All posts by Farmer Rebecca

Planting Away

csa, mulch, row cover, sustainable agriculture, transplanting

So far, this Spring has been one of the best we have had for early growing. We continue to put out plants and seed our fields, and hope for thisweek to be especially productive, so that we can have time to turn our attention back to our high tunnel.

Our 2012 interns Dani Hurst and Ryan Stubby have been on the go and productive since the beginning. Last week was a good example as we: mulched, staked and trellised the peas; planted, mulched and covered the broccoli; weeded some “no-till” beds; planted potatoes; potted up tomatoes, eggplant and peppers; hoed, fertilized and mulched the new asparagus patch; harvested for the KC Food Circle Expo; and took care of many other tasks.

We also put row cover over the strawberry plants, the first time we have ever done that. Of course this is the first time they have ever started flowering in early April. Last year the very cold start to May severely damaged our crop and we do not want a repeat of that, so we are doing all we can to keep these tasty fruits protected.

pea mulching
covering the strawberries
asparagus plants
potato planting

Photo of Springs Past

csa, fair share farm, soil temperature, spring, sustainable agriculture

Crazy but enjoyable weather this year. In the ten years we have been here at the farm we have never had a March quite like this one. We have photos of the Spring since 2004, and in perusing them can see that the trees have never been as leafed, or the plants so far along as this year.
As a contrast to this year check out the 2009 photo below of our lilac bush. These seem to be real extremes—from iced over leaf buds in 2009 to full and glorious blooms this year. In fact, the blooms Rebecca picked this morning are already beginning to be past.

March 29, 2009

March 30, 2012

Other, less anectdotal info shows just how warm it is. Each week during the growing season MU Extension sends us an email with information on weather conditions, weeds to expect and soil temperatures. The last soil temp chart we got is shown below. This years soil temps are over 15 degrees warmer than the 12 year average in some cases.

This is the condition, more than air temperature, that has created the show of greenery this March. Normally at this time of year we are wary to plant out because the soil temperatures are too cold for the tender roots of our transplants, or too cool for seeds to germinate.

This year, the soil is downright hot. When we were planting onions yesterday the soil was warm to the touch. What this means for the rest of the year is hard to tell, but at this point we have moved our planting schedule up and plan to start the season a week early.

Outstanding in the Field Returning to Fair Share Farm

fair share farm, jonathan justus, outstanding in the field

We are again honored to be chosen as the host farm for the 2012 Kansas City Area Outstanding in the Field Dinner. Last year’s event was one hot number–from the amazing food of Jonathan Justus, to the capacity crowd, to the 95 plus degree day. Member Emily Akins was there and gave the evening a great review in her blog.

Jonathan Justus from Justus Drugstore will again be the chef de jour. This year’s event will be in the Fall, on October 19. We all know how wonderful an October evening can be in the Missouri countryside and we are hoping for the best as the moon waxes that night. Tickets are now on sale at the OITF website.  Join us if you can.

Early Spring

cultivating, electric tractor, high tunnel, seeding, transplants

The weather this last week has been rather exceptional. And with a forcast of 70+ degree days for the next week, we have decided to throw caution to the wind and begin seeding early.
Yesterday we got the electric tractor humming and began preparing our beds. First a quick pass to cultivate. At this time of year killing all of the small weeds that have begun to germinate does wonders to reduce weed pressure. In many of the Spring beds a second or third pass is in order to further reduce the “weed seed bank.”

Rebecca cultivating with the G

Next we switched out the cultivator for the “guttering disks” which create a raised bed for us, helping to warm the soil and reduce the potential for a flooded field.

Then the seeder goes on. On Wedensday direct seeding consisted of a bed of spinach (3 rows x 200 feet) and two beds of peas (4 rows x 200 feet). A second planting of each of these is planned in the near future, as is the transplanting of our herbs and onions.
 

Changing out the seeder
Cabbage transplants

While that was going on we were also taking another step towards constructing the high tunnel. A pair of roof purlions run the length of the tunnel and help support the bow and keep them from swaying back and forth. Thanks to Jim Pierce for the loan of his wagoin and scaffold, which allowed for a safe and sturdy work surface.

A final thanks to our 2011 intern, 2012 farm hand and fellow farmer Lucas Knutter. Luke will be working at a farm in Lexington, MO this summer before hopefully returning to the area to start his own farm just north of us. It has been a pleasure to work with Luke the last year, helping as well as learning from him. Good luck Luke.

