Blog

  • Sustainably grown, not Organic

    The Organic movement has taken off, and is becoming big business. Organic certification means that there is some guarantee that what you are buying is not contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals or excess antibiotics. Organic products are now available at all the standard Big Box stores–often produced by a small number of huge agricultural firms. The expense of organic certification is high enough that many small growers find it to be prohibitive.

    We like the term ‘sustainably grown.’ We grow our vegetables without artificial chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. We also recycle nutrients–from the garden to the pigs, chickens, and compost bin back to the garden. And, we look at the garden (and the rest of the farm) as an ecosystem where the depth of the food web is important. Sustainable growing also means ethically grown, so our chickens and pigs get fresh air and pasture, not boxes and cages. Where we can, we work with hoes and hand tools instead of gas-powered equipment to cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases.

    There are also other certification programs, notably Certified Naturally Grown, that we may pursue in the future. For now, we are sticking with methods that will ensure that this land is productive for another 175 years.

  • Water, water, everywhere

    Nearly twenty years ago, Oak Hill had running water in several outlying barns–one of which is now the chicken house. Earlier today, I started a quest to get the water up and running again. After some diligent digging, I found the place where the water had been shut off. The pipe had been cut and both ends plugged. Easy enough! I would just hook the two ends back together again. A trip to the local Home Depot for fittings and hose clamps later, this turned out to be a lot of work for myself and my dad, who had come up to check my progress. Finally, the work was done and we turned on the valve. Yes! there is water in the chicken house! But, the water pressure is now decreased dramatically throughout the system. There is a leak somewhere, and with pipes running in many different places the only sure-fire way of finding it is to let it leak overnight and go hunting for the puddle in the morning.

    Meanwhile, the garden us up and growing: onions, potatoes, peas, lettuce, and broccoli raab are first out of the gate. The spinach has germinated is starting to poke through the surface. The corn is in. By this weekend, we should be mostly planted. Now all we need is rain!

  • Rain day

    Planting continues here at Oak Hill Farm. The vegetable patch is just over 5000 square feet, and just over half of that space is now seed-ready. Since this area has been pasture/hay land for the past several decades, removing the sod and weeds is the biggest current project. We started in the fall by running a disc over the land, breaking the sod and killing some weeds. This spring we repeated the process with the disc, a chisel plow, and a device called a “soil surgeon” that is sort of like a harrow. At this point, enough plants are in the ground that any further turning, smoothing, and de-weeding needs to be done by hand. This has the added benefits of using no diesel fuel (directly, at least) and providing exercise. By next year, we hope to be able to do the majority of the work by hand. Minimizing the tilling process helps to keep underground mycelial networks intact, which is good since fungi contribute to soil organic matter, plant nutrient uptake, and the soil food web.

    For now, the broccoli raab and arugula are both up; peas, potatoes, lettuce, broccoli, onions, ans other early veggies are in the ground. Last night and today there has been a slow, soaking rain, with sunshine and warm weather predicted for mid-week. We are enjoying a day of rest while we can.

  • A word on permaculture

    We aren’t organic growers. That isn’t because we don’t appreciate organically grown food, but because the process of becoming a certified organic farm is lengthy and expensive. We may be certified one day, but for now we are focusing on growing plants without inputs of industrial fertilizers or artificial chemical insecticides. Our approach draws heavily on permaculture, which literally means “permanent agriculture” (or permanent culture) and focuses on sustainability.

    Permaculture relies on observing, following, and emulating natural ecological processes. For example, rather than spraying to kill pests, we encourage populations of predatory insects that keep pests in check. One key to this system is recycling organic matter and nutrients. This is a big change from what has become traditional agriculture in these parts of the country. Part of our work is in building biodiversity–not just by growing heirloom and open-pollinated varieties of vegetables, but also by planting and encouraging native vegetation, even where we aren’t actively harvesting. It’s a long road, and one we are just starting to walk.

  • Veggies for 2010

    Here is a partial list of the veggies on tap for this year:
    Arugula (Roquette)
    Basil (Genovese)
    Beans, bush ‘Magpie’
    Beans, bush ‘Blue Lake’
    Beets, gold ‘Yellow Intermediate Mangel’
    Beets, red Bull’s Blood
    Broccoli Calabrese
    Broccoli raab (Sessantina Grossa)
    Cabbage, Chinese ‘China Choy’
    Carrots ‘Nectar’
    Carrots ‘Sc. Keeper’
    Celery ‘Red Stalk’
    Corn, Broom
    Corn, Pop ‘Dakota Black’
    Corn, Sweet ‘Stowells’
    Cucumbers ‘North Pickling’
    Dill ‘Mammoth’
    Gourds, Dipper
    Gourds, Birdhouse
    Leeks ‘King Richard’
    Lettuce ‘Nevada’
    Lettuce, Blackseed sim.
    Muskmelon ‘Edens Gem’
    Peas, Purple Hull
    Peas, snap ‘Sugar Sprint’
    Peppers, Hot Habanero
    Peppers, Hot Jalapeno
    Peppers, Hot ‘Joe’s Long’
    Peppers, Hot Ancho
    Peppers, Sweet ‘Wonderbell’
    Potatoes, blue ‘All Blue’
    Potatoes, red ‘Red Sangre’
    Pumpkins ‘Small Sugar’
    Pumpkins ‘Howden’
    Pumpkins ‘Jack-o-Lite’
    Shallot ‘Ed’s Red’
    Spinach ‘Viroflay’
    Squash, summer ‘Bennings Green’
    Squash, summer Bush Zucchini
    Squash, summer Yellow Crookneck
    Squash, winter Hopi Orange
    Squash, winter Green Hubbard
    Squash, winter Spaghetti
    Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’
    Tomatillos ‘De Milpa’
    Tomatoes ‘Arkansas Traveller’
    Tomatoes ‘Mortgage Lifter’
    Tomatoes ‘Brandywine’
    Tomatoes ‘Matt’s Cherry’
    Tomatoes ‘Amish Paste’
    Watermelon ‘S. Dakota’
    Watermelon ‘Verona’