Last spring I [...]]]> Last night seemed like the perfect time as the snows are melting and the birds were singing to start on some of the super early spring pruning that this time of the year brings.  Also knowing the busy schedule that is right around the corner – there was some motivation to get going!

Last spring I took a whole bunch of raspberry plants from our friend Max’s well established patch and got in a 50′ row.  Over the summer they were tended to – weeded (not as often as they should have been) and allowed to continue to grow.  By last fall we had a nice row of plants that had established themselves really well and are read for quite a bit of berry production this year.  Actually – they did so well, we are hoping Max’s plants have as many prolific shoots this year because I prepped a new bed last fall of equal length.

So – last night I guess the 2010 gardening season started under thick boots and icy snows…  although there are lots of protected seedlings quietly growing for the garden now – last nights pruning of the raspberry canes really felt like gardening had begun!

Fair and balanced reporting – thanks Karen!

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Article

What is helpful is Johnny Seeds – the folks we placed the majority of our seed order with this year.  We had ordered 1# of Sugar Snap Peas…  the super crunchy eat [...]]]> All weevils are insects but not all insects are weevil…  some are actually helpful (ugh).  And to be clear with that last pun – weevils are NOT helpful…

What is helpful is Johnny Seeds – the folks we placed the majority of our seed order with this year.  We had ordered 1# of Sugar Snap Peas…  the super crunchy eat the pod an all delights that start producing plump green pea pods in late June and go for about 3 weeks. (And they freeze really well too – because we just had some with rice and one of our chickens done on the grill with a homemade sweet and sour sauce).

At any point – many of the seeds we bought this year were organic seeds.  For me that’s not overly exciting or important – but hey – that what they were.  Anyhow, back to the story here…  we got our pound of seeds and put them in the pile for planting in April…  then, this weekend, we got a big envelope from Johnny Seeds and a letter.

They were informing us that our seeds might be infected with pea weevils since there is no good organic control for them.  They then gave crystal clear instructions on what to do to kill the weevils and keep the seeds viable (place in a 0 degree F freezer for 7 days).  BUT, their letter continued on, since many people don’t have that type of freezer – they sent along a pound of an alternate pea – Sugar Sprint – very similar grows a little faster.

For us – this is a windfall of seed and a chance to try out another variety of snap peas…  Kelli has access to a deep freeze that we need and the peas (with weevils) are in there now.  How awesome is that!

We usually pick the Sugar Snap over any of the other cultivars because we have just found that they produce more peas that are sweeter than any of the hybrids we have tried before…  that said – we will certainly try the extra seed we received.

Fundamentally Johnny Seeds may cost a little more packet for packet to some of the other suppliers out there – but year after year they have provided the best customer service I have EVER encountered…  they are always on top of a situation BEFORE it becomes a situation.  So the lesson could be – you get the quality you pay for…  but I prefer the hidden lesson…  you know…  the one about the lesser of two weevils…

Then, sometime in March, we will post and email you (if you signed up here) all the specifics about the 2010 pastured chicken orders.

We [...]]]>
YES – it’s true – the pasture raised chickens are coming…  So that means if you haven’t signed up for updates – you need to now.  Really.  Do it – it’s free!

Then, sometime in March, we will post and email you (if you signed up here) all the specifics about the 2010 pastured chicken orders.

We are still waiting for better clarity on this year’s feed prices, but we wanted to offer some food for thought.  Right now we are guessing the cost is going to be between $2.99 and $3.49/pound, and knowing our birds are a WHOPPING 4-6 pounds, you can plug in the numbers and figure out how many you think you will want.  With that said, things can and may change before we announce finalized details and call for orders.

When we post the call for chicken orders (and send an email to those who signed up) the process will be something like:

• Fill out an order form with number of chickens requested and sign the contract
• Enclose a check for a deposit of $5 per chicken being ordered
• Send us the contract / order form and the check

There are a limited number of chickens available per year and they always go FAST.  Last year we added more capacity to meet demand – that may not be likely this year with the CSA running as well.  Also, chicken orders will be taken in the order of deposits received.

A couple of other things to note – baby chicks will arrive on the farm in late May and processing day will be mid to late July again.   You will need to pick up your birds on processing day.  If you can’t get them, there will be a fee to freeze each bird for you.

Stay tuned and sign up – all the ordering details will be provided by email and on the blog.

Without a doubt, with the amount of late blight (LB) inoculum likely around we’re going to have to manage the disease on potatoes and tomatoes in 2010 unless the season is very dry [...]]]> (reprinted)

The following information appeared in the February 2010, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Veg Edge Publication. This publication serves the counties of Western New York.

Without a doubt, with the amount of late blight (LB) inoculum likely around we’re going to have to manage the disease on potatoes and tomatoes in 2010 unless the season is very dry from beginning to end. While some LB strains are more virulent on potatoes than tomatoes, and vice versa, growers of both crops should be planning to take preventive action. LB is a community disease since the spores can move on the air considerable distances. Potato and tomato growers, and home gardeners, all need to be vigilant and share information if LB shows up. Once the disease is detected it is often very difficult, if not impossible, to control. It can develop very rapidly, especially in wet weather. Info below incorporates revised recommendations of Steve Johnson, University of Maine. There is info on LB and other potato concerns here. See also the Cornell Veg Guidelines.

