New Temptations

Below is a post from my blog from 10 years ago.  It was entitled 'Temptation'.  I'm feelin' that same temptation even more now than ever.  I've even stated an intent to consider hiring someone with a tractor and tiller. 

You see, I ordered a bit more potatoes than I can handle.  I knew this when I ordered.  I intended to sell the surplus off as I've done in the past.  This gets me the 50# bag rate and offsets the cost of my seed.  Its a good bootstrap technique when you're starting with little.  Well, things didn't quite go to plan.  Still have plenty.  Puts a lot of pressure on to not let them go to waste.  I'm glad I reread this old post today.  It still rings.

begin Old Post from May 10, 2008

Temptation

Even before last season ended I had decided to stick with my low-tech approach to production again in 2008. Basically that means no power equipment used in the garden. My reasons for taking this approach are many.

When I made known my intent to go low tech and chemical free a few years ago I started getting offers to use tillers and tractors. Most of these folks were well meaning and I appreciate their offers of help but a couple at least were clearly intended to test my resolve. One fellow told me that if I didn't till or let someone till then I was wasting my seed. I think those kinds of challenges are good and those folks in their own way helped to support my decision.

I've never committed to the low tech approach for more than one season. For the past few years I've noticed less efficiency out of my "digging machine" and thought one of those gas powered ones sure would make things easier and allow me to get more done, even if it wasn't my ideal. After all, I used to till sometimes more than a dozen gardens a year back in the day with my trusty Husqvarna 5 horse rear tine tiller. Her and I used to tear up a lot of soil until one night someone relieved me of her. Another unwitting supporter of my decision. In hindsight that event was probably my biggest impetus towards low-tech farming although, at the time, I felt robbed. Silly me.

My Uncle just got a new tiller and has brought it down to my end of the field a couple times now and offered to let me use it. I hinted I'd consider it, mostly because I didn't want to seem critical of his decision but partly because I was considering it. I still have a LOT to plant.

He brought it down again today as I slowly forked a new bed in the weediest part of the field, painstakingly picking out the 'weeds' and knocking loose soil from their roots before tossing them in piles. He offered the use of the tiller again. I straightened up and politely told him "no thanks". After we talked a bit I noticed he was leaving the tiller behind as he walked back to the house.

"Aren't you going to take that with you?" I asked. He turned and gave me an exasperated look and went back for it. "I guess if you're not going to use it." he said.

"Not today." I replied as I knocked the soil off of a wild carrot against the back of my fork.

Digging

Digging.  Seems to be all I do anymore these days. 

I did take a couple of days away from the garden to have a sale @ Greenville.  Needed to make headway on that mess and refill the coffer a little.

Radishes have been up for about a week.  Turnips have also sprouted.  And peas finally poked through as of Thursday.  Its a late start.  I really look forward to eating from the garden.

Even after several days of dry warm weather, after the brush is clear and the sod lifted, the soil is still pretty wet in places.  I keep adding beds downhill and have started some in a clearer spot where the soil is much drier.  Rain is predicted for middle of the week so I'll spend the next few days breaking ground and planting.  Also need to set up more ways to catch the rain.

In one downhill bed I dug out a stump and the hole filled with groundwater.  So I scooped it and it filled.  So I excavated a little and it continues to fill.  We live in an area with karst topography so, even as high up on the ridge as I am, one can find seasonal seep springs.  I've bailed out a few buckets so far over two days and it refills each time.  It does refill slow and I'm going to presume it is seasonal but, for now, its nice to have a water source handy to keep the seedlings watered.

Strike the Root Farm Shop on Etsy

I ordered surplus seed potatoes from Vermont Valley Community Farm outside Vermont, WI in order to get the 50# rate.  I've set up an Etsy store to sell off some of those plus other goods that will be coming from the farm soon such as ramps, seeds and crafts.  If you're interested stop over and see the varieties at Strike the Root Farm Shop.

I have posts on local craigslists too and some local facebook buy, sell, trade sites.  So far craigslist is the only thing that has gotten any orders.  Pickup in La Farge, Soldiers Grove or Rolling Ground is free.

Plastic Gardening and Sustainability

So I bought some plastic for the garden.  I've done this before.  I once ordered 5000' of black plastic weed barrier.  Decided it would be worth the labor savings.  And it was in certain applications.  But I didn't like working with it and didn't like its disposable nature and decided I wouldn't do it again after I used that roll.  That was easy to say considering I had 2-4 years supply at the time.   

