Thursday, February 24, 2011

Snow Again!

Where's the Grass?
Wednesday was a monumental day. The bridge was delivered, and we can all now whistle "The Bridge Over River Weiss" every time we cross it. It will be difficult to get vehicles cross it until the wood chips arrive today, and David has volunteered to strategically position them so we can drive vehicles (tractor and plow) over the bridge. The snow isn't helping us get the field ready, but our mantra has been "incremental progress" and we know that eventually everything will just fall into place.

Mike was busy filling tray after tray with seeds for crops that need to be started early. Some of it will be harvested before the CSA starts in June and if the weather permits we hope to be selling before June at our roadside stand. Currently Mike's cunning plan for earlier revenue is to sell brassica, lettuce, and heirloom tomato starts here in Columbia City at a plant sale. We'll have to see how that shapes up. Our basement is filling with plants pretty quickly and the greenhouses still need to be erected. So much to do!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Onions, leeks, shallots, oh my!

We received our Fedco Seed order yesterday and I have been getting a bit antsy waiting to see what would not arrive. All of our onion seed was shipped, so I spent a good amount of time today sowing onions, leeks, and shallots. Allyn and I tend to argue when I am deciding how much to plant due to the "Georgie Curve". The Georgie Curve is an exponential seed planting curve, and for every season that passes, the amount of land she cultivates doubles. Having said that, I was able to plant in private until my heart was contented. ...maybe I'll plant some more!

Alliums to be:
  • Purple Torpedo Onion
  • Copra Onion
  • Red Marble Onion
  • Evergreen Hardy White Scallion
  • King Sieg Leek
  • King Richard Leek
  • Prisma Red Shallot

    Sunday, February 13, 2011

    Broken Ground

    Allyn and I spent several hours sod busting out on the peninsula today. Last week's sunshine and drier soils would have been ideal, but we have had to patiently wait for the green light to begin preparing soil for planting spring garlic. The wait has been tough and I liken it to having all of your household furniture locked away in storage until you close the deal, but it has certainly been worth it.

    Our water situation has improved, and we have devised a temporary solution until the Department of Energy and King county permit us to pump water from the Snoqualmie River. As a newer farmer, having fresh potable water to irrigate on demand really simplifies what we are trying to accomplish. For now, we should have sufficient water to irrigate our hoop houses and delicate brassica transplants.

    We measured the width of Weiss Creek today. Thirty-six feet. During this process, I managed to lasso a barbed-wire fence and Sean managed to almost fall back first into the creek that separates the barn from the field. All of us are ecstatic that the property owner David would like to purchase the forty-foot flat-rack bridge. It looks like a monster, but it will keep the fish happy and our tires dry. I hope to have it delivered within the next two weeks, but Allyn and I have both learned not to get excited until you can physically touch what has only previously been cerebral.

    Weiss Creek


    Tuesday, February 1, 2011

    Weighing the Taters

    It's amazing how much things change in a year. I went from an unemployed student to a happily self-employed farmer (thanks to my generous wife), and I now look forward to the daily commute to the valley. ...yet I am very tired of waiting for this tepid winter to end. Luckily my Ronniger Potato Farm catalog came in the mail, and that prompted me to explore the world of potatoes sprouting in my basement. We have over twenty pounds of Yellow Finn, five pounds of Ozzette Fingerling, and fifteen pounds of Yukon Golds. This represents a significant savings for us and it will allow us to grow more varieties this year. Allyn and I will undoubtedly argue about which varieties we'll order from Ronniger, but I am sure they will include: Mountain Rose, Viking Purple, French Fingerling, Maris Piper, La Ratte fingerling, and All Blue.

    For those interested, www.potatogarden.com and http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com/ provide tater products that we use.