Tough Spring

There has been a buzz in the farming community over the last two weeks over a statement that the locally famous UW meteorologist/ climatologist Cliff Mass made last week. If I could find where it was that everybody saw or heard it, I would post it here. He said that as of two weeks ago this has been the coldest spring on record since 1951 and of all the days so far this year, there have been only two that broke 55 degrees. When I review my farm log from last year, we had much warmer weather despite the never ending rain. ...now we have never-ending rain and cooler weather. Having said this, I am now very happy that we started so many extra plants in advance with the anticipation of losing many due to the weather or pests.

We are just now starting to sow seed directly into the soil, and of the seed we planted last week, the peas are coming on strong and the arugula looks like it's trying to make a break for it. If the temp's stay in the fifties for the next few weeks I can expect everything that we planted yesterday to sprout. I have been holding out for the twelve foot wide remay (white ag cloth) to cover my fields, but I think that I will break down this week and make the investment in whatever Steuber's Distribution Company has available. One has to wonder how on earth does that place keeps it's doors open. Remay should raise the temperature of the air directly around the plants and seeds that have been freshly sown. Hopefully this will help.

Tilling rows for taters

On Friday we stress tested the ancient tiller and it seemed to hold up for almost four painful hours of tilling (1/3 acre). If three point tractor-pulled tillers weren't so darn expensive, we would have one. Maybe it's in the cards for us next year. We have plenty of space to get our grains in and that should happen around May first. Normally we would get these sown earlier, but the rain REALLY hasn't been cooperating this year. We have learned that grains can handle all of this early rain but the soil does need to be dry before we can get it in.
 

Making furrows

All of our potatoes went in yesterday and by storing taters from last year, we were able to save a lot of money. Many farmers purchase fresh potatoes every year to plant because of disease and lack of storage facilities, but we love the cost savings and if we are to be sustainable, saving potatoes will definitely be part of the solution. I sincerely hope that the infrastucture style of old returns for agriculture. Grain silos and cooled warehouses for storage of ag products or meats would be a blessing and will be needed if agriculture is to become truly 100 percent local.

Yellow Finn dipped in organic fir bark dust.

Allyn covering 800 feet of potatoes

Darn you Earthway!

Notice the "kickstand" by the front wheel?

Since this is my third season using this machine, I am starting to notice a trend. What one might loosely call a kickstand another person might describe as a slot machine lever for the expensive seed casino. I guess that I won the Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea jackpot yesterday.

It all started when I had to decide between two plastic seed scooping wheels. One was clearly labeled "Jumbo Pea" and the other "Small Pea". All I can remember from last year was the thought of peas shooting out of the hopper like popcorn and the wheel getting jammed every two feet, so I thought, "the bigger seed wheel must be better. right? Half pound bag in the hopper, no problemo man. Yep. I am gonna' just plant these peas and be off to Seattle in a few minutes. Ha!"

After a few feet, I started to notice the mighty Earthway shuddering a bit. Could it be the tough semi-damp soil that was perfect for germinating peas? Just push harder. After eight feet the machine was making noises and clearly unhappy and I went into troubleshooting mode. Yes. This is where you put your hard earned coins into the slot machine and start to pull the lever. Okay. Kickstand down. I'll just walk 35 feet away and pick up the "Small Pea" wheel. The slot machine lever was officially pulled and the jackpot is only twenty seconds away.

It didn't happen in slow motion like you see in the movies. Nope. Like a Siren that lures sailors towards rocky leeward shores, I had been mesmerized by the Earthway's heavily-machined massive four-ounce aluminum "kickstand". Unbeknown to me, I won the jackpot while my back was turned. My blood pressure really began to rise as soon as I saw the half pound of peas sitting on the ground and the seeder laying comfortably on its side. All that could be done was scoop up my loot and pick up the remaining hundred or so peas scattered in the dirt that remained one by one. ...and find a support group for Earthway users.