Fast forward to 2018 and I'm jumping back into market gardening.  I had a big roll of black plastic waiting around  and decided the garden would be a good place to use it.  As I mentioned before, this plastic was someone's surplus that somehow I ended up with in my second hand business.  That's the kind of stuff I used to squirrel away instead of selling.  Using this plastic was different from buying it new because 1) it was, no doubt, far cheaper and 2) it did not create new demand for the product.  If I buy a new one from a store they put another one out and eventually order more which tells the factory to produce more.  I'm trying to avoid that.

Um, I mean I was? Am? Will be?

I've been feeling way behind if I am to shoulder my way into the local produce market.  We live in an area where everyone... and his brother... and his sister seems to grow for market.  Without season extenders I imagine I won't have much to offer in May when the markets start.  This led me to a renewed desire for row covers and a greenhouse.  I'm also recently reconnecting online so I now have a wealth of research and information and products at my fingertips.

So, I took the plunge and bought a roll of plastic from Yoder's ($26).  No, not the good greenhouse stuff, just 4 mil plastic sheeting, 12' x 100'.  If I were to wait until the good stuff was in the budget I might have to wait until Fall.  I now have 100 wire row cover hoops from Garden Supply ($108 with shipping).  The hoops arrived too late to cover before this snow and with the high winds forecast I didn't want to lay too much plastic out anyway especially since I wouldn't be there to keep an eye on it.  So now the best I can do is go out after it lets up and cover the rows.  The temps will rise this week and melt the snow under covers sooner and then warm the beds.  This will be new for me and I'll have to watch it closely to avoid overheating.  I have a plethora of sheets and blankets and other cloth to use for heavier frost blankets plus I'm considering ordering some of that too.

I also decided to drive about 90 miles round trip to one of the big box stores to get some 20' PVC, rebar,  nylon rope and maybe even more plastic for a hoophouse greenhouse.  That would also provide protection for me.  Gonna give them a chance to get the roads cleared first.

So what's come over me?  When I started market gardening I wanted to demonstrate bootstrap gardening, making due with what I had.  But as I studied the likes of Masanobu Fukuoka and Edward Faulkner I started thinking more about natural agriculture.  Sustainable agriculture was becoming a buzzword and I found it interesting but instantly became critical of those claiming it.

My whole take on "sustainable" is gonna take a while and I'm not sure I want to get going on it right now.  For now I'll say, at worst, "sustainable agriculture" may be an oxymoron but, at the least, it can't include petroleum powered equipment and supplies.  The plastic I'm using is not sustainable in the long run and neither is the van I use to get supplies and get produce to market.  And there are about a dozen other examples of my method that are not sustainable.  I accept that I am going to continue to use them for now but I'm not going to make the claim of being sustainable when I do.

Wisconsin April Storm

Near whiteout conditions outside.  I can only faintly see an outline of the ridge across the River Kickapoo.  We've had considerable rain, sleet, snow and hail the past couple days.  I've had the luxury of watching from inside my friends' heated home.  The pasture between their backyard and the river had filled up with water and, despite the weather, flocks of birds including some gulls turned out to feed on escaping worms and other insects.  Today that impromptu lake is frozen over and covered with snow.

I worked until dark in the garden Thursday.  I have a couple spots covered with plastic so I can still work them when the weather relents.  That's if the 30-40 mph wind yesterday didn't move them for me.  The garden area is about a 1/4 mile down from the ridge top with a spruce plantation sheltering its North side and surrounded on the rest by small trees and tall brush so it is fairly sheltered.

I've been fretting about water so I also set up a plastic cistern in the pit I started for the in-ground greenhouse.  I've had two small containers in the van meaning to bring some spring water out for watering but I forget each time.  Still don't have my head on straight after the stress of the move and recent legal struggles (civil, not criminal).  Things are still unsettled and my resilience has really been tested.  I'm here typing and that says a lot.  Thankfully I've been helped out by friends.

I've got several more beds dug and on April 11th I started planting potatoes.  I got in a few small purple peruvians I successfully saved from last year and 5 lbs each of Peter Wilcox and French Fingerling.  I also planted small test beds of some kale seeds from 2016 and radishes from 2007 and 2012. 

I also planted some sprouting garlic that made it through the winter in my root bin.  Darn stuff wanted to grow so I planted it (it was rubbery but it could still be cooked with).  I know they say that it doesn't work to plant in the Spring up here but we'll see what happens.  Should get some greens anyway.  Also planted some garlic bulbils from a few garlic plants that got their scapes left on last year.  Never tried it. 

More spinach was sown as well as my first planting of turnips.  That may be my first ever in my life planting of turnips.  Only about 5' of 40" bed of the purple top variety.

