With May Madness upon us things are frenetic and the pace of all aspects of the farm accelerates with the lengthening days. Growth is rapid and abundant and the shining greens of the fresh oak leaves and the grassy landscape bring delight to my senses. Spring is the time of hope, of joy, and also the time when we labor to set the farm in motion for the summer season to come.
The full press of spring planting is upon us this week with propagation houses full of starts and beds waiting to be prepped. Irrigation needs are rising with the warm weather and I’m scrambling to get sprinklers and drip lines in place. We’re hopefully past the coldest weather, so I’ll be setting up timers this week to make watering a little more automated, though I’ll have to drain the system when we get the inevitable end-of-May frost that comes with the North wind after I’ve planted out the tender summer crops.
Farming is a gambler’s livelihood, but you learn to hedge your bets based on experience and practice. Tender crops that go out in May get insect netting to prevent bugs, and then a layer of frost blanket to prevent cold damage. The snow last weekend injured the biggest leaves of the young squash plants, but the frost blanket kept them from dying and they’re starting to bounce back already.
It takes more work to deploy and manage the covering and uncovering but I’ve learned that it’s better safe than sorry if I want to plant before our last frost date at the end of the month. This is part of the reason why I’m so focused on hoophouse production, where the cucumbers have been planted for several weeks and the two rows of tomatoes will go in this week. I’ll be sowing beans into the paperpot chains for transplanting out in a couple of weeks, and a second round of summer squash will get direct-seeded into the bed to save space in the prop house.
I’m making the shift from the Asian greens salad mix blend that I love in the winter to the summer salanova lettuces that do well in the heat and don’t have the pressure from harlequin beetles like the greens mix does. Insect netting is crucial for our brassica plantings, and as I write I’m reminding myself that I need to cover the beds of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli to keep them safe from the marauding little bastards.
Cannabis seed starts are slow this year, we’ve just gotten them up-planted into 2 gallon pots and still have several beds to prep in order to be ready for planting. Light dep is beginning, with two hoops planted and two to go, though one still has meat chickens in it, eating the cover crop and making manure to fertilize the cannabis that will be planted in 10 days or so.
I’ve been reflecting about the changes that happen in life, the learning lessons, the difficulties and beautiful moments that make up this journey. Watching the generational shift as I age into my 40’s and my body and psyche change. I find myself taking more time to do things right, and also sinking into a feeling of contentment with my skills and capabilities so that I don’t suffer so much process-anxiety. I know enough to know that I don’t know much but can generally figure out what I need to do to make things work, and it feels good not to worry so much about how the job will get done.
Farming is a constant series of lessons, an introspective process that requires hard looks at practices and proclivities. An eye for refinement and a willingness to change goes a long way towards making an operation that can thrive and provide compensation and meaning in the work. There is always push-pull between the vegetable, cannabis, cut flower and animal enterprises, and as we develop our individual spheres of influence and work together year after year, the pieces change and fit together in better ways that are easier and less stressful to manage.
Shifting care for meat birds out of my realm and into brother Lito’s has meant that I’m less crunched during the huge spring vegetable push, and with a later start to cannabis production he has more time available to take on that management aspect. We’ve been talking about how the farm is running, and have come to the conclusion that there isn’t any less work, but operations are more smooth this year and that makes it feel easier. One step at a time, one day at a time, so it goes. As always, much love and great success to you in your journey!
