Planting Schedule

The most valuable lesson we learned this year was to implement a planting schedule. We did not do this this past year and suffered for it greatly. We were purchasing produce from other local farmers to fill in where we didn't have enough. That's not helpful to the profit margin.

We also did not take into account the possibility of crop failure-we should have figured it first! We have a solid week of temps near 100 with a heat index of over 100 degrees. It simply scorched everything in the field except for the okra and the black eye peas. I was able to harvest the green beans once before this weather came. So after that I was having to buy them from local farmers. We also had some issues with the tomatoes that wasn't weather related. They were in a nutritional poor section of the field. But this being our first year planting we did not realize this was a  problem.

In late spring we were having to buy the bulk of our produce from others. We tried to keep it as local as possible and were able to do this most of the time. With all the problems we had with the spring planting, we decided that we needed to on top of the fall planting better. That didn't happen. We got our pumpkins in and the late season tomatoes in but again we had to adjust with soil problems and weather problems. We were able to harvest enough tomatoes to sell at the market but we had very little to wholesale out. The pumpkins were a problem as well. They developed a powdery mildew that quickly spread throughout the field. The small pie pumpkins did the best but the larger more decorative ones were almost a complete loss. We tried growing both the tomatoes and the pumpkins on top of the black plastic. We learned that this was not a wise idea. With the tomatoes it seemed burn the bottom leaves and limbs of the plants. With the pumpkins any vines that were on the plastic burned up. But once it grow over and off the plastic they were great. Then the powdery mildew came and we couldn't keep up with the spraying enough to keep it at bay. We ended up having to buy a pumpkin from a gentleman in Vass. There were some nice pumpkins in it but most were mishaped so after about a week of sales we marked all the pumpkins to $1 regardless of size. We were still able to make money off of this but We really didn't like the idea of having the jack o lantern pretty pumpkins that everyone imagines carving.

This year we will be better prepared. Not only did it cost us to purchase the needed produce but then you have to figure in the time away from the farm, the gas going back and forth to pick it up, the spoilage, etc. Jeffrey found a planting program that he downloaded into his computer. We have chosen all the vegetables that we want to grow and how much. We put this into the program and it gives a planting date along with an expected harvest date. This way we print off each weeks planting schedule and it does not seem so overwhelming.

Right now Jeffrey and Ricardo are working on the little greenhouse that will be the seed starting greenhouse. They are putting in the flat lower shelving system that I needed last year. This winter has been unusually colder than normal so he is trying to figure out a better heat system and grow light situation because the seeds more light than the days put out now. As soon as he finished I will take pics and post them. Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to get in there and start the first round of seds. I am so anxious-I have missed being in there this year.

Our goal for the second year is to be more self sustaining and purchasing less produce. We will still have to buy things like peaches, apples, and sweet potatoes but that is only because right now it's just more feasible to purchase those elswhere. We are hoping to expand enough in the future that would prompt us to have to have our own orchards. But for now we have our plates full and still loving every minute of it.