Long planting days.

We have been spending many hours and days getting all the plants and seeds in the ground. Our eyes are mainly focused on Summer harvests but I am also planning for Fall and even roots we can over winter for next Spring. The first round of tomatoes are planted, which include many heirloom varieties, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos and some canning tomatoes. Also planted this week, is the first succession of cucumber and summer squash-more than I have ever planted before! We planted a patty pan yellow squash, classic zucchini, and Cousa-a Lebanese Summer squash and the most delicious squash I have ever tasted!
All these plants love the hot, sunny weather we are having  but they do not handle dry soil well. And stressed plants are more susceptible to insect infestations so we are irrigating these sensitive crops. I am quickly learning about these new soils and how sandy loam soils will dry out after a rain.

                                 Sugar Snap peas with garlic growing strong in the background.

Caterpillar tunnel to get the tomatoes off to an earlier start. The fabric row cover acts as a mini greenhouse increasing heat during the day while the sun is out and offering a few degrees of night-time low temperature protection.

Just one word: Plastic!

No, I'm not actually that excited about this. Sometimes as a beginning farmer I have to do things to build the farm that I do not intend to sustain. I could even go so far to say I'm not proud of these practices, but that would imply feelings of shame, and that wouldn't be accurate. In fact, I am satisfied that I can utilize an array of farming tools and techniques to help me save time and money and even have positive affects on the harvests.

Using black plastic as a soil covering mulch is one such practice. Laying it out tightly on a newly tilled bed significantly warms the soil and eliminates weeds, resulting in an earlier harvest that can be larger and more abundant. We will put all the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants on the black plastic mulch this year.

By laying alfalfa hay in the paths between beds, we can keep weeds down and build soil as it decomposes.

This week I am feeling like things are going according to schedule. The weather seems to have stabilized and we should be past the freezing night temperatures of last week. (Hopefully since I am itching to get tomatoes planted on this plastic!) Transplanting Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, Leeks and other spring seedlings will be completed this week.

This is intern Gretchen's first full week on the farm and she has already experienced what its like to farm in a crazy Central New York Spring!