping the area highly saturated during dry spells and becoming a source of fresh water for the deer after heavy rains.

The pond is just one of our many projects planned for this coming spring. Eager to get started, Nathan has already spent several days clearing some of the underbrush and scrappy trees (which will soon become fence posts) that had taken over the remains of the previous dam. We will still need to backhoe some of the dirt and rebuild the dam but as long as the natural spring remains cooperative the rain should take care of the rest. The pond will undoubtedly provide us with a great watering source, endless hours of fishing, and since it will be hard to get away with a new baby, the perfect view for camping!

Right now the outside wireless weather station reads 61 degrees, a concept hard to imagine at the end of November in the Midwest, and I am itching to migrate outside and get something accomplished. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on our little pond and the 2 acre farm!

click on any picture to enlarge

Me, My Crops, My Purpose

My name is Nathan Payne. I am a lifelong gardener, a ceramic artist, and a multitude of other things. I got my start gardening as a child growing gardens, fruit trees, and strawberries with my family which we always canned or froze for ourselves. I have always worked to keep these traditions alive for me and my family. Now I have reached a point in my life where I have decided to take my passion and way of life to a new level. I am starting this blog as a way to document and share my experience of transitioning from a gardener to a farmer.

The property that my farm is on (as the blog title implies) is roughly two acres. Approximately half an acre is wooded, one third of an acre is my yard, the remaining property is open to development. The woods contains about forty percent silver maple and box wood trees which I plan to tap this winter to make maple syrup.

In the second week of August I planted a fall crop of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, leaf lettuce, peas, beans, and carrots. I also planted a black berry patch that I will not be able to harvest for two seasons. For now the rest remains in grass.