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| Farm Bed Layout |
Monday, December 12, 2011
Farm Layout
We realize that something important has been missing from this blog, something that we fail to capture with our out-of-focus pictures... an overview/layout of the farm. Therefore, we have created a schematic that we hope can somewhat orient you with our space. Also, notice the glaring fact: we have prepared only a small part of our available space... reminding us that we have a lot of work to do before Spring. Sorry for the small text, but rest assured that those details are insignificant. The point is to see the 'big picture'.
Cover Cropping
But first, a quick update:
We did rake the clumps out of the block (from the previous post), and we piled them in a windrow on the perimeter of the block for 2 reasons: to keep any weeds from being introduced into a different area, and allow the soil that remains on the clumps to be washed back into the area from whence it came.
Now, the entry.
Only 2 of the 3 blocks could be completely prepared in time to broadcast the cover crop seeds on 08 Nov (two days before the full moon). Ironically, the one remaining block is the first one that we started on. Nevertheless, we have begun the informal experiment about the influence of the moon on the resulting crop. We will sow the cover crop now in the 2 blocks that are prepared, and we will sow the remaining block a few days after the full moon.
The first step in the process was to spread the fertilizers.
In this case, we used both dolomite and Cal-Phos. The dolomite is an acid neutralizer. We knew that the soil was acidic because of the presence of sheep sorrel. It thrives in acidic soils, and it is doing pretty darn well in our beds at the moment. Therefore, the dolomite will change the pH of the soil to a more neutral level. It is a fine dust that can cause serious lung damage over long periods of inhalation, so a mask is a must. The Cal-Phos provides Phosphorus, which is important for overall plant health (think ATP and DNA).
We are ambivalent about using the fertilizers. We feel that a healthy farm should not need such inputs, but we realize that we are starting from scratch, so we need some additional help to get the system going.
After spreading the fertilizer, it gets raked evenly and chopped into the soil. Then, the beds are smoothed, and the ‘micro’-furrows are prepared. The furrows serve to minimize seed erosion and predation as well as to maximize germination by keeping the seeds from washing/blowing off the beds.
Finally, it’s the moment we’ve all (read: C + C) been waiting for: the sowing of the cover crops! It’s the first milestone of our working farm, a big goal reached in our preparations for next season’s crops. Cover crops are important for many reasons, including erosion control and soil tilth, nitrogen fixation and nutrient retention, beneficial insect habitat, compost material, etc.
We’ve chosen bell beans, Lana vetch, and barley.
Bell beans are similar to fava beans, only much smaller (about 1/2 the size). They are legumes that help fix a substantial amount of Nitrogen in the soil, and they serve as a scaffolding for the vetch to climb on.
The Lana vetch is a 'vine-y' legume used to fix Nitrogen. As a mid-story plant, it helps keep weeds down and minimize erosion.
Barley is a cereal grain that helps improve the structure and health of the soil because of its root systems. The roots help keep the soil from compacting and ensure that nutrients do not get leeched.
We inoculate the bell beans and vetch with specific bacteria, which have formed symbiotic relationships with legumes. These bacteria form nodules on the roots of the legumes. These guys are responsible for the fixation of Nitrogen. Some people debate whether it is necessary to inoculate or not, but Yeti insists that doing so is a beneficial practice that equates to buying an extended warranty.
After inoculation, we add the barley, mix it in with the legumes, and broadcast. Then, we gently rake the beds smooth to cover the seeds in the furrows.
Finally, we cover the beds with some rice straw to further protect against erosion and predation. (Note: We used way too much straw. Oops. Won't do that again!).
These beds are now completely prepared. We have the remaining block to sow, and there’s still much to do around the garden, but the first major goal has been reached!
We did rake the clumps out of the block (from the previous post), and we piled them in a windrow on the perimeter of the block for 2 reasons: to keep any weeds from being introduced into a different area, and allow the soil that remains on the clumps to be washed back into the area from whence it came.
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| Raked Beds. "Keyhole" Shape |
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| Windrow of grass 'scrapings' |
Now, the entry.
Only 2 of the 3 blocks could be completely prepared in time to broadcast the cover crop seeds on 08 Nov (two days before the full moon). Ironically, the one remaining block is the first one that we started on. Nevertheless, we have begun the informal experiment about the influence of the moon on the resulting crop. We will sow the cover crop now in the 2 blocks that are prepared, and we will sow the remaining block a few days after the full moon.
The first step in the process was to spread the fertilizers.
In this case, we used both dolomite and Cal-Phos. The dolomite is an acid neutralizer. We knew that the soil was acidic because of the presence of sheep sorrel. It thrives in acidic soils, and it is doing pretty darn well in our beds at the moment. Therefore, the dolomite will change the pH of the soil to a more neutral level. It is a fine dust that can cause serious lung damage over long periods of inhalation, so a mask is a must. The Cal-Phos provides Phosphorus, which is important for overall plant health (think ATP and DNA).
We are ambivalent about using the fertilizers. We feel that a healthy farm should not need such inputs, but we realize that we are starting from scratch, so we need some additional help to get the system going.
