The Schuler Blog
starting the seeds
Well it's that time again when we start the process of filling flats full of a growing mixture and and adding seeds. Using more lights than sun to get things growing this year. We start off the month of February sowing the seeds of leeks, bunching onions, broccoli, cabbages, kales, head lettuce, and peppers. In the next three months we will be starting and taking care over 100 flats of future transplants. These transplants will have the vigor to overcome weed pressure which is more difficult in direct seeding. In less than 8 weeks it will be spring and the time we plan to start our direct seeding outside. In the meantime we will sow some seeds direct in the high tunnel, to enable an early spring start to our CSA. So far with this warm winter, we have been able to catch up on a few things in getting the soils ready for the growing season. We have amended with a lot of compost and composted manure, and tried to cover all bear ground with leaves or cover crops. This year we are using mostly winter wheat as a cover. The crop plan has been updated on the website and I will post a document soon, showing the specific varieties of everything we are growing. Bruce |
2015 seed order has arrived and is in play
Brassicaceae Broccoli: Festa, Arcadia, Solstice Cabbage: Gonzales, Super Red 80, Red Express, Ruby, Melissa Savoy, Frigga Savoy Cauliflower: Candid Charm, Snowbowl Brussel Sprouts: Diablo, Nautic Collards: Vates Arugula: Rocket Kale: Red Russian, Vates Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch, Tuscano, Lacinato Kohlrabbi: Winner Asian Greens: Prize Choy and Jo Choi Pac Choi,Fun Jen Chinese Cabbage, Komatsuna, Gunsho, Carlton, Green Lance Chinese Broccoli Radish: Easter Egg, Pink Beauty, French Breakfast, Misato Rose, White Icicle, Miyashige Daikon, Watermelon Turnips: Hakeri, Purple Top White Globe, Gold Ball, White Egg Parsnip: Andover Chenopodiaceae Spinach: Space, Tyee, Bloomsdale, Winter Bloomsdale Swiss Chard: Bright Lights, Red Rhubarb Beets: Baby ,Chioggia Guardsmark, Bulls Blood, Touchstone Gold, Cylindra, Detroit Golden, Detroit Dark Red, Merlin Liliaceae Onion: Parade, Evergreen and Deep Purple Bunching, Red Long Of Tropea, Red Marble, White, Yellow, Chives, Red Cipollini Garlic: Music, German Hardneck, Rojo, Leek: King Richard Asteraceae Lettuce: Rhazes, Alkindus, Dragoon, Breen, Truchas, Monte Carlo, Thurinus, Mayan Jaguar, Kalura, Majestic Red, New Red Fire, Red Salad Bowl, Winter Density, Tango, Marshall, Freedom Lettuce Mix, Mizspoona Salad Selects Gene Pool Endive: cant find it Apiaceae Parsnip: Harris, Andover Celeriac: Diamant Celery: Tango Parsley: Gigante d'Italian, Moss Curled II, Forest Green Carrot: Bolero, Nelson, Purple Haze, Tonda di Parigi, Atlas, Hercules, Atomic Red Fennel: Perfection Fabaceae Bean: Jade, Maxibel Haricot Vert, Provider, Golden Rocky Bush Wax, Peas: Sugar Anne Snap Lamiaceae Basil: Sweet, Genovese Solanaceae Eggplant: Swallow, Ping Tung Long, Rosa Bianca,Black King, Diamond, Galine Sweet Pepper: Carmen, King of the North, Chocolate, Purple Beauty, Lunch Box Mix, Cubanelle semi-sweet Hot Pepper: Early Jalapeno, Hidalgo Serrano, jaluv An Attitude ECO, Long Red Narrow Cayenne, Czech Black, Beaver Dam, Habanero, Red Rocket Potato: so far just 100# of French Fingerlings; Laratte. Plan to buy Youkon Gold, Red Norfolk,>>>> Tomato: Black Krim, Husk Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Verde Puebla Tomatillo, Amish Paste, Speckled Roman, Orange Banana, Opalka, Black Cherry, Weisnicht's Ukranian, Pink Brandywine, Rose De Berne, Sun Gold, Jasper, Mountain Fresh Plus, Mt. Merit, Defiant, Moskvich Polygonaceae Cilantro: Caribe, Cucurbitaceae Cucumber: Diva, H19 Little Leaf pickling cuke, Amiga, Excelsior, Super Zagross Middle Eastern, Lemon, Marketmore, Suhhyo Long, Shintokiwa Melon: Cream of Saskachawan watermelon, Sugar Baby watermellon Pumpkin: Rouge Vif D'Etampes, Baby pam Summer Squash: 8 Ball zucchini, Lemon squash, Alexandria Lebanese, Raven zucchini, golden arrow zucchini, Winter Squash: Butterbush Butternut, Sweet Dumpling, Zeppelin Delicata, Sweet Reba Acorn, Y Star Patty Pan, Speghetti, Nutty Delica |
January on the farm
The high tunnel is under wraps for another few weeks until we sow it with spinach and mixed greens. Keeping the fireplace burning to cut the chill in the house. Hopefully the winter will provide many more sunny days like today. Currently putting together the crop plan and seed orders. The first flats we are starting will be herbs, leeks, and onions; later this month. BS |
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I came upon this poem the other day by Anna Barker written in 1994, which I would like to share. It is described as a synthesis of words chosen from a Eating close To Home conference, framed by two haiku. Beauty and the Feast: An Ode to Community Supported Agriculture In December air Indoors growing together Snow mist frosts the fields We are cooking. Recipes for diversity must include hair-brained schemes and land purchases, awareness of trends, open houses with home made salsa, sizzle, regional/seasonal ingredients, and Trust. New pioneers where ever there is common ground who receive grants and give advice along with their healthy food, know about efficiency, keep their knives sharp, and enjoy the flavor of batter in their stories. Trust, grown from self-delivered knowledge and experience-based education result in believing and form the basis for growing the caring/carrying capacity. (money counts) See us: we are not a fad or social echo; we are The Land. We are a community of sustainers, co-creators of a Way of Life, setting loose a system of nutrition, based on the soil, nurtured by the craft of farming, by the elders grounded in integrity, giving witness through the words meeting actions. Join us as we regain the heritage which lies deep in the Earth, our Mother much-covered but alive beneath the layers of concrete, asphalt, and square buildings. Chew works, spit out ideas, let the organic process spread, dynamically influencing source-labels that increase trust. Through facts and knowledge gained from experience stimulate growth-through-the-seasons; grow as individuals, as unique as your footprints on soil after rain. Participating in peeling back the "price per pound" mentality and share in linking lives with the Land in ways that cultivate community along with food security. Eat close to home, and invite many guests to share the feast. In the cool spring air Outdoors growing together December warms fields |
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