Friday, October 30, 2009

2009 Fall Update



DRF is in the process of ordering seeds from organic seed distributors for next season's crop.  This fall we will be plowing in and planting our berry patch which will consist of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. 

Our asparagus field is also under construction and we look forward to a bountiful harvest within two seasons.  You may wonder why we must wait two years to harvest the asparagus.  The reason is that asparagus procrastinates (which means it fits in well with most of us); it is a perennial plant and it takes 2 seasons for it to become acclimated to the soil. 

We will also be planting garlic cloves of 2 hardneck varieties; one is a "Persian Star" and the other is a "Spanish Roja".  We will also plant several silver skin or softneck varieties.  We do this in the fall not only to keep away the Halloween vampires, but also because planting garlic in the fall should yield a beautiful and aromatic crop by early summer. 

Fortunately, our closest neighbors are the folks at the Buford Trout Hatchery which is a state run Department of Natural Resources trout farm.  The trout at this farm are fed only organic feed.  When the fish tanks are cleaned, the fish manure is laid out in rows and dried in the sun.  Farmer Ben drives his tractor next door, removes the fish compost, and places it in our compost pile where it decomposes along with other organic-only matter.  The by-product is among the most mineral-rich organic fertilizers available.  This is a modern version of the process that Native Americans used to ferilize their crops which was to bury fish in their fields. 

Keep checking the blog for pictures and updates of our progress during this exciting time on the farm!