Even though August is a busy time of harvesting, we still must make time to look ahead. The veggie crew has been hard at work preparing for autumn and winter.

The rain we had earlier this week made the soil perfect for direct seeding our winter storage radishes, turnips, and even our fall cutting greens like arugula and spicy mix.

Our direct seeder consists of three hoppers in which we load the seeds into. As the tractor moves the momentum turns a gear that moves bristles inside the hopper and opens up the gate to release the seed into the furrow created by a set of openers. The furrow is then closed by another pair of cleats and a roller wheel gently presses the soil down to secure the bed.

We are also cutting down on tractor use by loading up the flame weeder. The flame weeder is basically a little flame thrower that fries any low lying weeds while the newly planted seed remains unharmed. This limits our need to use the tractor perfecta (an implement we use to create even aerated beds) to till the soil before we prepare the beds, which ultimately reduces the amount of compaction on the soil.

Later this fall, when arugula and spicy mix starts popping up in your share you’ll know that it’s all because of Farmer Clare and Allie, who planted and weeded it all the way back in early August.

August 16, 2017