After spreading the fertilizer, it gets raked evenly and chopped into the soil. Then, the beds are smoothed, and the ‘micro’-furrows are prepared. The furrows serve to minimize seed erosion and predation as well as to maximize germination by keeping the seeds from washing/blowing off the beds.
 |
| Tines and Furrows |
Finally, it’s the moment we’ve all (read: C + C) been waiting for: the sowing of the cover crops! It’s the first milestone of our working farm, a big goal reached in our preparations for next season’s crops. Cover crops are important for many reasons, including erosion control and soil tilth, nitrogen fixation and nutrient retention, beneficial insect habitat, compost material, etc.
We’ve chosen bell beans, Lana vetch, and barley.
 |
| Bell Beans |
Bell beans are similar to fava beans, only much smaller (about 1/2 the size). They are legumes that help fix a substantial amount of Nitrogen in the soil, and they serve as a scaffolding for the vetch to climb on.
The Lana vetch is a 'vine-y' legume used to fix Nitrogen. As a mid-story plant, it helps keep weeds down and minimize erosion.
 |
| Lana vetch |
 |
| Barley |
We inoculate the bell beans and vetch with specific bacteria, which have formed symbiotic relationships with legumes. These bacteria form nodules on the roots of the legumes. These guys are responsible for the fixation of Nitrogen. Some people debate whether it is necessary to inoculate or not, but Yeti insists that doing so is a beneficial practice that equates to buying an extended warranty.
After inoculation, we add the barley, mix it in with the legumes, and broadcast. Then, we gently rake the beds smooth to cover the seeds in the furrows.
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| Seed Mix |
These beds are now completely prepared. We have the remaining block to sow, and there’s still much to do around the garden, but the first major goal has been reached!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sacrifices to Reality
Unfortunately, we are not going to have all of the blocks prepared in time to plant a winter cover crop in them. Therefore, we have to decide which areas we want to focus on for the time being. We chose a small block of beds in the middle of the garden.
Given that we are starting late in the season, we had to submit our ideal to our idea. That is, if we want to have as much of the space mowed as possible - to have the largest possible garden - then we have to be able to mow faster. While we promote the ideal of mowing without the use of a weed whacker, we understand that we don't have the skill to wield the scythe effectively. So, we made a sacrifice to reality in which Chris used a weed whacker to finish the job.
After mowing the grass and raking it into piles, it was time to hoe the beds.
The strenuous activity is becoming less pain inducing, but this set of beds came with a problem. A weed that spreads by rhizomes, sheep sorrel, is creeping all throughout the block. Therefore, Chris had to take more care in hoeing by both digging deeper and removing many of the sorrel plants.
This cost valuable time in our race to sow all of the cover crops on 08 November. One interesting consequence, however, is that we’ll be running an extremely informal experiment with regard to sowing seeds and the phases of the moon.
The next step is to rake the clumps out of the beds and into piles. Then, we can spread the fertilizer and sow the seeds. Hopefully the beds will be prepared before the rains come in a few days.
Given that we are starting late in the season, we had to submit our ideal to our idea. That is, if we want to have as much of the space mowed as possible - to have the largest possible garden - then we have to be able to mow faster. While we promote the ideal of mowing without the use of a weed whacker, we understand that we don't have the skill to wield the scythe effectively. So, we made a sacrifice to reality in which Chris used a weed whacker to finish the job.
 |
| Weed Whacking |
After mowing the grass and raking it into piles, it was time to hoe the beds.
The strenuous activity is becoming less pain inducing, but this set of beds came with a problem. A weed that spreads by rhizomes, sheep sorrel, is creeping all throughout the block. Therefore, Chris had to take more care in hoeing by both digging deeper and removing many of the sorrel plants.
This cost valuable time in our race to sow all of the cover crops on 08 November. One interesting consequence, however, is that we’ll be running an extremely informal experiment with regard to sowing seeds and the phases of the moon.
The next step is to rake the clumps out of the beds and into piles. Then, we can spread the fertilizer and sow the seeds. Hopefully the beds will be prepared before the rains come in a few days.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Getting Rid of Weeds, or Hoeing Is the Source of All Human Excellence
Last weekend, we completely prepared 3 beds. However, we have 20 more. Each bed is 25’ x 4’, with a 1’ aisle in between. Each block consists of 8 beds. During the following week, we spent a few days of strenuous effort hoeing out the grasses of one entire block so that we could rake the beds into shape during the upcoming weekend. It’s easy to see why people have found ways to have other things or people do the work for them. It’s amazing that humans have developed the awareness to build tools.
Think about all of the developments in thought and skill that have had to occur over the course of human history for tractors to have been created.
At the same time, though, think about the fact that humans have also consciously created seeds that are designed to be infertile.
Once the grasses were hoed and dried in the sun for a few days (helping to retain as much soil as possible in the beds), we raked them into piles. We piled them together in appropriate locations for the winter rains to wash the soil back onto the beds. As for the grasses themselves, we’ll compost them in the near future.
Finally, we have one block of beds ready for the cover crops!
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| Ancient Egyptian Tomb |
Think about all of the developments in thought and skill that have had to occur over the course of human history for tractors to have been created.
