As I woke up, I could hear the sound of car tires driving over wet pavement. Rolling over and sleeping in sounded like a much better idea than going out into soggy fields. Was a rainy day to farms like a snow day is too schools? Closed! If only I could turn the radio on and hear that my farm was closed for the day and work was canceled. I started thinking how a rain day probably meant non-field chores like maintenance and cleaning and that maybe I didn't have to work today because I was a "farm" intern. But I rallied. My good conscious knew better. I'm glad I did, a farm on a misty, cool spring morning is just as beautiful as a sunny day in summer. And I learned an important lesson...working on a farm has as much to do with barn duties as it does with field work. You can't learn to cook without knowing where things are in your kitchen. Same with farming! Half the job is keeping a well organized work space. So much stuff gets misplaced or rearranged during the course of business and needs put back and straightened. Plus, the diversity switches things up and keeps every day different. It allowed us to start a project which I will be very interested to see develop...building productive soil. I'm a big fan of soil! The project: transform the greenhouse’s organic flooring made of sand & granite into nutrient rich soil. The pressed sand/granite floor works well when you need a leveled service that's permeable so starter trays can drain atop screened-top tables. But the plan is to convert this area to a hoop house which will use soil on the ground to grow starters rather than trays on tables. It will involve breaking up the top layer of pressed dirt flooring to get at the soil below. Next, we'll mix compost in with the sand/granite flooring and roll it all together with the sub-soil sequestered underneath. See picture below for the prep work. Look for future posts and pictures marking our progress.
In the attached photo is co-worker, Austin. He is holding our favorite lettuce, Forellenschluss lettuce, a.k.a. Speckled Trout's Back. This sassy little lettuce starter goes in the ground Monday morning!
In the attached photo is co-worker, Austin. He is holding our favorite lettuce, Forellenschluss lettuce, a.k.a. Speckled Trout's Back. This sassy little lettuce starter goes in the ground Monday morning!
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