As of Thursday I had over 150' of 40" wide beds worked and planted.  Thats maybe 10% of what I hope to get done this Spring.  Help would be nice but even cheap labor is expensive considering the meager return on farming low-tech on such a small scale.  Might try trading seed potato for labor.  Had some back issues recently but gardening seems to ease it. 

Log Blog

I'm dependent on the wifi of others and when I'm at the garden or Greenville I'm off grid completely so sometimes I write my blog posts days before getting a chance to post them (which I guess makes them just log posts, they become blogs when I post them, its magic).  Thats why some have a blog date mentioned, in case you wondered.

blog entry from Thursday 5 April 2018

(blog from Thursday 5 April 2018)

On Tuesday we got the 4+ inches of snow they forecast. And the cold weather.  Pretty out there but it looks and feels like winter. I waited it out at a friend's empty house out by Valley. Snow in the sunny spots has melted and I'm sure the area around the black plastic I laid down in Rolling Ground on Sunday will be snow free being on a South slope.

There were a few brief moments of high wind yesterday. Rolling Ground where I finally decided I would be doing the bulk of my market gardening is right up on the ridge top. My site is set down and sheltered a bit. I laid down a lot of metal pipes I had brought out for projects on the plastic . We'll see. The plan is to go there soon, pull back the plastic and see if the sod can be busted. In some cases there was not a lot of sod so it will be getting through roots and maybe turning. Then I'll put the plastic back to get the soil warming below the sod. If its workable I'll put in some more peas and maybe a sheltered bed of radishes. I do have more storm windows for row covers out there. Forecast the next few days is for cooler weather, nights in the teens. Maybe snow again Saturday.

Got the first seed potato order shipped out to Sisseton, SD yesterday. After quite a run around I gave up on shippingeasy.com and went with endicia. Quick and painless and they do offer commercial rates so its cheaper than the post office. Found out afterwards that its owned by stamps.com. There was this big plan to sell seed potatoes and seeds online.  I decided to start an etsy store but have not sat down to stock it yet.  I've had two potato sales on craigslist and zero on local facebook.

Blog entry from April 2, 2018

(Blog from April 2, 2018)
Focus
It took way too long but I finally finished moving out of my thrift store on Main Street in La Farge. After 5 ½ years the stuff was deep. I also had some physical and emotional hurdles to overcome to finish. So now I can switch my focus to the garden... and my new quarters... and straightening up Greenville... and my court case(s)... and my blog and other writing... and my new online store... and... Seems like I have just as much to focus on as before except now I don't have the stability of the shop which had electricity and water, kept me relatively warm and I had access to my daily essentials. Now I'm off grid and I find myself digging through boxes among piles of boxes for stuff I need. Its what I do though.

Small Start 
So I feel way behind on the garden but that has been a good motivator. I've only spent a few hours at it so far so the gardening is still more pleasure than chore. I got a new bed dug last Friday (3/30) and did the first Spring planting so far, two rows of peas and a row of beats. It rained about a 1/4” on them Saturday. The bed was a small pocket bed near a small garlic bed I put in last Fall. Its maybe 8' x 3' at its widest so not a full 10' x 40” bed I'm using as my 'yardstick'. So a modest start but a start it is. Zach and I hiked around and discussed growing areas, etc. that day too.

Sunday after finishing the clean out of the shop and after hanging with friends for the holiday I went out to the garden site in Rolling Ground and did some clearing around my building site for more beds. I laid down about 75' of black plastic 8' wide to keep the coming snow(4-7”) off of the area to keep it drier and to start warming the soil up. I'm using the plastic mostly because I had a roll, some random acquisition from my junk business. Personally, I don't care for plastic in the garden. Its not sustainable but its labor saving advantages are so tempting. I covered the pea and beet bed with an old patio door that was waiting around for a use.

Banana Box Gardening
Ok, the name just about says it all. Container gardening is popular nowadays. People use buckets and grow bags, both cost money or are available free only in limited supply. I thought of trying banana boxes.  Let me say that I am a big proponent of planting in the ground when you have the space. You get the wicking affect and the temperature stabilizing affect from the ground. Above ground containers need special soil, require regular watering or irrigation and are prone to greater temperature fluctuations because of their increased exposure to air and sun.

 So why would I consider container gardening? I'm going to need all the planting days I can get to accomplish what I have in mind.  In the midwest there are many days that you cannot work the soil because it is too wet. Even though I take a low tech approach to working the ground I still have to be aware of the problem of compaction when working it too wet. I also have access to a large quantity of banana boxes that are routinely burnt up in a homemade incinerator just to get rid of them.