At the same time, though, think about the fact that humans have also consciously created seeds that are designed to be infertile.
Once the grasses were hoed and dried in the sun for a few days (helping to retain as much soil as possible in the beds), we raked them into piles. We piled them together in appropriate locations for the winter rains to wash the soil back onto the beds. As for the grasses themselves, we’ll compost them in the near future.
 |
| Chopping the clumps (not our toes...) with a digging fork to loosen the soil before raking. |
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| Raking Respite. Progress Picture. |
Finally, we have one block of beds ready for the cover crops!
Time to Get to Work
We wasted little time getting into the work that needs to be done. The first step is to remove some weedy plants whose seeds will scatter if struck. In this case, the weed was yellow dock. There's not a huge amount of it, but spending the time to carefully remove it is definitely worthwhile. Next, we had to mow the tall grasses. To do so, we want to learn how to use a scythe. Check out how well these folks wield one. Here and Here.
We do not yet have scythes, so Yeti let us borrow one of his. While it was a relatively ineffective tool in our beginner's hands, we can clearly see its potential.
We need to improve our techniques and buy one that fits (sized appropriately). Unfortunately, we were only able to successfully mow a small portion of the garden in a relatively long amount of time (and with considerable effort).
Therefore, we decided rake the cut grass into piles...
... and then hoe some of the beds instead of mowing the remaining portion.
This way, we will have the small reward of having exposed a few beds and we will be encouraged to prepare the remaining beds to the same shape. We’ll see how that plays out.
As the end of the day was nearing, we were happy to have fully prepared 3 beds.
And so were our hands!
We do not yet have scythes, so Yeti let us borrow one of his. While it was a relatively ineffective tool in our beginner's hands, we can clearly see its potential.
 |
| Scythe and Sickle |
 |
| Welcome to Scotland. Oops, I mean California. |
We need to improve our techniques and buy one that fits (sized appropriately). Unfortunately, we were only able to successfully mow a small portion of the garden in a relatively long amount of time (and with considerable effort).
 |
Therefore, we decided rake the cut grass into piles...
... and then hoe some of the beds instead of mowing the remaining portion.
This way, we will have the small reward of having exposed a few beds and we will be encouraged to prepare the remaining beds to the same shape. We’ll see how that plays out.
 |
| Raking the beds into shape. |
As the end of the day was nearing, we were happy to have fully prepared 3 beds.
And so were our hands!
Welcome
Greetings to you, our family and friends, and welcome to the blog about Furlong Forest Farm. We are happy to start our first farm - a beginner's farm - so that we can learn the art and science of farming.
This one acre farm is part of the property of two wonderful people who are building their dream. Literally. Check out their blog. We have leased the land from them, and we are learning from a master gardener, Yeti, who originally started farming the property 16 years ago. He is a seasoned farmer and an insightful 'coach'. With gratitude and good thoughts to all involved for their help and support, we are excited to begin truly learning about the many and varied cycles and relationships involved in the crafts of food production.
Now, to question the obvious of the picture: Where's the farm?
Answer: It is hiding under all of the grasses.
For myriad reasons, Yeti has let the farm go fallow over the past year. There are established beds underneath all of the grasses, but we are getting a very late start. We need to prepare the beds so that we can plant the cover crops. Therefore, we have a lot of work to do.
Although we are pressed for time, all of the work is actually a good thing. It gives us the opportunity to learn about the process from the beginning. We'll get to see both the flow of activities and the effects of each action on the resulting system. Among many current and future situations, we'll be able to see how mowing will affect the weeds and the animals. Will there be an abundance of grasses that pop up in the next week? Will the gopher activity decrease? We will simply have to observe.
Overall, our goal with this blog is to provide snapshots and insights into our nascent farming endeavors, sharing our progress and our pitfalls, our growth.
So, once again, Welcome.
(Produce Coming Soon...)
Love,
C + C
This one acre farm is part of the property of two wonderful people who are building their dream. Literally. Check out their blog. We have leased the land from them, and we are learning from a master gardener, Yeti, who originally started farming the property 16 years ago. He is a seasoned farmer and an insightful 'coach'. With gratitude and good thoughts to all involved for their help and support, we are excited to begin truly learning about the many and varied cycles and relationships involved in the crafts of food production.
Now, to question the obvious of the picture: Where's the farm?
Answer: It is hiding under all of the grasses.
For myriad reasons, Yeti has let the farm go fallow over the past year. There are established beds underneath all of the grasses, but we are getting a very late start. We need to prepare the beds so that we can plant the cover crops. Therefore, we have a lot of work to do.
Although we are pressed for time, all of the work is actually a good thing. It gives us the opportunity to learn about the process from the beginning. We'll get to see both the flow of activities and the effects of each action on the resulting system. Among many current and future situations, we'll be able to see how mowing will affect the weeds and the animals. Will there be an abundance of grasses that pop up in the next week? Will the gopher activity decrease? We will simply have to observe.
Overall, our goal with this blog is to provide snapshots and insights into our nascent farming endeavors, sharing our progress and our pitfalls, our growth.
So, once again, Welcome.
(Produce Coming Soon...)
Love,
C + C
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