Countdown to the first farmers' market

It's a busy time here at Two Wheels Urban Farm, and next Thursday morning is our first farmers' market day at Greenway Station in Middleton. I plan to give a better update next week as to what we'll have for sale, including what garden plants will be available.

Until then, here's a brief update in photos!

The early planted veggies are starting to look like they could be harvested soon.

Because of cool temperatures, most of the plants still have floating row cover.

We set up the orange market tent and sign this week to make sure we had all the supplies we need and could figure out how to open up the tent!

Have a great weekend everyone, and look for information early next week about opening market day!

Rain rain go away!

It's been raining off and on for a week, but I really need to work and the rain and wet soil are slowing me down. I really shouldn't complain, however. I noticed yesterday that our grass is starting to grow and my mom's lilac is starting to leaf out. Spring is really here!

Luckily about half of our plots (two of the three yards we farm) are raised beds, so I've been able to do a few things this week. Our third plot has traditional in-ground beds, so I am waiting on Mother Nature to give me a break and dry out the soil.

April showers bring May flowers!

A quick plug for raised beds 

If you are thinking of gardening, consider putting in a raised bed. Even though they require extra time and money initially, they pay off dividends over the years. Because they are technically soiless (at least the top several inches) there is very little hoeing and zero need to ever till (raised beds are typically filled with a mixture of compost, peat moss or coconut coir, and pearlite. These beds dry out quickly, which is a huge benefit this time of year, and they also heat up faster, allowing for earlier planting. Another advantage is there is much less weeding, and covering them with row cover is a snap. Check out Raised Bed Revolution by Tara Nolan for some inspiring ideas.


This week at Two Wheels Urban Farm

We now have three crops in the ground-- peas, carrots, and as of yesterday we have kale!

Because we use a very high intensity planting system, I used a ruler to make sure the kale transplants were spaced properly.

The two PVC pipes will be supports for the row cover cloth that will protect the kale from frost and later from insects.

When the temperatures warm up later this week, we will start to see more rapid plant growth!

We should have garden plants for sale at the farmers market this spring: heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs, eggplant, etc. 

I was reminded this week why we farm in town-- great neighbors and neighborhood, local shopping, and bike transportation. 

Have a great week everyone and enjoy these first warm days!

Garden hacks to extend the growing season

The growing season around Madison is a mere 140 days (our grad school town, Raleigh, NC, gets 220 days). I have proposed moving to a warmer climate and have gotten the evil eye from my family. We do really love it here--even the snowy winters are a big draw for us. But I do need more time!

One problem I am currently dealing with is that it's time to plant tomatoes indoors and I am running out of room under my grow lights. I have a whole flat of lettuce that needs to move out to make room for my valuable tomato seedlings. After much reading this winter, I found some options for extending my season, and with these farm additions I can move some plants out and even start seeds outdoors now and could be harvesting cold-loving crops earlier in the spring and then again until Thanksgiving or later. Of course a heated greenhouse is ideal for growing year-round, but these are some easy, inexpensive options I'm trying out this year.


Cold Frame

A cold frame can be used for hardening off plants early in the year and growing veggies late into the fall. This project took a few hours, but other than buying the hinges, I was able to repurpose wood and other leftover supplies from my garage.

My new cold frame is built out of scrap wood and a used greenhouse panel (another option for the top would be an old window). To finish this frame, I'm going to paint the inside white to help reflect sunlight.

The plan for the cold frame was found in this book.

A thermometer helps monitor the environment inside the cold frame, since temperatures can really heat up on even a very cool but sunny day.

I placed the cold frame in a sunny spot facing south. When nights get really chilly this spring, my plan is to cover the cold frame with an old blanket and place a jug of hot water in the frame with the plants to slow the temperature drop overnight.


Hoop House

After building the cold frame, I decided to try additional cold weather growing options and see which ones worked best. According to the UW Extension, a hoop house can extend the growing season by 6-8 weeks, and I've noticed that most of the CSA farms around use them. My goal for the hoop house is to grow cool season veggies early in the spring (and then later in the fall), specifically the fresh spinach and salad greens I've been craving.

After I worried for several days about how to do it (I winged it since I didn't have written instructions for my specific plan) it turned out to be one of the easiest garden modifications I've made. The new hoop house sits over one of my 4' x 8' beds, and when the spring heats up it can be easily removed and stored away until fall.

The simple frame consists of 4 PVC pipes. The ground is soft right now, so I was able to drive them into the ground inside of the raised bed for stability. I made three hoops and used one across the top, and all of these were zip tied together. I also used wood stakes (two on each end) to add stability and keep the hoop house upright.

Hoops over the raised bed.

I found the plastic at my local farmer's co-op.

This is a temporary structure, so rocks hold down the plastic sheeting.

When the day heats up, the cover is easily rolled up and clipped.

Row Cover

Another trick I'm trying is row cover, which should provide protection down to 28F. I'm going to plant early in the community garden, and the row cover should hopefully provide some protection not only from cold weather, but also from hungry bunnies and birds. For early season crops like salad greens, the cover can be left on the plants 24/7 through harvest, which is a big bonus since I don't make it out the community garden every day. For especially cold nights, the row cover can also be used inside of the hoop house to add a second layer of protection.

Be sure to shop around. Prices vary widely depending on where you shop.