The cool, rainy weather last week gave us a quick reminder of the cooler months ahead, but don’t be fooled! There are still so many warm days ahead and many, many more vegetables to harvest and eat.
We are still preparing for the fall by seeding things like purple top turnips, hakurei, and arugula and planting transplants such as napa cabbage, lettuce, broccolini, and bok choy. Because our parcel of land at Stearns is small, we often plant fall crops in parts of the field where we already planted earlier spring crops. This is called “double planting” and it’s a common practice in small-scale agriculture. When we are finished picking something like lettuce or radishes, we mow down the plant matter that remains and turn the soil, and plant again.
There are different opinions about this method as it pertains to soil health. Out of necessity, many farms operate this way to increase the value of their land but it can deplete the soil of necessary nutrients. In no-till agriculture, it’s actually a good thing to keep planting so you don’t leave the ground bare. Farmers can either plant things for harvest or if that is not necessary, farmers will plant cover crops instead. By keeping something in the ground, it reduces soil erosion and helps to continuously feed the microorganisms in the soil.
At this time, no-till farming at Stearns isn’t something we practice due to the enormous financial cost of the compost that is needed as well as additional labor that would be crucial to its success. It’s not to say that we can’t get there some day, but in the meantime we are doing our best to feed all of you on our precious little plot of land in the best way we can. The diverse crops that we grow and the organic methods we implement are significantly better than growing conventionally. We are proud of this and of all the produce we are able to grow for all of you.
Until next time,
Ember
