Planting

It is that planting time of year! Although today I did not go out to the farm due to rain yesterday and more today.  Duluth is reminding me a lot of the Oregon coast today....50 degrees, foggy, and windy!
But a lot has already been planted at the farm.  I am in the midst of planting 8,000 pepper plants....Halfway there!  They are Ace Peppers, which are a sweet green/red bell pepper.

Ace Pepper Planting:
Planted in double rows, a foot apart and about six inches between rows, about three feet between double rows.  The rows are raised and covered in black plastic to keep the soil warm, moisture in, and weeds down.  To plant the transplants, I poke a hole in the plastic and then open it up a little more with my hands, gently place the roots in, making sure there is good contact with the soil, and the loosely fill in the hole.  The roots of the pepper transplants are delicate, so you want to disturb them as little as possible.  I also cover the space between the plastic and the ground with dirt, creating a little seal.  The farmers say this help keep the soil that much warmer.  I was a little surprised that I was planting peppers already, because I thought that they needed consistently warm soil.  But the farmers said that they used to wait to plant peppers till it was too hot, and then a lot of them would die.  Excited to see them grow!

Other things I have planted:

Onions
Leeks
Broccoli
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Snaps (Flowers)

The strawberries and tomatoes are planted in the high tunnels, along with cucumbers.  Onions and leeks out in the back field along with beans. That back field is farthest away from the house, closest to the woods, and therefor most vulnerable to deer, but the hope is the will leave the onions, beans, and leeks alone.

Four rows of onions, rows are three feet apart and each onion is about three inches apart.

Done!

Something I have learned from planting:  Properly tilled soil makes planting A LOT easier.  If it is too wet or too dry, it will be a sloppy mess or hard as a rock.  I don't know what kind of soil the farm has (I should ask!), but I think it is part clay, because it is hard when dry, and a clumpy mess when too wet.  I do know that it is REALLY ROCKY.  Remind me never to farm soil that is rocky.  It wears down your equipment and your hands. Speaking of equipment, a older Howard Rotavator is what the farm uses to till the larger fields. The cultivate 12 acres, so some heavier machinery is a must for efficiency.  They suggested the older models from the 60's and 70's opposed to the newer ones because they are not built as well today and a older model will be cheaper, but harder to find!

What have you been planting?  How many acres does your farm cultivate? Do you use any machinery? Do you have any special planting tips?