Anyone who makes a living working outside will tell you, you can't count on the weather to do what the predictions say it will. Last week the predictions proved correct and it was unreasonably~er, I mean unseasonably hot for several days. When we planted the majority of our crops inside the hoop houses (fields are usually too cold and wet until May), we had no idea the "dry down" would come on so quickly. We seeded all manner of cool weather brassicas that are now in the compost heap because they bolted (started their reproductive cycle by setting blossoms and becoming too fibrous to eat) while still in 6 packs. Many of our late winter and early spring brassicas just don't grow well in warmer weather and all brassicas are affected by crazy temperature fluctuations. We had planned to transplant many of these into the fields and dry farm them but the conditions were not favorable, a few weeks ago, there were no signs of rain. Don't worry, we have plenty of other good things on the way for you and we aren't demoralized by it, we're used to not calling the shots when it comes to the natural world.
This week our team rallied to finalize field prep at our irrigated plot in Philomath. On Thursday the three of us planted red and green cabbages, collards, dill, cilantro, fennel, celery and endives. On Friday Nate and I transplanted approximtely 2,300 onions...by hand as well as Tuscan kale and some of our curly kale. We also sifted 4 wheelbarrows of soil so we can pot up the numerous babies waiting in their seed flats and planted another batch of garbanzos which will be dry farmed at Sunbow. All of this in two days, whee! Needless to say, or maybe it's needed? We're exhausted and taking it easy today. The rain may have been the impetus behind the last two days of transplanting but it's also the reason we can take a deep breath today and relax. We did our part, the rest is up to nature.
Oh and for some video of the onion planting process, visit our FB or Instagram pages, search for Sunbow Produce.