Market Farming

["Wiediger, Alison" <alison.wiediger AT hart.kyschools.us>]

I know we pulled them in the cool of the morning, then set later that day.  I don’t remember them being mowed, but as a child and teenager, could have missed that.  I do remember the tobacco “canvas”.  It was still a coarsely woven cotton, not a non-woven item. My Granddaddy “chained” it at the end of the season and put it up in the barn for re-use the next year.  It was a far cry from the beautiful transplants we grow in the greenhouse, but it worked, and used no fossil fuel.

 

Alison

 

From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Shoemaker, William H
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:28 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Tobacco Setter for Peppers?

 

I'll bet they mowed the tops off the transplants 2-3 times to build up the stems before pulling them. Amazing the abuse they took, but it forced them to build tough stems with strong buds along the stem. The roots would thicken up too. For us in the north, they would pull'em, bundl'em and pack them tight in wire-bound crates, about 1000/crate. They'd hose'm down, chill them and ship them up to use. I knew farmer who would set them in a dark corner of their shed till the field was ready, sometime a week later or more. They'd plant those sorry transplants and get a 95% take. Amazed me the first time I saw it. I'm not sure the peppers could be handled quite that callously but if you grew them in your own beds, you could plant them the day you pulled them. Plug plants and bacterial diseases ruined that system.

 

Bill

William H. Shoemaker

University of Illinois, Crop Sciences

St Charles Horticulture Research Center

535 Randall Road, St Charles, IL  60174

630-584-7254, wshoemak AT illinois.edu

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From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] on behalf of Wiediger, Alison [alison.wiediger AT hart.kyschools.us]
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:20 PM
To: 'Market Farming'
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Tobacco Setter for Peppers?

I remember setting tomatoes that way.  They were grown in the tobacco plant bed along with the tobacco, pulled and wrapped in bunches in damp burlap, again, just like the tobacco, and planted at the edge of the tobacco patch.  Not staked, not irrigated, yet bore LOTS of tomatoes to be eaten and “put up”.  And, when the tobacco was cut and out of the field, turnips were sown for fall/winter eating. Those were the days! 

 

Alison Wiediger, AU Naturel Farm

 

From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Shoemaker, William H
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:15 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Tobacco Setter for Peppers?

 

Back before plug transplants became popular around here, many vegetable growers would buy southern-grown bare-root transplants of tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. The Holland, Mechanical Transplanter and Powell finger-type transplanters were standard equipment for the job. It will do a good job setting bare-root plants. I'm not sure how well it would handle plug plants. The bare-root plants were much older with thick, sturdy stems. They looked awful by today's standards but they were really tough and would mostly set well.

 

Bill

William H. Shoemaker

University of Illinois, Crop Sciences

St Charles Horticulture Research Center

535 Randall Road, St Charles, IL  60174

630-584-7254, wshoemak AT illinois.edu

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From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] on behalf of Richard Stewart [rstewart AT zoomtown.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 2:10 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: [Market-farming] Tobacco Setter for Peppers?

I am thinking about getting a used working good condition tobacco setter for doing a bulk amount of peppers in 2012.  Asking price is 150.00 and I figure at that price and the shape its in and the proximity to my farm that it would be a good deal.  Has anyone used one to do peppers or tomatoes?  I know there are better designs for doing this, but I am looking to experiment and not drop thousands doing so.  Its a single row Powell with good fingers and a water tank and 2 seats.

 

Richard Stewart

Carriage House Farm

North Bend, Ohio

 

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

 

(513) 967-1106

http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com

rstewart AT zoomtown.com