October is always a super busy month on our farm and while there is still plenty to be done, it feels like we can finally pause long enough to catch our breath. All of the field prep for next year’s strawberry field is finished and we are just waiting for it to dry out enough to have the beds listed up (we pre-irrigate the field so that the extra-tall beds will hold their shape when they are formed). Every year our strawberry field gets extra attention, but this year we went all out. We planned it out so that all of our broccoli plantings from the spring and summer went into the field where the strawberries are being planted. Broccoli is an excellent rotational crop for strawberries because the substantial amount of residue that is left after harvest works like a natural fumigant, and greatly reduces the amount of soilborne pathogens when it is incorporated. After all of the tillage was finished (ripping, discing and chiseling), we leveled the field so that it would drain properly over winter, and then generously spread compost, gypsum and mustard seed meal. We are expecting great things from our strawberry field next season.
Almost all of the winter squash and pumpkins have been packed in crates and brought in out of the fields, the drip tape has been pulled up and we are well underway planting cover crops. For the uninitiated, crop crops, or “green manures”, are primarily grown between cash crops during our winter months. They are mowed down and incorporated into the soil before planting our crops in spring, and they serve several purposes; they “tie-up” left-over nutrients like nitrogen, and prevent them from being leached out of our soils; leguminous cover crops like vetch and bell beans (favas) can “fix” atmospheric nitrogen which then becomes available to crops that follow; they greatly improve the soil structure and moisture holding ability of the soil; and lastly they help to hold the soil in place and prevent soil erosion during our wet winter months. This last benefit is of critical importance at our Lewis Road site with its relatively steep slopes and sandy erosive soils.
Over the last few months we have also been doing a lot of planting and things look to be lined up well for winter production. We have blocks of broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, fennel, celery, carrots, cabbages, and all types of bunched greens that will be coming in over the winter months. Next week we will be planting Green Garlic, Fava Beans (for harvest), and transplanting leeks. Inside our high tunnels we will be planting baby turnips, spinach, arugula, mei quin choi, and transplanting lettuces. Our cipollini and red onion transplants are looking great and will be ready to plant out in another few weeks.
Although I am looking forward to having a little down time and getting caught up with the household projects that I haven’t had time for during our busy summer, I am already getting excited about the possibilities that next season will bring.
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