Spring planting

All of us farming in the Snoqualmie Valley have had a slim window of dry weather and a little bit of sunshine on Saturday (I even managed to get a sunburn). Our new used disc (circa late forties) worked almost flawlessly on this tough semi-damp ground considering there is heavy sod buried seven inches below the surface. Sean and I discovered that the tractor merely supports and pulls the disc rather than simply apply brute force to bury it. It takes a lot of weight to get a good deep cut in this heavier soil.

Since Sean did most of the tractor work yesterday while I was trying to use the tiller, he noticed a large difference between the not-so-dry places that we had planned to cultivate. The tractor struggled in certain areas that retained moisture and those locations coincide with our soil maps, so we made the command decision to move our early spring planting area to the adjacent higher and drier location. Only through time and careful observation will we learn about how our fields  flood, drain, and dry.

Sean disking the fields for the first time in over a decade.

Sean thinks he is driving in a straight line (it doesn't matter).

We were able to really test out Doug's new engine and complete rebuild of his Troy-Bilt Horse. The new motor sips gas compared to the old 7 H.P. Kohler engine that gave up the ghost last season, and it is now a bit more squirrelly than I am used to but we are very thankful to have it. It has saved us from yet another farm equipment expense as we start up.

The mighty Horse sporting a new engine.

Allyn and I have almost completed a marathon planting of onions, leeks, scallions, and shallots. Our backs gave out today after a little over 2,000 tiny starts, and I will have to go in for overtime to get the last three hundred leeks in. We are getting more proficient at planting and after considering the practice we're getting, one has to plant faster or drive home in the dark worn out and achy. We will be planting broad fava beans, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, kales, etc...) and leafy greens. I need the space and the plants are just starting to look a little big for their containers. I sincerely hope there are no more floods after last month's little episode after these plants and new seed go in.

We'll keep you posted as things are planted and as more events happen. For a detailed list of what is growing visit our website.

Spring Flood Event

As many of you have already heard, there is an unsuspected spring flood in the Snoqualmie River Valley. It has taken many farms by surprise and some veteran farmers estimate this to be one of the most costly floods yet. For us, it only means waiting a week for things to dry out and plant. It will delay the fava beans, taters, onions, and leeks for a few days at the most since we had decided to wait until April first to plant. From a topsoil perspective, many farms turn their fields after the last flood and as early as possible to aid in covercrop decomposition and getting their "green manures" turned under. With so much bare soil exposed, the flood will have washed away expensive seed and soil amendments (lime, fertilizer, compost) that required fuel, labor, and some contract work to prep and apply, yet it will leave some silt and nutrients in place to help return what it has taken.

Facing South towards the Snoqualmie River

It is hard to express our level of disappointment and concern about flooding in the Snoqualmie and other surrounding valleys. The increased occurrence of flooding is directly related to the destruction of our natural watersheds (housing development) and manipulation of how water moves from the hills to the valleys via Snoqualmie Falls. It is hard not to feel as if the ability to feed and sustain ourselves on a long-term scale will be perennially compromised by the short-term return that cement and cheap products can provide. It is easy to see this after reading F. H. King's Farmers of Forty Centuries. King spoke at length about how China and Japan have sustainably lived with annual flooding for 4000 years while producing organic food for a massive population, and now through economic development, any of us can see that their potable clean water and fertile land is disappearing at an alarming rate. As development continues and work upstream continues to manipulate river flow, flooding will continue to be more unpredictable and possibly even set more record levels. I can only hope that as time passes we bring the distant future into focus rather than our immediate and long-lasting actions.

Snoqualmie Hydrograph depicting Flow, Time, and Stage

To get updates on the river visit NOAA's Snoqualmie Hydrograph.

Having said this, we are still anticipating sunshine and a great season. For those interested in getting your hands dirty, we will be planting potatoes, onions, and leeks as soon as things dry out from the flood. Contact Mike or Allyn for further information at mike@rootsunderground.net.