Our Farm

Fall Garden

from left Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsmips. Behind the Brussels sprouts are asparagus, corn, leek

April 28, 2008
If only I hadn't had my confidence shaken last year, I would have amazed people in late March by telling them I would be planting the peas in about two weeks. There was still a lot of snow on the garden April 1st yet I was able to plant ten days later. The snow that covered the garden from mid December until April insulated it so there was no frost in the ground. When the snow melted the water was able to percolate down and the garden dried in just a few days.
It is raining today which is why I have time to update this. The beautiful dry days have made it possible for me to plant peas, lettuce, spinach, onions, arugula, scallions, radishes, carrots, parsley and leeks. Today, before it started raining, I transplanted some of the broccoli and kohlrabi that I started indoors. These tender seedlings may be killed by a frost if we get a fairly hard frost before they get acclimated but all of the things I have planted will survive any frost we are likely to get.
I am two weeks ahead of last year and at least a week ahead of a normal year. I cut the first asparagus spears (only 3) yesterday. They will wait in water until I can add a few to make a meal for me. It will be a couple of more weeks before I have enough for the restaurant.
Not only did the carrots I protected with bales of hay survive the winter (Josh has been working through 40 pounds of them) but there were some that were protected only by the snow that also survived and were good eating. There was no wait to dig the parsnips.

March 25, 2008

The garden is still under at least a foot of snow. It is not looking good for planting the peas by April 15 which I have been able to do for every year but one since I started gardening here in 1972. The exception was last year. Hmmm.

As soon as the snow clears from around the hay bales out there I will roll the bales back and harvest the rest of last year's carrot crop. When the frost leaves the ground, I'll harvest the parsnips that I left in the ground for that purpose. Along about mid May the asparagus will come in and then the peas and lettuce and, oh boy, I can hardly wait.

I have started parsley, thyme, eggplant, celeriac, lettuce and some flowers in the house under grow lights. It feels so good to have my hands in soil again and to see things growing.

December 2, 2007

Garden work is finished for this year and I’m already looking at seed catalogues. My favorite is Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine.

This year was my best so far due very much to Barbara and Josh releasing me from restaurant duties most nights. There are enough onions and winter squash in the cellar to take Josh through the winter. Brussels sprouts and leeks should last another week or two. I didn’t get all the winter storage radishes harvested before they got frozen in but he should be able to get through the end of the year and carrots should last through January.

I’ve got some thoughts on doing even better next year. Instead of planting the peas in a block I’m going to plant some other crops between the rows so they will get more sun and air in the hope of staving off the mildew. I noticed this year that the east end of the rows where the sun hit first were healthier.

October 23, 2007
Frost came more than a month later than usual (“Usual” being since 1972 when I started gardening in Maine.) I’m still harvesting carrots, parsley, arugula, radishes, Brussels sprouts, kale, leeks and fennel. I have some lettuce that could be harvested but I’m waiting to see if I can get it a bit larger. It is pretty hardy. Over the years I have been able to put lettuce from the garden on our thanksgiving table. There are enough onions and winter squash (4 varieties) in the cellar to get us through the winter.

I’m still planting but not vegetables. As I clean up areas like the squash patch I plant winter rye to hold the soil over winter and add nutrients in the spring when I till it in

Pole bean flowering

June 27 - Buttercrunch lettuce, garden cress and soon radishes for salads. Peas will be coming in soon also, just in time as I need to stop harvesting asparagus to give the bed a rest for next year. Arugula, scallions and beet greens continue.
I had to put up the electric fence this week as a deer got into the first planting of carrots. I had to replant the beans and cucumbers as the cool weather in early June didn't warm the soil enough for the seed to germinate. It is hot and humid today which is why I'm inside in the middle of the day. Not good weather for the farmer but the plants are loving it.

Enough onions to last through the winter.

June 2, 2007 Josh informed me he will use the last of my onions this week. He has been serving my asparagus since mid May so my goal of having something from the garden in the restaurant year round has been achieved. My arugula started coming in this week also. Next will be the peas which last year came in about June 20. Last year I was able to plant earlier than ever and this year I planted the first peas April 22 which is the latest ever—the first time in 34 years I wasn’t able to plant peas by April 15. Who knows, they may catch up.