Eliminate Inoculum! As soon as the snow melts scour your property and destroy potato cull piles, potatoes in rock piles, and volunteers. Go back in a few weeks and do it again, unless you’ve buried the potatoes under 2 ft. of soil. Potatoes often survive in the middle of large cull piles, to emerge and sprout later. Culls can be spread in open fields until early March to ensure that they freeze, eliminating the pathogen. Stay away from wells and streams as considerable nutrients are released from rotting tubers. Potatoes can be composted, in combination with sawdust but it must be done correctly to ensure that all the tubers break down. Cull potatoes can be fed to livestock and is a common practice in some areas.

Check Your Potato Seed and Tomato Transplants! Buy only from reputable dealers. Commercial potato growers should call for a NYS Dept. of Ag & Markets Farm Products Inspection, offered at a nominal cost, as soon as seed is delivered. Tomato growers should thoroughly inspect their plants and isolate anything suspicious. Upon arrival, look materials over for decay and dark areas. LB infected potato tubers are firm and mottled reddish-brown under the skin as deep as an inch. Warming tubers for 2 – 3 weeks may make any infection present more visible. Infected tomato transplants may have darkened areas on the leaves or stems. Bagging suspicious plants overnight may result in sporulation. Any fine, white sporulation on the edge of the dark areas should make you suspect LB. Take suspicious material to an Extension Vegetable Specialist for identification. The Ontario and Monroe CCE offices can make a positive ID through microscopic examination of spores, difficult for potato tubers, however.

Use Whole Seed if You Can – Use of whole potato seed reduces the risk of spreading what might be a minimal amount of LB to many more tubers during cutting. Keep seed lots separate to avoid potential spread of LB and to more accurately track any infection that does develop in the field. Discard suspicious looking seed throughout the seed handling phase. Conventional growers should plan on using a mancozeb containing seed treatment at a minimum, preferably one with cymoxanil in addition.

Buy Crop Insurance – At least the minimum, as a risk management practice.

Plan to Use Less Nitrogen – Many growers use higher amounts of nitrogen, and apply it later in the season, than is recommended. Review the recommended rates and timings in the Cornell Vegetable Guidelines. Very lush foliage is more susceptible to infection by LB and other diseases. In addition, excess N in potato plants keeps them green and susceptible to LB infection for a longer period late in the season. N rates vary with variety and soil type.

Get the Word Out in the Spring to neighboring home gardeners, and encourage your local Cooperative Extension office to get the word out more widely to gardeners as well. Garden store tomatoes and potatoes must be considered as possible sources of LB. Big Box Store tomatoes were a major cause of the LB epidemic last year.

LB Questions? – Growers in WNY, contact Carol MacNeil at 585-394- 3977 x406 or crm6@cornell.edu. In the Eastern region, contact Chuck Bornt at 518-272-4210 x125 or cdb13@cornell.edu. Growers in other areas of the U.S. should contact their local cooperative extension service for information on LB in their area.

First up are the leeks (well – not [...]]]> Well – maybe the title is a little misleading…  I mean, it’s already begun and the checks are in and people are watching the snow accumulate with anticipation of the thaw…  But – in the basement some of the first seeds have been planted and are under lights…  waiting.

First up are the leeks (well – not “up” but hopefully gently germinating as you read this).  They are a very long season crop – up to 150 days from when they are transplanted.  So a running start under the lights is extra useful for them.

They will be one of the first items inside to move out under a low hoop house sometime in April.  They will also move into a 4″ deep potting soil “box” then so they can continue to develop downward growth at that time.

Last year the trick to make them grow really well was to keep hacking the tops down and then plant them in deep holes so they get that long nicely blanched white section for which leeks are known.

Yeah – 150 days out from when they get put in the ground in May sure seems like a long time…  but – it’s a start to the growing season – so it does feel good.

DRILL PRESS:

A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks [...]]]> When I got this in an email I thought I should share it – as it’s pretty accurate and does detail all the things you really should have in your shop and around the farm.

DRILL PRESS:

A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL:

Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh, shit!”

SKILL SAW:

A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS:

Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER:

An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW:

One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle… It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS:

Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH:

Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire.  Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race..

TABLE SAW:

A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK:

Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW:

A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST:

A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER:

Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER:

A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR:

A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER:

A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER:

Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE:

Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts.  Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while you are wearing them.

SON OF A BITCH TOOL:

Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling “Son of a bitch” at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

I added a few more vegetables that they missed, a couple of usage notes on the first page and a harvest date tab to offer some guidance as to when [...]]]> I took a terrific spreadsheet that Johnny Select Seeds put together and offered up on their home page and added a little bit more to it.

I added a few more vegetables that they missed, a couple of usage notes on the first page and a harvest date tab to offer some guidance as to when things should be coming out of the garden and into your kitchen.  Obviously using a model like this to predict the harvest is a little bit like trying to predict the weather – if you get close, you did all right.

The file is Excel and isn’t exactly the most dynamic approach – you have to update things on each page…  ideally, I’ll get back to this and have a single page for the vegetables and then have the data dynamically sorted based on inputs on  the first page… then again – Johnny Seeds saved me a lot of time with this jump start…  and, uhh ohh…  my leeks aren’t started yet!

Take it or leave it – it’s a slightly polished for my own usage tool (so I can plan crop timings for the CSA) – I think gives a little more information than the original.  Maybe…  but I’m biased!

Here it is – Planting / Seed Starting / Harvest Target Workbook