Hello Everyone,
Well the fields have finally dried out enough to be plowed, so I’ve been spending a lot time on the large tractor this past week preparing ground, some for the second time. While I waited for fields around the main farm to dry I moved the tractor to my new rented field in Andover. The soil there is very well drained so it was ready for plowing within 2 days of the heavy rain. Most of the ground at this new field has not been worked for several years and has grown a very dense sod, which will take a considerable time to break down. For this reason I have plowed 5 of the 6 acres I have use of, even though some will not be planted until July and August. I have planted most of the peas I intend to- about 6,000 row feet and 55 lbs. of seed. My workers have planted about 12,000 onion and leek plants and 1,500 lettuce plants. We have begun cutting the seed potatoes into pieces and will begin planting potatoes in the next few days. There are also about 7,000 transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radicchio, and more lettuce that have been moved out of the greenhouse and are hardened off, waiting to be setout in the field. In the next week we will transplanting out these crops as well as starting more in the greenhouse and transplanting many greenhouse starts into larger cells. For anyone thinking about coming to the volunteer work day on May 12, help with greenhouse work will be one of the tasks for which I will greatly appreciate your assistance. It’s also time to plant many crops that are direct seeded into the field, such as carrots, beets, parsnips, spinach, and Swiss chard, to name just a few. It’s too early in the season to be this far behind, but the nature of farming is bound to the vagaries of the climate. Wish me luck catching up, and come out and lend a hand if you’re so inclined! –Farmer John