Monday, April 27, 2009

Cover Crop Goes Under


Dean Mullis told me there would be nights I would be doing online updates at 10pm. Here it goes, short and sweet.

Today it was finally dry enough to work the soil so we flail mowed the 5 foot rye (with some crimson clover in there as well as some vetch) and quickly tilled it in to the soil.

Aaron

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Update

Carl Pless testing out the new tractor on Thursday

OK I've come to the realization that this blog is not going to be an effective form of communication for those following Cold Water Creek Farms unless it is updated more frequently. The problem is that I tend to put off updates until I have time for a more comprehensive report. I'm tossing that strategy out the window. From now on I will be doing more frequent updates, perhaps even *gasp!* twitter updates from the field.

But even if I decide to avoid that particular strategy I will be posting more often. The result will be shorter, less comprehensive blog posts. Some might not even have images. But, I think this will give more people what they are looking for from this blog- short updates on what is happening with their food. So on to the first of these quick updates.

1. We have access to a new tractor! I'll further explain the concept of the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm in a future post (it's part of our land base) but the short story is that there is a new tractor on site and... it's finally dry enough to work the soil!

For those of you who aren't farmers or meteorologist let me share that it has been a cool and wet spring and the ground has been too wet to work for weeks. The good news- we'll be sitting on a new tractor tomorrow working in 4 feet of winter rye and getting ready to put out plants. Speaking of which...



2. We have transplants ready. We have much of our warm weather stuff like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant ready to go or they will be ready as soon as the ground has been worked and the cover crop has decomposed a bit. This required more than a few long days of potting up transplants.

Brad and Eric pot up tomatoes in the greenhouse as the sun sets

3. Sweet potatoes are starting. From what I'm told it's been a while since someone in Cabarrus County has had a significant amount of sweet potatoes in production. We have 20 bushels worth of potatoes in the greenhouse creating slips for us to plant when warm weather sets in for good.


That's all for this evening.

Aaron

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Grey Skies

It's April and we've been blessed with lots of rain. Soon we'll need to work those fields so we wouldn't mind a little break to let the soil dry out. We will need to till in the beautiful cover crop you see in the picture above. Last fall rye, crimson clover and vetch were planted after the fields were tilled. Not only does this help hold the soil in place it also adds nutrients to the soil.

Soil fertility is a key component of organic farming. We can't just add synthetic fertilizers if we don't have the necessary nutrients to grow great vegetables. With proper planning though we won't need those fertilizers.

A few updates regarding the CSA:

1) We still have a few spots available. If you're interested in participating in our CSA program in 2009 get in contact with us now. Call Aaron at 704/305.6654 or email: coldwatercreekfarms@gmail.com

2) Deposits are due. For those of you who have signed up but haven't sent your check please do. Checks should be made payable to Cold Water Creek Farms and mail to:

14 Oakland Ave. SE
Concord NC 28025

3) We are developing partnerships with several local chefs. We're hoping to have at least one meal at the farm for CSA members cooked by those culinary professionals who will also be buying from Cold Water Creek Farms this seasons. We'll also be sharing their recipes throughout the season so you'll know how they're using our produce. I'll share more about this and announce just who we're partnering with in a future post.

4) We are also developing relationships with 'protein partners' who have local eggs, cheese and meat for sale. We're hoping to make their products available to our members and help distribute this food by including it in our weekly vegetable share pick up. I'll be posting more information on what will be available soon.

5) The greenhouse at the Elma C. Lomax Farm Incubator is almost fully operational. Thanks to everyone who helped make this project possible.

It's warming up and we're excited about getting our hands dirty in 2009!