The weather's been holding nicely, so we've been taking advantage of it to transplant as much as we can -- leeks and shallots, cabbages and kale, parsley and I've lost track of what all else. Transplanting is a straightforward operation, though everything we do aims at growing the healthiest -- and therefore most naturally pest- and disease-resistant -- plants we can.
As I mentioned in a
previous post, tending our soil’s fertility is an essential part of our work. To see how this is so, it helps to contrast our approach with that of conventional agriculture. For conventional agriculture, the soil has little value. Decades of extensive farming practices have depleted much of the soil’s natural fertility, so crops require a massive amount of synthetic fertilizers to return nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil.
The problem with this approach is not so much that it’s wrong but that it’s incomplete. We are beginning to understand that plant health depends on more than just a handful of nutrients that can be manufactured and injected into the soil. A whole host of micronutrients and trace minerals play a role in plant health, as well as all the microorganisms, earthworms, and other creatures that live in the soil. Using things like animal manures, compost, and fish- and kelp-based fertilizers develops all the soil’s components and builds up the soil’s health. Healthy soil means healthy plants, and healthy plants better resist pests and diseases.
So after the fields are prepared and the beds made, we spray them with a combination of concentrated fish and kelp emulsion diluted in water. In the meantime, the rest of the crew pulls the plants from the greenhouse, loads them on a wagon, and gives them a thorough watering, which helps them endure the shock of transplanting. From there, it’s a simple matter of hauling the wagon to the beds and putting the plants in the ground. While some larger operations mechanize this process with sophisticated -- and expensive -- planting machines, we do all this work by hand. Though it can be tough on one's back, it's not distasteful work. There's even a measure of leisure to it, with the freedom to talk and watch and listen without the howl and whine of machines ringing in our ears.
As I mentioned in a previous post, tending our soil’s fertility is an essential part of our work. To see how this is so, it helps to contrast our approach with that of conventional agriculture. For conventional agriculture, the soil has little value. Decades of extensive farming practices have depleted much of the soil’s natural fertility, so crops require a massive amount of synthetic fertilizers to return nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil.
The problem with this approach is not so much that it’s wrong but that it’s incomplete. We are beginning to understand that plant health depends on more than just a handful of nutrients that can be manufactured and injected into the soil. A whole host of micronutrients and trace minerals play a role in plant health, as well as all the microorganisms, earthworms, and other creatures that live in the soil. Using things like animal manures, compost, and fish- and kelp-based fertilizers develops all the soil’s components and builds up the soil’s health. Healthy soil means healthy plants, and healthy plants better resist pests and diseases.
So after the fields are prepared and the beds made, we spray them with a combination of concentrated fish and kelp emulsion diluted in water. In the meantime, the rest of the crew pulls the plants from the greenhouse, loads them on a wagon, and gives them a thorough watering, which helps them endure the shock of transplanting. From there, it’s a simple matter of hauling the wagon to the beds and putting the plants in the ground. While some larger operations mechanize this process with sophisticated -- and expensive -- planting machines, we do all this work by hand. Though it can be tough on one's back, it's not distasteful work. There's even a measure of leisure to it, with the freedom to talk and watch and listen without the howl and whine of machines ringing in our ears.
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