Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - smorgasbord

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Elizabeth Pike" <pike AT always-online.com>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: smorgasbord
  • Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 19:54:50 -0500

Sorry about previous Earthway email-dog hit send before I was finished!  I will compile several responses in this one-I know, I've been quite chatty today-sorry, cabin fever!
 
The Earthway seeder is best for small to medium sized seed.  Large seeds get stuck or cracked & tiny seeds are spaced too close.  It also depends on your soil, so you have to play around with it. 
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I use almost all raised beds.  I have to or I'd never get my concrete clay to grow anything.  Sunflowers have been the exception, which I sow in rows on land tilled by our conventional farmer-lessee.
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Deer problems-our farm lays in between a 1500 acre private historical crop/tree farm-forest & several thousand acres of other farms & a national forest.  Our garden sits in the middle of the property, no fence & we've never had anything ('cept wild dogs) come within 25'.  The only thing I've done has been to put out bird tape.  I come home & count 10-15 head in the field next door, but never in my garden.  I know they're hunted to extremes (& don't even get me started on hunting with dogs-lazy man's way to do it) & I wonder if they're just plain scared!  (No, I'm not against hunting-just fixed venison chili for the Super Bowl-but when you let dogs run them to death to wear them out at your feet so you can lean off your truck to shoot, that just ain't fighting fair!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For Penny:  "...Pea Sugar Lace. THis is what Park's says
"No stakes, no strings, almost no leaves-just peas! Masses of stingless,
tender 3 1/2" pods are perfect to eat straight from the garden."
 
Cut their hype in 1/2 , and you'll get a more accurate picture! (As is true with most gardening catalogs.)  I've ordered some to try.  If you do, let me know & we'll compare notes.
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I printed out the first farm market study from Beth-47 pages-now I'm outta ink to print the study referred by Don!  If only I could move computer closer to the fire.
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dogs-we just bought a border collie.  We've had advice, for when we restock our chickens, to get a border collie pup  & raise it in the pen, right along with the chicks.  (For those who don't know, we had wild dogs destroy a flock of 80 chickens & 5 meat rabbits last year, not once, but twice , 40 chicks the last time).  Before doing this though, I wanted to get to know the breed.  He is a great herder, as witnessed by all our holey socks (around the ankles) & chewed shoe strings.  As for protection, he's still a bit young.  He really likes the UPS man & barks at rain-don't know if this is a good sign!  He is great for staying right where the "herd" is, rarely moves far from us or the house.  
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sue-"I have a few of these type studies from other states..."  
 
Are any of these available for reading online?? 
- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From Beth: " But with winter we will never be able to supply our CSA
or farm stand year round with only products from our garden (disregarding
any fabulous season extenders).  So our customers/members go back to the
grocery store. "
 
Has anyone seen/read the latest Mother Earth News?  I've read Eliot Coleman, & I'm no Eliot Coleman.   But his writings have had me anxious to experiment with season extension.  If he can do it in Maine, surely I can do it in zone8 NC.  What I liked best about this article (nothing new actually than what he's said in his books), are the pics .  I'm the kind of "show me, don't tell me" person, & now I wished I'd built a bigger greenhouse.   He's gone back to market gardening/farming.  My ultimate goal is to keep my customers coming to me 12 months of the year (it's cheaper to retain customers than to win new ones), at least for a few items, or as many as I can reasonably produce without alot of artificial intervention-I won't try to grow tomatos in January.   This may of interest to you, Beth.
 
Liz
Morningstar Gardens
Pollocksville, NC



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page