Compost spreading, the first fieldwork, drip irrigation, more seeds arrive
After a couple of sunny days, the fields have dried enough to allow us to start spreading compost. We don’t have a standard compost or manure spreader. Instead we use our side-throw compost spreader. It does an excellent job of distributing compost to the raspberries and apples as you pull the spreader down the aisle. It does a good-enough job in spreading on the field, particularly when we want a heavy application. This is the second year we have accepted leaves collected by two local lawn-care crews. Composted leaves make an excellent soil amendment. We chop them up with our flail mower and compost them. Chopping with the mower takes a while, but unlike intact leaves, the fragmented leaves don’t stick together and prevent the entrance of oxygen, so the composting is quicker and more thorough. A tractor-PTO driven combination wood chipper and leaf shredder is one of those items on my wish list. We also compost the bedding and manure from our goats and poultry as well as any plant material we don’t till directly back into the soil.
Enrique is spreading compost on a field. He is driving the John Deere and pulling our Mill Creek mulch spreader.
We are also working on several irrigation upgrade projects this week and next. One involves excavation. We are moving one water hydrant out of a high traffic area to a location 60 ft away where it is less likely to be run over. The other two projects adding aboveground branch lines. One waterline is to the new field I started last fall up on the hill. This field will not only extend our ability to rotate crops but will also give drivers passing by Redmond-Woodinville Rd. more to watch throughout the season. I plan to plant Jack O’ Lanterns for the first year in this new field. We will also be laying a second waterline back to Chef Brian’s newer field. Last year we had to coordinate closely with Brian on sharing the available water pressure on the single waterline that reached his field. The second waterline will make him happier and will give us more flexibility in our watering scheduling. Brian used drip irrigation for most of his original field last year. He plans to use drip on both fields this year. Eaglesong has used drip irrigation for a few years now in the Herbfarm Restaurant field. There is a lot of work involved in setup at the start of the season and takedown at the end, but we have all found that water management using drip irrigation is much more effective and efficient during the growing season.
My bean seeds arrived from Seeds from Italy. I ordered both green and yellow Romano type pole beans. I figured I should try Italian seed for Italian beans. I’d like to start saving seed from some favorites in order to adapt the variety to our own farm. Last year I did save and plant garlic for this year. So far it is looking good.
The seed from Redwood City Seed also came. They are the only source I could find for Persian cucumber seed. I suspect there are other sources using different names. One customer told me he would be back every week if I grew Persian cukes. He says they are small, sweet, and crisp and that he eats them more like a fruit than a vegetable. This year I added 6 new cukes to the 4 we grew in 2006. Due to a lot of requests we are growing pickling cukes. We are trying two different varieties see which is the favorite. The other three new cukes are exotic ones. The Mexican Mouse Melon or Sour Gherkin is a 1-2 inch cuke that looks like a tiny watermelon and has a sweet & sour cucumber taste. The Miniature White is an heirloom small white cucumber with a sweet mild flavor. Poona Kheera is an Indian heirloom that looks like a potato, turning brown as it matures.
Redwood City Seed also has an Incan corn that is supposed to grow to 15 ft. I thought I’d plant it near the road to give the commuters something fun to watch as the summer progresses.
What’s playing today in the Jeep CD player? Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle – You’ve Stolen My Heart