4-26 This Week on the Farm
Things are really ramping up now here at the farm. We have our new hoop-house completed, we have the greenhouse full, we purchased a new rototiller, and are in the process of building our irrigation system and fences.
Our ‘new’ hoophouse is not extremely large, (12′ x 16′) but it is big enough for us for the next couple years. We plan on using it for overflow space from the greenhouse as well as a place for hardening off plants before they go out into the garden. It was put together from pieces of our neighbor Mary’s old greenhouse as well as some conduit and an old screen door we had laying around in the barn. We really make an attempt to re-use as many things as we can both to help the planet, and to reduce our expenses.
This past week we purchased a brand-spanking-new rototiller! Our old one still works, but it is a front-tine tiller which is harder on the user’s shoulders because it tends to bounce around. Our new one however is a Troy-Bilt Pony, which is a rear-tine, forward rotating tiller. We chose the forward-rotating tines because it prepares the soil better and more evenly. It is also a bit larger than the old one, and is self-propelled, which will help to speed up cultivation.
Also this past week, we received some free strawberry plants from a different neighbor Mary. They are already in the ground and are looking good. We have also seeded our tomatoes, and some herbs in the greenhouse, as well as second and third plantings of some cabbage-family crops.
This upcoming week we plan on seeding some of our crops that go directly in the garden, such as peas, carrots, radishes, pak choi, etc., etc. Also we hope to get our irrigation system at least partially up and going so that we get better germination of the crops that we directly seed.
We have a lot accomplished so far, this spring, but it always seems like we have twenty-times that left to do!
We do still have shares available for this season, so if you have been waiting, get the sign-up sheet in to us quickly so that you can be guaranteed of a share in our bounty this season!