October 20th, 2020
What’s in your share?
Arugula
Cilantro
Radicchio
Bunching Onions
Carola and Yukon Potatoes
Chesnok Red Garlic
Carnival Squash (similar to Delicata)
Carrots
Beets
It’s hard to believe there’s only one more week of the farm season after today. Looking back on it, I can’t tell if it flew by or if it’s been a long time coming. We’ve been going full on since March, not including all the planning and spreadsheets, seed research and orders, and building months before.
The growing season is considerably shorter here than other parts of the country; still, we were able to plant multiple successions in the field throughout the season, growing as much produce as we could without negatively impacting the quality of our soil. Actually, the health of our soil has been our main focus since coming onto this land three years ago, more so than any aspirations surrounding profits or yields. When I first held our soil in my hands, I was honestly so worried. At the time, it seemed as though it would take forever for this land to recover from decades of farming practices that severely degraded the soil. Yet, with each season, life is returning to the soil here.
I see so much hope just within our own soil. In only three seasons, the entire structure and composition has changed. It feels entirely different in my hands. This Fall we are taking are minimal/no-tillage practices even further. Previously, we have used a harrow rather than your more standard tiller, as it does not invert the soil or create a hard, compacted layer just beneath the topsoil layer. In this way, we have incorporated as much compost as we’ve been able to afford and to make ourselves; countless wheelbarrow loads back and forth across the field, although it’s a task that in a way we all sort of enjoy. At the same time, we’ve added all the necessary amendments and minerals indicated by annual (sometimes biannual) soil testing, with hours and hours spent trying to comprehend the results; learning the formulas and fundamental science in order to complete our own soil analysis and formulate a strategy for balancing our soil nutrients. The more balanced the soil, the more nutritious the food grown from it. Rather than using the harrow in our high tunnels, we want to be able to plant directly into a previously cover cropped bed, using the cover crop as a layer or mulch on the beds, providing fertility and organic matter, while retaining moisture, preventing erosion and continuing to enhance all the life occurring below the surface. One of our agreements when the three of us first began farming together was to encourage this ever-evolving process, to continue to grow in our practices and in ourselves.
Many of you have been with us since we first started growing on this land. You’ve been on this farm adventure, directly experiencing the changing landscape through each weekly share. You all have invested in this soil more than you may realize, enabling the stewardship and care-taking of the land. Revitalizing soil health through regenerative agricultural practices has impacts beyond each individual and beyond this community. The soil has the capacity to heal, and ultimately, to strengthen our resilience to an ever-changing climate.