The beginning of garden season. That's about 1/3 of the wife's main garden tilled ans some plastic and a few plants in. Tilled so far is 106' × about 24' Will be about 60 ' wide will have 23 inch walk rows and 50' rows with 6.5 to 7 foot row down the midle of that. growing the long way this year. Also have more area off to the right back behind the trees. and likely a large pumpkin patch a 1/4 mile down the road by the gate and no telling what else down there. The woman loves her garden but it gets away from her she plants to much. That's why I suggested the black stuff to help with weed several years ago.

Now this Is not truly the start that was weeks ago planing seeds and geting them started But it feels like the start geting plants in the ground. It's been a productive 3 days off.

Looks Awesome
too early here by 2 month s

How do you hold your plastic down PF. I've tried plastic before and the wind has always worked underneath it at some point.

Looking good

I've tried the fabric staples for holding it down, it works fair enough but you need a lot of staples...and the staples usually rot out enough so you cant re use them...
The commercial guys have a machine that rolls it out and buries the edges....

press these wires called staples in. Thet come in different lengths as you can see. And yes over time they get rusty and need replaced.

Nice action! What growing zone are you in..?

Below frost low temps here all of this week. I might plant some potatoes maybe next weekend. Early May is when we can really get going without potential frost killing new seedlings. No tomatoes go out before Mother's Day.

They just changed our zone I think maybe 4 b? That's more of my wife's area. I just do the stuff she doesn't like run the tractor( old gear driven tractor makes her nervous) and any heavy or physical stuff I take care of.

I think she said she has taken 12 families for CSA's this year CSA = customer Supported Agriculture. Basically they buy a share in the spring and get a weekly delivery at specific drop locations each week for around 20 weeks. I think last year was 22 weeks. but again that's my wife's area. I just know it's a ton of work and planning to have many things ready to harvest each week to provide fore not only our family but 12 others.

But she enjoys it and it really is much better than say selling at a farmers market. There you have harvested and what does not sell gets trashed. With the csa they get what we have and nothing goes to waste. And my wife loves growing obscure things and a lot of the fun is the customers what's that. knowing this will happen She repairs some for the family documents cooking and finished product on the plate with preparation and cooking instructions for our customers. It's all part of the fun for my wife.

I'm glad she succeeds at doing CSAs. I was always a little nervous at hosting one, my production, especially at the "wild gardens", was too unpredictable. I would have a hard time talking people's money up front and then producing for them, but I know this how many CSAs work.

I talk about my 5+ years of selling at a local farmers market in my most recent Substack post. You and your wife may get a kick out of it.


https://sodakfred.substack.com/p/the-winners-to-losers-products-of

I always thought farmers markets would be useful for geting your name out there and putting a personal face to the farm name.

But by the. time you harvest, loaded produce up drive there and setup stuff is gng to start looking beat up and if you don't sell out it's going in the compost. Adding up all the time and it seemed like you were giving you produce away and barley geting minimum wage for your time if that. At least when I ran the #s Could be I just don't have a good system in place.

With Csa's they get what we grew have a 30 min pick up time window and it makes things much easier. On the low volume weeks you will have that's where what she called pluss shares come in. Those include eggs, soaps, a, honey, Maple syrup, jams and similar things produced on the farm. So when threaded is a low production week or two those are the weeks the extras get sent out. Eggs are weekly

I have used the fabric for 30 years. I bury the edges and melt the holes. I don't leave any space between them. It makes it easy, and you tend to have too much garden, and it seems to get bigger every year. mikec

Yes, you are probably correct. I could have probably made more working a part-time job at Taco Bell than doing my farmers' market stand. But, I wouldn't have learned as much about things and had less (or at least different) social interactions.

I know several farmers market vendors that also do CSAs and it seems to work for them. And if it works for you, I truly think that's cool for you all. Just not my gig.

Maybe my larger gardening was (is) a way to link me to my homesteading past. My paternal side has only been in the USA for 150 years and they broke farmland out of native prairie. "Thor's" farm was homesteaded almost the same year as my GGP's place but 70+ miles away. He may be the last of his blood to farm and perhaps even own that land. Sometimes a person does things for more than just coin.

You are correct again it's about more than money. I joke with my wife that if she added up all her time she may make 15c an hour. ( infact I'm probably in the hole some years on animal feed cost and supplys with the goats especially) But she enjoys it and I have been able to support her farm/ homesteading dream with my off farm job and have been glad to do it the last decade. Yet now things are changing. I'm not spending my life at work so if it's not actually profitable or a hobby it needs to go away and or be reduced to hobby size.

Good example is the goats. kid sales covered the winter hay bill usually but that was it. not the feed fence replacement and time moving them around and setting up the fence. General it was a few hundred or more in the negative. No big deal to have a few goats . But when it's a I want to expand the heard and it is going to cost more time and $ for no additional benefits well.... The goats have been sold off.


Same with rabbits. if the kids need nice well breed rabbits get what you need for them to show that does not mean we need 10 to 20 of them because you may sell a few. But when added up it's sells at a net loss. On the flip side if the markets there AND the numbers look good on proffit to time required have at it.


Let's just say I have been playing this game for over a decade and am over it. If it's a hobby cool call it a hobby. If it's a business run it like a business. Now there can be some of each of course but it needs to be clear what's what and the #s make since on the business and hobbies stay hobby size.

There is no way I would feel comfortable with the planing involved in Csa's but the wife Handel's that well. Untill fair time.

Got it in just in time for a big rain. I'm betting Carrots, beets, and radishes will need re planted and be sprouting up in random places

I planted carrots, lettuce, radishes and spinach seeds today. They are older. I planted them thick, in raised beds, hoping I get okay germination. Yesterday, I bought seed potatoes, peas and onions sets. I'm going to plant more than normal this year and hopefully sell the excess.

Keith

Nice Keith Post some pictures when you get started. Sounds like we will likely head to some place in Ohio in the next few weeks for a mine trip for a few days. The boys would rather Turkey hunt than.spend the season at the grand canyon, Alamo, and such. I was a little disappointed but apparently there is a cool place with cliffs and rocks we have not been to in Ohio and Everyone was good with that.. I'm short on details on the plan I just finance it and help if told to. Wife plans it.

Wife just sent me a wearher report predicting a huge amount of rain tomorrow. I expect most everything will get beat up she planted she had started and all the seeds and potato will be washed out again.

If you want to stop by when you're in Ohio, please give me a call.

Keith

Little early. MY MOMMA SAYS "good FRiday" is potatoe day. We always cut the potatoes when planting. Looks like you used entire potatoe. My mother says germinate faster. I'll never argue with a 83 year old woman that instead of last year from knee replacement has had a half acre or more garden for the last 70 years.....

Every year, literal millions of people plant potatoes on St. Patrick's Day, with good results.

Keith

Looking good. Way ahead of me.