Planting in banana boxes (BB) would have the same drawbacks as other above ground containers however they do have some advantages. 1) They are free (except for hauling) and plentiful in many areas if you know where to look; 2) They have flat uniform sides so if you line them up together tightly in a double row you greatly reduce the surface area that is exposed to air and sun; 3) Corrugated cardboard holds moisture; 4) Most BBs have no tape and little or no plastic labels so when they are done at the end of the season you can flatten them and use as biodegradable mulch or compost; 5) The larger BB will smother out more weeds beneath it than a bucket or bag.  Ideally, when the BB beds are done the area is a good ways towards a new bed sans sodbusting and spading.  6)  If planting potatoes, harvest is as easy as knocking down the sides and picking up the spuds.
Perceived drawbacks: not available everywhere, one season use, unable to relocate after bottom softens, removing any plastic labels.

Will BBs last a whole season? I plan to find out. My thought is to fit the bottom of the BB into the top to serve as additional cardboard layer. I mostly want to use them to plant potatoes. I'm going to try putting about 6” of soil in the bottom, put seed potatoes on top of the soil and then cover with straw or hay, whichever I find around me cheap and fill in as the plant grows. I'm thinking two rows of 6 BBs lined up on top of a layer of flattened cardboard.  That would make a 10' bed that is 32" wide.  The 4 end boxes would have two sides exposed to air and sun, the middle ones only one side exposed (not counting the top).  If failure of the exposed sides seemed imminent I could use my surplus recycled bailing twine to tie around all 12 boxes to support them.  On wet or rainy days when the garden is too wet to be worked in I can get a van full of BBs, some soil mix and straw and keep planting.

Hope Springs Eternal

Indomitable spirit.  That was one of the 5 tenets of taekwando on a paper my brother gave me back in my early twenties (Courtesy, Integrity, Perserverence and Self Control are the other 4).  He knew how I liked to paper my home office with inspirational quotes.  I've had to overcome quite a few difficulties to get to the difficulties I face today.  Many times it would have been easier to give up or give in.  But the spirit was not crushed and it was these trials that made it stronger.  Challenge becomes the norm and you begin to embrace it - to take it on willingly.

Starting over with a small farm really isn't daunting.  I have some practice.  I've made many of the mistakes and hopefully learned from them.  It may be that starting out is the funnest part.  So many possibilities.  The future is bright and the common drudgery of carrying things out season to season hasn't figured into the equation yet.

As long ago as I can remember if you would have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would have told you I wanted to be a farmer and an author.  After a lot of twists and turns I finally got down to starting in 2005 (see grandprairiefood.blogspot.com) and at age 44 I'm still trying.

In 2015 I picked up an old building in town (the former local Knights of Pythias Castle - that's just the name, it's not a castle, its a two story vinyl sided box).  In the small backyard I have been growing a small garden of my own and a small crop of garlic to increase for planting stock.  Last year a friend bought us thousands of flower bulbs and I expanded to the "community garden", some unused village land in the floodplain, in spite of being told explicitly by the village board president that I could not use any village land.  I planted some of my garlic there again this fall.

I've also begun to branch out on a friend's country land in a place called Rolling Ground.  Just tiny beds so far.  In my experience, commuting to a garden means a neglected garden so if I commit to growing there on a larger scale I will want to relocate.  I'm in a bit of a transition anyway right now with the impending closing of my thrift store after 5+ years in its current location.  In fact, I began a dug-in greenhouse at Rolling Ground this fall so you might say I've committed.

In 2004 I adopted intentional poverty.  I have my reasons and I'll try to explain them elsewhere.  When I first encountered the concept of intentional poverty I thought it was silly and not for me.  I rolled that idea around in my mind for many years before I came around to it.  A good dose of state oppression, no doubt, helped polish it for me.  I knew that growing food on a small scale with no machinery would not make me rich and I really felt it was a practice I wanted to experiment with and demonstrate. Now after a few years of doing other work, I'm coming back to it. (This was a draft from this winter. Other than the last sentence, it is going out the way I wrote it then although the publish date is April)

Come on in

I'm glad you're here.  This will be the blog for my latest homestead/ market garden adventure, Strike the Root Farm.  As before I will be using low-tech, chemical free food production and other alternative technologies.  For market, I'll be focusing on some reliable root crop favorites such as potatoes, beets, garlic, onions, sunchokes and others.  Knowing me, I'll plant a lot of other stuff too.

I will be growing root crops but the name Strike the Root is borrowed from Henry David Thoreau's quote,

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve."   

Strike the Root is also the name of an online "journal of liberty" which I used to be an active member of.  The principle of striking at the root is a theme I hit on often.

Time will tell how far I carry this project.  If you would like to learn more or join in send me a message.  If you've read this or other posts please leave me a comment.