We had a good productive week here on the farm. We listed the last twelve or so acres of un-planted ground up into beds. We’ve been laying down drip tape in the blocks that we will be planting our winter squash into later this week. And we have been planting out lots and lots of transplants—lettuces, broccoli, cabbages, fennel, celery, cauliflower, chard, kale, and peppers.
The unseasonably late rains bring with them many pluses and some minuses. On the downside, we had to pick the strawberries earlier (a little less ripe) than we usually like to, to get them off the plants before the showers began here Monday. Making sure all the fertilizer, tools, boxes, and rain-sensitive implements are under cover is a bit of a hassle. Today (Tuesday) will be an uncomfortable harvest day for our crew. And the hail at our Mountain View Farmers’ Market Sunday meant we came home with vegetables that we would easily have sold on a nice day.
But, as far as tillage is concerned, the rains were really working with us this time. After we have listed up beds in the springtime we commonly have to lay out pipes and pre-irrigate fields before making the final tractor passes to finish the beds with. Not only does this keep the dust down, but it makes the heavy clay soils here at our home site, which can be very cloddy, work up into a much finer seed bed. The rains saved us the expense of laying out and then picking up pipe after pre-irrigating these fields. They also save us from having to irrigate the fields that we have already planted for a few days. So we won’t complain about the weather this week…much.
In addition to the challenges posed by the weather, this spring we have had the additional challenge of training new employees for some key positions. Aurelio Lopez-Hernandez, who shared most of the tractor driving chores with me, got married last year. He and his wife have started their own farm raising pastured chickens for both meat and eggs. He originally thought he could continue working for us on a part time basis, but the demand for their chickens proved gratifyingly high, and he has been working seven days a week just to keep up. We’re beyond delighted to see them making a go of it, but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss him. During twelve years working together, Aurelio and I had developed a fine rapport together. When he was on the tractor and I was making adjustments to whatever implement he was using, he understood well my grunts and gesticulations—even over the roar of the tractor engine. He knew when I wanted him to raise the implement and by how much, he knew when to pull the tractor forward or when to back it up.
Noe, who we are training to be Aurelio’s replacement, is catching on quickly and will make a fine tractor driver. I was unrealistic, however, in how quickly I expected that he should intuit my unspoken intentions. The week before last I paid the price for unclear directions. He was on the tractor spreading fertilizer with an implement that is over ten feet wide and weighs over a ton when fully loaded. The spreader has two stands mounted to the back of it that are made of 1 1/2 square tube. They are secured by lowering them into position and putting a pin through an oversized bracket and through a hole in the tube itself. I motioned for Noe to raise the implement up, and wrapped my hand around the tube at the base of the bracket so I could lower it slowly to the point where the pin-hole is lined up. Instead of raising the implement, however, Noe lowered it, and the skin and flesh of my palm where rolled up into the ¼ inch gap between bracket and tube. Fortunately my screams of pain were easier to interpret and he raised the spreader before the skin of my hand was entirely ripped off. After a course of antibiotics, the wound has healed over nicely and I am left with a thick patch of calloused skin as a reminder to be clear and patient when giving directions.
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