Market Farming

["Wiediger, Alison" <awiediger AT HART.k12.ky.us>]

Okay, lets see if I can help.  A "furrow" is a place to drop seed, and yes,
it is a row.  Usually, a furrow has some depth to it - so the seed can be
covered with soil.  In the case of mesclun seed, it is really just a mark on
the soil made by the wheels of the Earthway seeder - giving us a defined
place in which to scatter seed.  When we cover, we are barely covering the
seed, but have determined that for us, in high tunnels, lettuce seed
germinated better when lightly covered.  Because the wheels of the seeder
are 2" wide, or so,  we then have wide bands of seed for each row, not just
a narrow one.  That's why we don't use the seeder to seed - not nearly
enough seed in the row.  So, when we harvest, we are cutting many, many baby
plants with each handful - makes it so much quicker.  By planting in rows,
rather than broadcasting, we get better germination in summer because of the
moisture at the surface close to the drip tape, and it is easier to weed
between the rows - and grass grows even faster than lettuce.  Hope this is
what you needed.

Alison

> ----------
> From:         Allan Balliett[SMTP:igg AT igg.com]
> Reply To:     Market Farming
> Sent:         Monday, August 16, 2004 9:12 AM
> To:   Market Farming
> Subject:      [Market-farming] Mesclun Article in Growing for Market
> 
> On page 10 of GfM August 2004 you said "To plant it, we first lay 4 
> drip-tape lines in a 42" bed. Then, we use an empty Earthway seeder 
> to make a furrow on each side of each drip tape--8 rows in all. That 
> delineates where we'll place the seed. Next, either by hand, or with 
> a dial type seed sower set at opening 3, we place seed heavily in the 
> row. We'll have  a 1 to 1.5 inch band - - maybe 30 seeds to the inch 
> or more. Once it's seeded we lightly cover the rows with a rake or 
> hoe and water in. What we are looking for with this heavy seeding is 
> plants that will crowd out weeds in the row, and give us a handful at 
> a time to cut. When it is ready to cut, the rows are thick enough 
> that the leaves almost cover the middles."
> 
> Hmm, well, I'm even more confused after typing this.
> 
> I guess the first question is "Is a 'furrow' a 'row' in your description?"
> 
> Feel free to elaborate. ;-)
> 
> Thanks -Allan
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