Week 20, Season 2015 - 16

Things are heating up in the field and the weeds are taking over the row middles again.  This is when growing produce organically starts to get even harder than it already is in west central Florida. Our transition time should be better than last year and we will have a few lean weeks of produce.  Squash and zucchini are looking good and should start to harvest next week.  Cherry tomatoes are also looking good except for a few plants out in the field.  There are a few small green tomatoes already on the vines.  Green beans are almost ready to flower and cucumbers in the greenhouse are starting to produce the first stages of fruit.  Potatoes harvested last week for the first time this season and taste great.  Two varieties of corn had to get replanted for poor germination.  The southern peas also had poor germination and will not produce a crop as I had no more seeds and it will be too late in the season to order and plant them. We might get a crop of eggplants from the same plants that we had from the fall.  I pruned them back and see some flowers since it has warmed up.

Our strawberries are being eaten again over the last few weeks. I hate to keep loosing them each week as these are super popular in the share baskets.  I put another strand of hot wire next to the ground last week thinking that the animal that was eating them was going under the electric fence.  Things looked good all the way up to Wednesday and I thought we were on track to harvest for Saturday with nothing being eaten.   Until I checked them today (Friday) and again everything that was ripe was eaten again.  Now I think that it might be coyotes going over the fence.  I found what look like dog tracks on the watermelon rows and around the area right next door to the strawberries.  I honestly  have no clue what is eating them.  We caught two possums and the problems stopped for a while and I thought we solved the issue.  I am thinking about changing the layout of the fence to protect the fruiting plants instead of the growing area.  Maybe if I run strands directly over the plants this might deter the animals.  I have spent a bunch of time and effort on this issue with minimal payback and I hate to waste more time taking down the fence and rearranging it again but I am almost at that point.

Here are some pictures from the farm and beyond.

Guatemalan orchid no bigger than my finger tip. Amazingly these flowers get pollinated.

A broken pipe flood irrigates the field.

Planes practice over the farm for airshow

A pre-vermin picture of our strawberries!

Week 18, Season 2015-16

We have a new addition to Steed Farms! Welcome Paul Joseph, Friday 3/11/16, 10:30 pm, 7 lb 5 oz. 19 inches long.  Congratulations also to Jennifer who the doctor said should teach classes in proper birthing techniques.  We are excited at his arrival and a little tired as well.  It was interesting juggling a trip to the hospital, a farm harvest, and deliveries, both human and produce.  But we made it through.  Thanks also to my Dad who volunteered to help out with the harvest.

In the last month I have planted bell peppers, leeks, green beans, corn, southern peas, the last of the lettuces, beets, more carrots, more cabbage, watermelons, cantaloupes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers.  Hopefully we will start to see some of this produce arriving to the tables for pick up in the next months, and I continually hope that one season we might harvest melons.  I nearly gave up on organic strawberries and finally figured things out, so I still hope in the melons that things will come together correctly to get a harvest.  In fact, just the other week I was driving the tractor through the field from last year and there were two harvestable size watermelons sitting in the field.  I brought them home and they were past ripeness, so I guess there is possibility still.

We are entering our typical spring slow down but it looks like we are in a little better shape this year.  We will have onions and potatoes to fill in the gaps of some of the things like lettuce that we won't see until next year.  It is nice to be finished with planting for this year as I should be done this weekend with everything in the field or greenhouse until we start planting again in the late summer for our next season.  Yeah!

Week 14, 2015-16 Season

Finally back home from Guatemala and thank the good Lord, everybody is safe and sound and the farm is doing fine.  Kudos to Jenn for managing everything, expertly, while I was gone.  I had a very productive time in Guatemala working with La Floresta based in Coban, Guatemala as a volunteer in the Farmer to Farmer Program from USAID.  We also had a few classes with other producers and La Floresta's employees.  They propagate ivy, aloe, pony tail palms, liriopes, pothos, and philodendrons at three very different farms for export to the US and Europe.  I assisted them in making recommendations in changes to fertilizers, weed control, and worker protection safety along with some other harvesting ideas.  The main goal was to increase yields and reduce costs.  The bonus will be a reduction in the company's environmental impact and helping their employees minimize their exposure to pesticides.  I also learned a few things from them as well to implement with my growers and farm.  It was also somewhat sad to see the clear cutting of forests.  I was at one farm and could hear the chainsaws working on the nearby mountain side making room for other crops. This was especially poignant as this area abounds in orchids that grow on the forest trees.  In fact, I saw an orchid no bigger than the tip of my finger at an orchid reserve that was dedicated to protecting the plant and preserving their habitat.  When we lose a specie whether it be animal or plant we also lose a bit of ourselves in relation to that species.  All in all, it was a good trip and I learned a great deal more about and have a connection to, the people of Guatemala.  It certainly was a very beautiful country once you get out of the cities.  The country is very mountainous and reminded me of either Arizona in southern Guat. (very dry and desert-like) or North Carolina in north-central Guat (pine trees, tall mountains, cool and damp).  It was very interesting to see a smoking volcano when I touched down in the airport. (Pictures to follow soon.)  I was slightly nervous at times for fear of the unknown and the safety of doing different things but I had a good host and a colleague to assist with things.  I am also very glad to be back with my family and farm.

The farm is doing well and we will be harvesting beautiful lettuce this week along with other items.  The potatoes are doing great and our next crop of tomatoes are gearing up for outside planting.  Next in the line up to plant are beets, cabbage, more lettuce, broccoli, and more Swiss chard.  Within a few weeks we will be planting sweet corn, beans, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon (yes, I will once again plant melons with the hope/fantasy of actually harvesting them.)

We captured two possums in traps near the strawberries and the electric fence.  My apologies to raccoons, as I figured they were the culprits.  I may have been quick to jump to erroneous conclusions, however I still don't trust those masked fiends.