well, the potato tower did not produce that much. in fact, it was quite disappointing, but i think we learned some valuable lessons and we are not so upset that we won’t try again next year. i think we planted them a bit late. we planted in may and they should have been planted in […]
This season has been so outstanding. We have grown zucchini for the first time…..I know, I know….zucchini is the easiest thing to grow, yet somehow it has eluded us until this year. This season, we actually have sun and space and the plants have thrived! This means zucchini bread, ratatouille, soup….and lots of shredded zucchini […]
following the instructions from Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower, we have built a compost bin out of straw bales. this method is beneficial because the straw bales contain the heat needed for the materials to break down, while also allowing air flow. we have set up two bins side by side, but the first […]
the strawberries are out of control. despite ordering 50 plants, only about 5 survived and we lamented the fact that this experiment was unsuccessful. however, we forgot about the runners….the strawberries have multiplied and now fill the planter and continue moving outside the boundary of the pyramid. my solution is to dig up the lawn […]
we grew watermelons this year! looks like we might get 3 or so. the first one we picked a bit too early and it wasn’t quite ripe…plan to keep the remaining ones on the vine longer in hopes that they are actually ripe when we pick them. below is a pick of the watermelon (you […]
2 1/2 weeks after planting, the alfalfa is growing. so excited that it has survived. though our soil samples indicated the soil was okay, the looks of it and the smell and all the rocks had us doubting whether anything could thrive here…apparently, our fears were unfounded. the alfalfa will add nitrogen to the soil, […]
Tonight we planted alfalfa. This is a cover crop that has the following benefits: nitrogen fixer puts down a long tap root and helps break up the soil can be mowed and put in the compost for on-farm organic matter protects soil through the winter; diminishes weed production We used a Jang Seeder purchased at […]
Thanks to our friends at Urban Growth Farm in Ohio City, we spent our first day on the other side of the market stand! Though our contribution to the product side of things was small, it was thrilling to see people buy our goods…..it felt really good and inspired us to continue on this path. […]
The abundance of tomatoes has led us to a salsa frenzy. I used to live in MD with a dear friend whose mom makes the best salsa, so I asked for her recipe. Memories of hers are still fresh in my mind, and I am so pleased with the results of our own efforts. Good […]
This post is dedicated to what we have done to date to prepare the land we hope to farm next spring…we highly encourage you to do your own research, but this is a quick and dirty walk through. What to do first do an honest assessment of whether farming is really what you want to […]