farm lust

After Hours Operation

A super stealth operation occurred last night, under the cool March moon.  Due to impending weather conditions we had to evacuate all sprouted plants in the greenhouse, to avoid complete and total annihilation of living plant species.

[1] My sidekick helped to quickly whisk the plants from indoors to place them on the northside of the structure.  This will prevent overexposure to the sun. 

[2] I used 2 gallons of water + 2 caps of seaweed extract to provide proper hydration + nutrition for the unseasonably hot weather conditions today.

[3] In a final attempt to prepare these bad boys for their first-ever mission into the wild, I simulated wind as much as I could.

Our operation is risky as the victims are now exposed to the elements and wildlife.  Having never been released into the world they are going to have to fight for their lives.  They could sustain wind damage or, even worse, be killed by a ravenous rabbit.

Stay tuned…

Recently Purchased: 5,000 Vitana Carrot Seeds

4 buckaroos..

i feel like such a high roller right now!!

Winter Sun

A few weeks ago I got to planting the seeds I purchased from Johnny’s.  Chicago has been hit by a few mild snow storms since then, but regardless my seedlings are sprouting! 

THE SUNSHINE

Ever since the 4th grade, when Ms. David taught us about photosynthesis via interpretive dance - she was a heavy set woman - I have been fascinated by the power of sunlight, both for humans (I’m a sucker for a great tan) and for plants (I’m also a sucker for ripe produce.)  Well, my mesclun greens and red bok choy reminded me this week of how much they love the sun as well. 

Pictured above are the mesclun greens leaning/growing towards the sun.  Since these plants are sprouting in a greenhouse environment, I have to rotate the trays each week so that every sprout gets a face time with the sun. You can see the mesclun greens changed “growth direction” over the past two weeks. This is because I rotated the tray 180 degrees.  Technically, the greens are not growing towards the sun - the part of the plant “not facing” the sun is actually growing making it seem like it is leaning towards the sun.  (There is some scientific explanation for this that I cannot recall.)

Also, here is a picture of the red bok choy, which I planted a few weeks ago.  I was so proud of those darn little seedlings.  They took 3 weeks to sprout!  But look at ‘em now, growing strong and healthy!

GREENHOUSE PESTS

Another interesting development since I started growing produce is the introduction of pests - thrips, in particular.  Several blogs ago, I recanted a kale harvesting sesh where I was grossed out by aphids.  Well, my poor darling brussel sprouts, which had been doing SO WELL, were infested by the supermini, silvery pest last week.  We purchased an organic pesticide - yes, they exist - that helped with the issue. (More on this topic another time, but all OMRI approved pesticides are organic and safe.)

This has actually been a tremendous learning experience because I now understand why pesticides exist and how to get rid of pests in a natural way.  I was curious why the brussel sprouts had thrips, but the mesclun greens just the next tray over were not infected.  It is because pests are attracted to specific types of plants, and I guess thrips are bougie and like brussels better than salad mix. 

Buckwheat is a very inexpensive plant ($2 for an entire pound of seeds) that attract certain pests. Once the pests (e.g. thrips) kill the buckwheat, its remains are buried in a compost pile where it will decompose to create glorious soil. This natural, holistic method of pest management is a prime example of the beauty that is the circle of life.

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Interesting tip for growing in a greenhouse: gently move around the sprouts with the tips of your fingers or blow at them.  Sounds crazy, right? But it serves an important purpose.  The practice simulates wind, which essentially helps build plant “muscles”, so that when they are transplanted outdoors they won’t get beat up by the elements.

Shopping Spree!

Like a little kid flipping through the Toys R’ Us catalog, I spent the past 2 weeks perusing a vibrant selection of vegetable seeds on the Johnny’s Seeds website. After adding every vegetable - in every imaginable color - into my virtual shopping cart, I finally narrowed down my choices to ONLY 8 varieties. And I am super excited to get them all started!

For a whopping $39.60 I will now be the overseer (read: HBIC) to thousands of plants-to-be. I can’t wait to take pictures of their growth over time.

Without further ado, here is my spring/summer line-up:

- Italian Large Leaf Basil
- Red Choi (that’s red bokchoy; $8 for 6,000 seeds)
- Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomatoes
- Monica Tomatoes (great for sauces)
- Touchstone Gold Beets
- Red Ace Beets
- Sienna Shelling Peas
- D’Avignon Radishes (the long French kind)

Oh, happiness is a colorful bouquet of farm-fresh veggies. Hmmm… I might be onto something here.. :)

Winter Sunchoke “Festival”

Below freezing temperatures made harvesting a bit of a health hazard today.  But about 7 of us braved the weather and had yet another exciting day of unearthing sunchokes. Few other plants are as hardy or capable of withstanding such frigid climates.

The sunchoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, is related to sunflowers and grows underground.  It is also apparently one of the few plants native to North America.  Sunchokes are kind of a miracle food. Some benefits:

• Vitamin C
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
• Inulin (a carbohydrate that has great prebiotic properties, i.e. it is good for intestinal health)
• Disclaimer: if you eat more than 2-ounces per serving, you may or may not get gassy

The texture is a cross between the crunchiness of water chestnuts and buttery-ness of potatoes. There are a ton of recipes out there, although it is difficult to procure at most grocery stores. I like it prepared as a mash with potatoes.

I will let pictures describe the rest of my day on the farm. Enjoy!