            In the ground so far I have: peas, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, radishes, summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, corn (the first planting broke ground yesterday), onions (lots of onions. I finished mulching them with grass clippings today.), parsley, parsnips, fennel, coriander, beets, beans, dill and scallions.

            There is so much to do at this time of year. The tomatoes and summer squash need to be mulched. The winter squash, basil, 3^rd planting of lettuce, 2^nd planting of carrots, 3^rd planting of dill, and 4^th planting of arugula are on my list to be planted. I’ve got some potatoes that need to be planted and the compost needs to be turned.

            I’d better stop here. I’m making myself tired. It’s a good thing I am doing what I love.

December 7, 2006. NOW I’m through for this year. The catalogues have already arrived and I’m planning next year’s garden which will be started indoors in March.

October 21 Many people think my work in the garden is over now that we have had a frost. Actually I’ll be harvesting for at least another month and there is even some planting to be done. I’m still harvesting parsley, scallions, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, radishes, arugula and some other greens. I have some very small lettuce growing that will probably not get big enough to harvest. I didn’t have time to plant it when I wanted to so this was just an experiment. With the warming trend, who knows?

I think Josh will have enough onions to get him through the winter and maybe enough winter squash, too.

Oh, what am I planting? Garlic which will get a start below ground now and be ready to spring forth when the ground thaws next year.

Click here to see some of my garden columns

Tender baby lettuce being harvested

Zepher summer squash

Zepher was a great hit in the restaurant last year. Harvested at this size they look great on the plate and taste wonderful. They were also used as a feature vegetable with the blossoms stuffed and deep fried.

Farm work begins in January with planning. I need to figure out how many rows or hills of each vegetable to plant and when to plant to provide a continuous flow for the restaurant. Lettuce has to be planted every two weeks, for example. All crops are planted in a different place than the year before. This is called rotation and is an important tool for organic farmers.

By February the seeds have been ordered. Some seedlings are started indoors in March. In April the first seeds are planted in the ground--peas, spinach, lettuce, onions, dill. These hardy seeds will not rot in cold soil and sprout at lower temperatures than most. What is even more important, the young seedlings will survive a late frost. In May second plantings of lettuce, spinach and peas go in. Corn, beets, Swiss chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and radishes are planted.

Peas in early July

I have had a frost as late as June 6th but that was the only time in 35 years I had a frost after June 1st. The end of May and early June is the big push for planting. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and summer squash are transplanted. Beans, basil, pumpkins, winter squash and cucumbers are directly seeded into the garden now that the soil is warm enough for them to sprout and there is no danger of frost.

Ten days after every planting the rows are cultivated to kill 90 percent of the weeds before they are big enough to be a problem. I also mulch with grass clippings every chance I get as this is semi permanent weed control for the summer. The mulch also holds in moisture and fertilizes the soil.
There are succession plantings throughout the summer.

Chives ready for harvest

Harvest begins with parsnips that wintered over and are dug as soon as the ground thaws. The freezing makes them especially sweet. Chives are next followed by asparagus from a large bed I planted more than 25 years ago when I had my first market garden. Spinach, lettuce, strawberries all follow along. The harvest doesn't end until after Thanksgiving. By then only lettuce, kale and Brussels sprouts are coming directly from the garden. Onions, potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage, winter squash and dry beans have all stored their natural goodness without any processing.

Joshua wants me to get a greenhouse so I can supply him with more produce in the winter. I rather like the down time, but we'll see.

Farmer Mort making compost

There is no organic waste at Joshua's. Outer leaves of lettuce, what's left over after Josh has carved out the best parts of a fish, apple cores and broccoli stems are a few of the kitchen scraps that are trucked out to my compost piles. Mixed with chicken manure and wood shavings to get the right balance of carbon and nitrogen the compost piles get hot to the touch. By next spring when it is time to fertilize the field there will be several tons of rich compost.