Farming has got to be one of the least defined career paths out there. You can go to school for it, you can grow up with it, but you certainly don’t have to do either. Still, I can’t imagine many farmers out there have gone about it in such a backwards fashion as me. I’ve been running my own little farm (though really, I hesitate to even call it that — usually I tell people it’s between a big garden and a very small farm) for almost a month and a half now, but before that I’d never even had a garden before. No, really. I worked at a farm for a year and a half, most of that time as an assistant manager, helping plan and make decisions, but I’d never seen a plant through its whole life cycle before.
When I got started with my big garden/small farm a few weeks ago, there were several anxious days in which I was sure that none of my seeds would grow. I was amazed when almost everything came up without problems.
It’s been 44 days since I put the first seeds in the ground, and I’m sure I’ve learned at least one new thing each of those days. I’m listing some of them here hoping that someone will find them useful, or at least that I’ll get a real kick out of reading this after I’ve got a season under my belt.
- Double-digging clay soil that’s never been cultivated is probably not the most efficient use of one’s time and energy.
- Learning to broadcast seeds evenly is an incredibly useful skill.
- Shop around for irrigation equipment; prices vary widely.
- Keep small greens under row cover, or the flea beetles will eat them alive.
- Write down everything, especially what’s planted where.
- Skip the meager bags at the nursery and buy compost by the truckload.
- Set a schedule for irrigating, and stick to it.
- Plant radishes in the beginning for an early reward. Just not too many.
- Weed a little bit every day, and for a few hours a couple times a week. Like the guys that paint the Golden Gate Bridge, just keep working through the weeds constantly.
- Read about growing and talk to other growers. Talk about your problems and ask for help when you’re stumped.
- Only interplant crops that have roughly the same water requirements. Astonishing that this one isn’t self-evident, huh?
- If wind’s a problem, plant corn along the side of the garden where the wind comes from.
- Direct seed instead of sowing in flats unless you’re really set up to take care of the babies.
- Start planning how you’ll sell produce long before it’s ready.
Speaking of that last one, I’m collaborating with a few friends to open up a produce stand starting next month. Chris, Ernie, Julie, Megan, Ingrid, and I will have all our goodies up for sale outside of Ernie’s Tin Bar on Saturdays and Sundays. I’ll post more details here once we figure it all out.