Luke installing the purlions

High Tunnel Raising at Fair Share Farm

csa, fair share farm, high tunnel, high tunnel construction, sustainable agriculture

On Saturday over 20 CSA members, friends and community members came out and helped us with the bulk of the work for our high tunnel construction. It was a beautiful day for working and we got a lot accomplished. A big THANK YOU to all that participated.

I made a stop action movie of it all, condensing 8 hours of work into 2-1/2 minutes. You can see the different work crews; teams to the right in the video were piecing together the bows and trusses, while the team on the left was assembling the structure on the existing ground posts. Hope you enjoy the video, and if you were here, that it brings pleasant memories.

March Happenings

csa, fair share farm, greenhouse, onion trimming, sustainable agriculture

Spring looks closer every day as March marches in for 2012. In the greenhouse the plants are lookin’ good. On Monday we gave the onions what will be one of several “haircuts.” The video below shows the process: the lanky tops are trimmed to help the plants put more energy into root production, and then a top dressing of potting soil is added to further aid their growth. In the end over 35 flats were tended to on Monday.

Other crops getting their start include the herbs, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, leeks and Asian greens. the greenhouse is filling up fast as we will soon be starting the tomatoes.

cabbage starts

lettuce

In the field we are prepping for tomorrow’s high tunnel raising. Rebecca, Luke and I did some pre-assembly to get a feel for things and so we could tell our swedged ends from our tabbed ones, and our clamps from our bands from our straps. Looking forward to a safe, productive day tomorrow with lots of help from the many friends of the farm.

MU Extension Award
On February 28th we joined by charter CSA members the Flynns (Ann and Mark) and the Barths (Fred and Carole) to receive our MU Extension Leaders Honor Roll award. It was indeed an honor and we were so happy to have our CSA members at our side for dinner and the award.
Tom, Rebecca, Ann, Mark

A Look Back

Uncategorized

It was 10 years ago that Rebecca and I made our home here on her family’s land in rural Clay County and began Fair Share Farm. Having moved here in November of 2002, we began working on building the farm’s infrastructure in late January, while remodeling our 1930’s farmhouse.

The house in 2002

While we lost some photos due to a bad disk drive, we do have pictures of those early days and plan on sharing some with you as the year proceeds. This round documents the building of the greenhouse, our initial infrastructure project.

The passive solar design was taken from a similar structure at the MU Mount Vernon Experimental Station. With the help of Rebecca’s father John, family, and some hired hands we commenced to clear the site of an old chicken coop and build this most important structure.

Through all types of weather the greenhouse has stood tall and nurtured our late-Winter and early-Spring transplants. It has also served to dry herbs, cure sweet potatoes, overwinter potted plants, dry our clothes, and otherwise warm us.

John clearing the site for the greenhouse

Greenhouse back wall
Rebecca laying out the foundation
Building the greenhouse

Taking shape
Rebecca hoisting the plastic
Insulating and finishing the interior

The finished greenhouse

High Tunnel Raising at Fair Share Farm

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For all of you interested in participating in the construction of a high tunnel, this is your chance. On March 10th and 11th we are soliciting your help. (See the post below for an update on the project status.)

Work is scheduled to begin Saturday morning at 9am and Sunday at 10am. We will start with a safety talk and a rundown of tasks to accomplish, so if you plan on helping we encourage you to be there at the start. We want to make sure that it is a safe, interesting and fun day for all participants.

It is expected that we will work until 5pm both days. If you can stay the whole day, great, but we understand if folks have to leave early or can only work a half day.

Hoop houses are put together with a combination of carriage bolts, tek screws and other fasteners. Some assembly work is done on the ground and does not require a lot of upper body strength. Other tasks require lifting relatively heavy steel, some while on ladders. So there are lots of places to plug into the process and all are welcome.

If you plan on attending please RSVP so that we can plan enough food for lunch. We will prepare a large pot of stew and some other veggies and goodies.

We recommend all workers bring the following:

  • water
  • snacks
  • work boots
  • layered clothing appropriate for the weather
  • work gloves

In addition, if you have the following tools we recommend tossing them in your car in case we need extras:

  • cordless drill and batteries
  • bits for driving screws and other fasteners
  • socket set and wrenches

We could also use a sturdy 8 foot A-frame ladder to supplement the couple we have.

If you received an email concerning this, please reply to that email if you plan on coming. If you did not, reply via or website comment page. Thanks in advance for your help and consideration.