Here are some progression shots our Broccoli and Collard Field
August 27th-Just laid out rows and fertilizer for broccoli and collard seedlings
September 2nd- Plastic Mulch is laid and seedlings are planted
October 8th- Seth is checking the broccoli for signs of florets
October 8th- Gorgeous fall day
Sunshine and cooler temperatures really make for some beautiful days. This week has been exciting as we are starting to have fall crops come in. We harvested the first of our carrots, Hakurei turnips, escarole, and have more green beans coming in. The green beans are some of the prettiest we've ever grown. They're surprisingly sweet and delicious raw.
We're checking our cabbage and broccoli everyday for signs of heads and florets beginning to form. The plants are big and beautiful and we're expecting a pretty nice harvest from them. Spinach, chard, beets, and lettuce are due to be coming in in the next couple of weeks, too.
One of the best parts about these first few days of October was using our neighbor farmer's Jang Seeder. We direct seed crops like carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, baby lettuce, spinach, arugula and other baby greens. Typically, we've been making beds with the bed-raiser implement behind the tractor and then planting the seeds by hand: digging a small trench with a hoe, dropping in seeds, and then covering them with soil using a rake. And while it has worked well for us, it is very time consuming and does not have the spacing accuracy we desire.
That's where a seeder comes in. It's a little machine that as you roll it along a row, it drops seeds the same distance apart and covers them with soil. There are plates you adjust for the different sizes of seeds (a beet seed is much larger than an arugula seed) and then just fill up the seed compartment and push it along the row. Seeders are awesome, but also quite expensive. Luckily our neighbor was gracious enough to let us borrow his and we planted an acre of crops in an hour that would have usually taken at least a day. Seth and I could kick ourselves for not investing in a seeder a long time ago. Needless to say, that will be one our first spring purchases next year as we approach another season.
Today we're harvesting and getting ready for the Grayson Farmer's Market and the Atlanta CSA drop-off. Tomorrow we will be at the Tucker Farmer's Market, Friday will be the farm CSA pick-up and Saturday we have a farm dinner scheduled at 5:30 put on by graft restaurant. Reservations are still available- check out http://www.graftrestaurant.com/events.html to sign up.
We hope you all are enjoying fall as much as we are- have a great week!
-Haley and Seth
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