Soil Fertility on the Farm

Farm Update

Night starting to descend at the farm.

 Hi everyone!  The rainy weather these last few days has really helped things out at the farm!  The blueberries are still looking great, and we're doing a large potato harvest today as well.  Now that we're getting the rain we need, the weeds are really taking off as well.  The deer pressure has abated quite a bit, mostly because Fred has continued to be extremely diligent about pushing them back each night.  We've also been playing a radio out in the field during the night, which keeps them on edge.  It's going to be a busy week at the farm because we're a little short-handed on workers this week, but it is likely to be more pleasant out there now that is cooler.  There has been a definite change in the air. Even though high summer veggies are still on their way, the air is cooler and nightfall comes earlier, signalling the onset of fall before we know it.

What to Expect in Your Share this Week

Here are the options in each veggie station this week!  If you have a half share, you'll choose one from each category, and if you have a full share, you'll choose two.

• Blueberries for everyone!
• Carrots or beets
• Fingerling potatoes or sweet corn (4 ears)
• Cucumbers or kohlrabi
• Kale, Swiss chard, or zucchini
• Lettuce or cabbage
• Surprise veggie

If you have your share delivered to your home or workplace, or if you pick up at our East Lansing

While we don't have peppers in the
shares this week, they are well on
their way!

drop-off, here are your options for this week.  If you have a half share, choose one, and if you have a full share, choose two.

Share A:                                      Share B:

Blueberries                                 Blueberries
Carrots                                        Beets
Fingerling potatoes                    Sweet corn
Cucumbers                                 Cucumbers
Kale                                            Zucchini
Cabbage                                      Lettuce
Surprise veggie                          Surprise veggie

If you have a preference for share A or share B, just let me know by noonish the day before your delivery day, and I'll make sure you get your preferred share.  If you don't have a preference, I'll just choose for you. :-)

Soil Fertility on the Farm

It’s well-known in the farming world, but less well-known to those who don’t grow food, that the fertility of the soil is one of the main factors that influence the quality and yield of the crops.  So how do we manage our soil to get so many veggies from our small farm?  One of the main things is that we pay a lot of attention to the level of nutrients and overall soil health in our fields.  Many of you home gardeners probably put compost on your garden to feed your soil.  When you apply this compost it not only feeds the plants nutrients but provides a better place for the roots to grow.  We do exactly the same thing on a larger scale and with greater attention to the details of our soil nutrient balance, always seeking to add more organic matter to the soil.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse are
coming along; the vines are about as
tall as Fred now.

Fred starts the process each year by taking a soil test and looking at the results. We then take the results up to Morgan’s Composting in Evart, MI so that they can recommend a soil fertility plan for the year.  Morgan’s has been a great partner from the first year of the farm and those of us in organic vegetable production in Michigan are very fortunate to have them as a resource.  From the many organic fertilizers that they carry, we decide on a mix of different things to spread on our field.  This year it included feather meal, dairy compost, poultry compost, fish, and a few other micronutrients.  We then waited until late March for a morning when the ground was frozen to take a big compost spreader with our tractor and spread this mix over the entire field.  For crops like our potatoes and spinach, we spread extra chicken manure pellets before planting to give the plants more nitrogen, since they are heavy feeders.  We also supplement with extra fish fertilizer through our drip irrigation with plants like our tomatoes.

Admittedly, we spend more on soil fertility than most farms.  Our theory is that anything we can do at the start to get our plants looking nice and healthy will be well worth it in better flavor, yield, and resistance to insects and disease.  Also, we are trying to get veggies that are packed with nutrients and not pumped up with synthetic nitrates and water.  We feel that though greater yield can be achieved using synthetic soil nutrients, the resulting vegetables are not as nutrient dense or as flavorful.  Use of synthetic nutrients can also have quite a devastating effect on most waterways that go through agricultural areas, because they often make it into streams after leaching into drainage tile.  The effect is compounded by the fact that synthetic nutrients have a negative impact on soil structure, often allowing more soil particles to get into streams as well.  Synthetic fertilizers often inhibit microbial life in the soil, which prevents those microbes from forming soil particles into larger aggregates.  These larger soil aggregates stay put better and provide a better growing environment for the root systems of plants.

Fred samples one of our yellow
carrots during his evening walkabout.

The great thing about adding organic nutrients to our soil is that the natural soil life is able to thrive, providing better soil structure and a slower release of nutrients to the plant.  The greater organic matter also regulates soil moisture and provides a greater bank of soil nutrients that can be released slowly, with less leaching into the drainage tile and ground water.  The downside is that organic soil nutrients are harder to spread and transport.  Also, while the fact they release so slowly is better for many plants, certain crops like potatoes, sweet corn, and a few others, need that extra quick boost to yield to their full potential.  This is part of the tradeoff of using organic fertility versus synthetics, and for this reason we have to accept lower yield on some crops.

 

Over the years that we have been on our land, we have increased our soil’s organic matter and now have our soil in a much better balance with more than adequate nutrients for most of our crops.  Our tomatoes are actually so healthy this year that they may actually yield a little later than usual.  The maturity has been a little delayed due to the plant putting on so much nice foliage rather than putting its energy into reproduction, which provides the part of the plant that we eat.  When the tomatoes do come though, there are going to be a lot, since the plants are so large and strong.  While soil fertility is a relatively unromantic topic, it is essential to everything we do on the farm, and it is what allows us to grow such healthy and flavorful vegetables.

Recipes

Just in case you're running out of ideas for zucchini, here is a great recipe for Zucchini Parmesan Crisps!  Or if you're doing the gluten free thing, here is a way you can enjoy one of your old favorites with this Zucchini Lasagna.