Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
It has begun. The first day of harvest is one of the best days of the year, although it’s outdone by the last day of harvest. Tomorrow morning we’ll be in the garden by 5:30, clippers flashing in the light of the headlamps as we work our way down the row. As the day begins, the full totes flow from the garden to the barn where the branches are hung to dry. We leave them intact so that the water leaves slow the drying process down and wrap a cocoon around the flowers, sheltering them for their time-curing in totes until they are bucked off the stems and readied for market.
We walk the gardens each day, watching closely as each strain moves towards the finish, gauging peak ripeness and scheduling the harvests. Everything has to fit together, and around, the other aspects of the farm. We still harvest produce for markets on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and market on Tuesday, Thursday and every other Friday. There is still clearing, bed prep and planting of winter crops to be done, along with livestock to manage and all of the basic maintenance that has to take place. It takes a great team to get it all done, along with a lot of planning and a little luck.
The weather is always a gamble, and we have to plan around the forecast. The current heat spell is miserable at a time of year when I’m mentally and psychologically stretched. I keep expecting soup weather, though this type of fall heat is not at all unusual. I find myself overheated and irritable, a raised baseline of frustration that makes difficulties seem enormous and change difficult.
As we edge towards the end of the season, water is tight, but we’re going to make it. Filters require more clearing because the pond is low and there is more algae flowing through. I have to watch the plants and pay attention to the ends of the rows farthest from the timers because that’s where the impacts of lower pressure from clogged filters is first visible. Everything is so much easier when it’s cool, but the herb loves the dry weather, and it’s shaping up to be an incredible crop.
We start the harvests early so that we stop before the sun touches the herb. Some gardens see sun earlier so we plan where we’ll cut first and where we can go a little later, although it always feels good to be done hacking before the heat of the day. Then we transition to clearing the beds and replanting with the burgeoning crops coming out of the propagation house.
The weather has such a huge influence on our outcomes, a visceral reminder that we lead our lives at the mercy of nature and that she always bats last. All we can do is hope for good outcomes and hedge our bets as best we may. We plan and rehearse the order of strains coming into the dry sheds, trying to figure out the best timing to allow everything to ripen fully but avoid getting rained on at peak flowering. Sometimes there is no choice, and we have to know which strains don’t mind some rain and which ones cannot ride through it without mold and degradation.
Tight, dense flowers that are bigger in size are more likely to mold than looser flowers, but it’s also very strain-specific. We have to know the capacities for the plants, and scout regularly for any problems. There’s no clear definition of peak ripeness, though indicators like the changing color of the trichomes are helpful in decision-making. It comes down to a matrix of weather evaluation, scheduling, availability and the subjective definition of ripeness. More time on the vine means more weight, but there is a tipping point where quality begins to decline.
We rely on more than two decades of experience to choose the right time for the harvest. Some strains are old friends that we have past memory and data about, but even with them there can be variation depending on weather and growing conditions during the season. Seed plants have variable phenotypes that can complicate the decision-making process, because they’re all sisters they show different characteristics and can have different ripening times. Clones are much easier, though there is often variation based on changes in soil, topography, surrounding trees/vegetation and water availability throughout the bed. Sometimes we cut part of a row and come back later for the rest. Sometimes we cut a handful of seed plants and let the others continue to ripen.
There is always an undercurrent of excitement to the planning walks and to the harvest mornings. It’s a critical piece of the puzzle, because this electric feeling is the boost that carries us over the finish line after a long year of hard work that needs us to rise to the final challenge with joy, resolve and commitment.
This year looks like it could be our best crop yet, especially if the weather holds, so even though I have had my fill of the heat and my vegetable and pasture brains cry out for rain, my weed brain revels in the perfect ripening weather, and I’ll carry on with lots of electrolytes. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!