Early May is upon us, and for the farm it means transplants
are beginning to be added to the outdoor fields, rains and winds come hurtling
through the valley every couple of days, and perennial beds are freed of
hopeful weeds.
The prop house continues to grow and we struggle to find
space for everything, sometimes clearing the grasses and greens underneath the
tables for extra space. Additional tables have been added to both ends of most
of the other greenhouses, and plants resting here wait for transplanting into
the fields. Connor and I have seeded around 38 trays of cucumbers and
zucchinis, and bumped up just as much basil. Celery and celeriac, monarda, feverfew, and yarrow have also been bumped, while other herbs like
motherwort, skullcap, and nettle have made it into one of the outdoor herb
gardens.
On the outdoor front, 15 beds were prepped, dug, and seeded
with different varieties of yellow and red potatoes. A couple hundred onions
and leeks were transplanted into 9 beds over the course of several days. These
tiny alliums have short roots that sit near the surface of the soil and need
daily watering to keep them from wilting in the hot Colorado sun. A few beds of
purple and green kohlrabi have been added next to the onions.
Across the field, beets have taken residence in a handful of
the beds and are growing steadily under a protective cover of thin remay.
The many perennial beds around the farm are all in need of weeding before we can plant new flowers and herbs, so one stormy afternoon was spent weeding rudbeckia, yarrow, feverfew, mint, (and other!) flower and herb beds.
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| Connor digs holes for seed potatoes |
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| Planting onions! |
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| Connor weeds a perennial flower bed between two greenhouses |
The Dirt on PESTS!
Rain Crow is an organic farm, which means that insects and
weeds must be controlled by means other than insecticides and herbicides. This
means manual labor, companion planting, and promoting beneficial insects to
feed on the harmful ones. One day in the prop house (and several of the
greenhouses!) Kerry began noticing tiny, soft-bodied aphids feeding on the kale
and collard seedlings. Aphids distort plants and stunt growth as they suck
leaves, stems, and roots. To counter the aphids, she bought and released
hundreds of ladybugs on the kale and collards in each greenhouse. They devoured
the unwelcome feeders.
One highly effective method of controlling root-feeding
pests is rotating crops. For instance, where we seeded potatoes this year there
was kale growing last year.
In the greenhouses, voles and mice wreak havoc by digging up
seeds and seedlings. Setting traps helps somewhat, but the real heroes are the
many snakes that have been encouraged into the greenhouses, and the sharp
senses of several cats and dogs on the farm.
The top-ranking pest in the West is the slimy slug, and here
is no exception. We find them while planting, forking, harvesting, and
watering, and we find them almost everywhere. Their biggest presence in the
spring is around the radishes and turnips, where they bore holes in leaves and
fleshy root. Most of the time we just collect them as we move along a bed and
feed the handful we find to the chickens, who go crazy for them. But birds are
helpful allies, and we watch them hunting for slugs in the greenhouses
alongside the snakes.
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| Kerry releases ladybugs onto kale plants |
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| A garter snake curled among the oregano |
BEES!
Beekeepers are abundant in the valley, and one such
beekeeper keeps a hive of honeybees on Rain Crow farm. The bees pollinate the
crops and flowers on the farm and in return produce honey for the beekeeper. In
the past the hive as been weakened by mites and subsequently overrun by wasps so
this year Kerry and I attended a class on the basics of beekeeping so that we could keep a closer watch on the bees health and progress. The beekeeper, Mark, came to the farm one day to deliver a nuke, which is a box of frames with bees and brood and a queen already in residence. With care, he lifted each bee -filled frame out of the travel box and placed them into the hive. The bees will take a week or two orienting themselves to their new home, finding their water and pollen source, and fortifying the hive. The hive has been quiet as of late due to the cold weather and rain, but soon we should be seeing bees flying to and from the hive with pollen attached to their back legs. We are incredibly excited to involved with this project and hope the bees will survive this year! More info on beekeeping to come!!
