Rethinking spring

This week at Two Wheels Urban Farm

I realize this lovely spring is only going to last a few days before winter returns, but I'm really looking forward to warm weather sticking around for good! We have all of our seeds purchased and organized, and next week I will start sowing seeds indoors for spring transplants. I should also have a farmers' market update soon-- I'm excited to start selling produce and fresh flowers this summer. Stay tuned!

All this seed should keep me busy for a while!

Rethinking Spring

I returned on Sunday from my last vacation before the growing season starts, and it was a great trip! We ventured down into the Caribbean and I had a chance to tour around and check out tropical plants. I dreamed of what my urban farm might look like if it was in Jamaica or Key West-- bananas, plantains, bread fruit, all kinds of citrus, coconut, almond trees...

We visited local homes, parks, historical sites, and my favorite part was learning about the local trees and how they harvest and prepare the fruits.

We took a fantastic walking tour in Falmouth, Jamaica from a witty local named Erika. At the end of the tour she told us how 2016 had been the hottest on record in Jamaica, and from what I have read 2016 was the second hottest on record for the US. Interestingly, when we flew back to Milwaukee on February 19 it was a balmy 58 degrees-- if we had flown in the day before, it had been 67 degrees!

60 degree weather is a nice change!

So now I am wondering if I should adjust my planting schedule? For example, historically peppers are planted indoors on April 1 in this part of the country so they can be transplanted on June 1. In a more updated guide (one that I followed last year successfully), they recommend planting on March 4 and transplanting on May 13.

Should a grower trust the regional guides or push the dates because of an early, warm spring? Some things I think about:


1) Check out the land

Our home plots are at the bottom of a hill (where cold sinks) so that probably means we shouldn't push the dates too much. Is your land protected from wind and very sunny so that it warms up early? If so, you might be able to gain extra days. Raised beds also warm up faster than soil. And sandy soil warms up faster than soil with a lot of clay.

2) Protect the plants 

Another way to protect newly transplanted crops against an unusually cold night (or extend the season in general) is to cover the plants with a breathable row cover. Using a jar or a milk jug as a cloche overnight will also protect sensitive plants from frost.

Row cover can often protect down to 28F for early crops such as lettuce and spinach.

3) What is the value of transplanting early?

To someone hoping to be the first person to market with a red pepper, planting early might be a risk worth taking. But if you are growing to feed yourself and your family, you might not want to risk losing your plants to frost for the chance of an earlier harvest. Also, if you grow your own starts, it is less expensive to risk a plant than if you purchase plants from a nursery.

4) Take notes

Taking notes of when you plant/transplant will really help out next year. Even though our spring is coming earlier, from year to year the changes aren't that noticeable, so I am able to use the previous year or two as a guide. I make notes of what varieties and how many seeds I plant, when I plant indoors, when I transplant or direct seed outdoors, the protection I use to keep the plants warm (if I need to do that), and when and how much I harvest. I look back each spring to the year before and see what changes I can make and am also reminded of my own best practices.

5) You can always fall back on your local farmers' market

One nice thing about living in an area with a thriving farmers' market scene is that there are always veggies to buy and enjoy! If your tomatoes don't work out, or if you don't have the space to grow all of the varieties of peppers you enjoy, check out your local farmers' market. Local food eaten in season is fantastic!

7 reasons to eat local in 2017

We definitely live in a Costco culture. Anyone can head to their favorite big box food warehouse and buy ginormous, inexpensive boxes of strawberries and lettuce in February and never stop to think about why this might not be the best food model. I've been spending a lot of time on my computer these last few weeks planning out the growing season. And this time indoors has given me the opportunity to think about why I am a food producer and how I fit into this new world of agriculture.

I also ran across an interesting article recently in Grit Magazine called the No-Bar-Code Challenge, and this inspired me to give up the last few remaining processed items we keep in the house (moment of honesty- like many residents of Wisconsin I am big frozen pizza fan, so my goal for 2017 is to find a crust recipe that I love--please pass along any good ones you have!).

If you're still working on coming up with a new year's resolution, try eating local! Here are my top 7 reasons:

1) Local food tastes better. This isn't an economic or political reason. In fact, it's down right self-centered. If the local food movement has taught me one thing, it's that food from a big box chain can't compete with something locally grown and harvested ripe at the peak of flavor, and often eaten by the consumer within 24 hours.

Nothing beats ripe produce picked and eaten within a day or two.

2) Eat in season. Aside from flavor, eating in season has many benefits, the largest of which is that food is cheaper when it is abundant. If you eat in season, you'll be getting tired of one vegetable just as a new vegetable is coming into season. (Many regions have charts to tell you what is available all year.) I remember last year I was so excited to have fresh asparagus. Just about the time I didn't want to eat any more asparagus, the salad season started and I was excited once again. Nature gives us this great calendar to enjoy vegetables and fruits when they are cheap, abundant, and full of flavor. Even in winter, we can enjoy the storage crops that keep us warm and cozy-- roasted potatoes with onions and winter squash soup are two of my favorite cold weather warm ups.

3) Environmental impact. When you see a label on produce that says it comes from California or Argentina, stop and think about the fuel needed to get the food to your plate-- trucks, ships, more trucks. If you eat local, however, the food gets to you with minimal environmental impact. This is something I am especially proud of with our urban farm. Because we farm in town, the transportation costs and fuel usage are much less. And because we don't use tractors or other large farm machinery, we are able to lower our environmental footprint even more.

4) Knowledge. Having a personal relationship with a grower allows you to ask questions about a their practices, such as, "exactly what herbicides and pesticides do you use or avoid?" You just can't get these answers at Sam's Club.

5) Entertainment. Buying and eating locally provide a lot of fun opportunities for adults and kids alike. Farmers' markets, farm visits, and farm-to-table restaurants are all great times to celebrate the culture of local food.

6) Health. Because local vegetables and fruits are harvested when fully ripe and eaten soon after picking, they don't lose nutrients over time and transport. And because this produce also tastes better, people are likely to eat more produce than they normally would. And if you're cooking at home instead of eating prepackaged food or fast food, your meals will be healthier as well as tastier!

7) Support the local economy. When you buy anything locally you are putting money back into your regional economy. Not only does this create local jobs directly, but each one of those workers puts money back into the same economy by purchasing goods or buying local services. Not as obvious is the impact on the culture of our local economy. For example, farmers' markets are fun and entertaining and bring people out to not just buy produce, but also purchase coffee, drink a regional beer, eat lunch, and pick up that cute t-shirt they saw at a local shop.

Purple Cow Organics (sell they some fantastic compost!) is an example of a local business supported by local farms, including Two Wheels Urban Farm. 

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Since the growing season starts at the end of the month, I'm taking my last bit of vacation next week, and I will be back at the end of February. By then I hope to have an update on planting! 

Enjoy these last days of winter!