seedlings

Leaf, Stem, Root

November 25, 2021

The crisp, cool fall mornings are some of the best times of the year to be working at Rural Studio Farm.

Two students take a moment in the field to talk with one another as the dawn casts spectral light across the morning clouds

With the fruits of Summer harvested, the Fall crops of leaves, roots, and stems have become the farm’s focus.

  • Three women students display peanut plants they have just pulled, each thick with peanuts to be dried and picked
  • A student cleans some dirt off of a giant turnip root she has just pulled from the ground
  • A student harvests some red mustard greens
  • Two students pull up some peanut plants, revealing peanuts that were previously underground
  • A student harvests some loose leaf lettuce from the field
  • Two students harvest some baby greens from seedling trays
  • A student crouches over a raised bed in the field and is cutting leaves of spinach

Students and staff can now enjoy fresh green salads from the farm every lunch until the weather becomes hot again.

  • A student is transplanting salanova lettuce seedlings into a raised bed in the greenhouse
  • Two students transplant romaine lettuce into raised beds in the greenhouse
  • Two students prepare to transplant salanova lettuce seedlings into raised beds in the greenhouse
  • A student measures out a distance for transplanting spinach seedlings into a raised bed in the greenhouse
Full heads of salanova lettuce, both red and green, look beautiful in their neat arrangements within raised beds in the greenhouse in the morning light
  • A smiling student bags up some washed lettuce for the kitchen
  • A student bags some newly harvested and washed lettuce in the post harvest space
  • Washed lettuce is laid out to dry while two students continue to wash lettuce in the sink in the background
  • A student places a colander of washed lettuce dry on a mesh table

In addition to a variety of fresh lettuces, the farm is also producing spinach, baby greens, kale, collard greens, beets, hakurei turnips, radishes, peanuts, turnips, scallions, carrots, mustard greens, sugar snap peas, and snow peas.

  • A student transplants some lettuce and spinach seedlings into a raised bed in the greenhouse
  • Two students transplant turnip seedlings into a raised bed in the greenhouse
  • A student harvests some baby greens from seedling trrays
  • A volunteer farm worker plants some pelleted celery seeds into seedling trays
  • Two students fill seedling trays and plant some new seeds
  • Two students happily transplants some turnip seedlings into the greenhouse
Two rows of carrot foliage in the foreground with trellised sugar snap peas in the background

With the next freeze right around the corner, most of the field production is halting for the Winter. To maintain and promote healthy soils, as well as to protect against erosion, the students broadcast a cover crop mix into the beds and winter rye grass into the aisles. It is also a good time to tidy and clean things on the farm so that it looks good while it rests in the cold.

Morrisette house with rows of bright green cover crops planted out in the farm
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Working in the Winter Wet

February 14, 2020

Statistically, February is our wettest month with a 30-year average of just over 5.5 inches, but we have already exceeded that number in the first two weeks, making this a very wet and warm winter thus far.

A broad view of the newly built beds

Nevertheless, our last frost date is typically mid to late March, so we are planning accordingly. In the seed house we are starting cold-hardy crops for transplant soon: collard greens, kale, mustard greens, turnips, beets, lettuce, and spinach. Other crops like carrots, arugula, and parsnips will be direct-sown in the next few weeks. We also started early tomatoes for transplant into the greenhouse in early March.

  • Beet seedlings are growing in the greenhouse
  • A view of new seedlings in trays in the seed house

Meanwhile, with things in danger of washing away, the students are doing some landscape work to help improve the campus and make areas ready for planting flowers and perennial herbs—many of which are culinary or medicinal. In addition to being more beautiful, these accessory plants support the farm in other ways like attracting beneficial insects and pollinators and deterring other pest insects. They also make better use of different parts of the campus, turning more of the land into an active and productive resource rather than just a passive lawn that requires so much maintenance without returning much material benefit.

  • Students use shovels and picks to clear aggressive weeds
  • A student cuts back encroaching cover crops
  • Farm manager Eric pushes a wheelbarrow of mulch
  • Students clear grass from front walk
  • A student digs up aggressive weeds
  • A student clears debris and weeds from front walk
  • A student uses a flame weeder
  • A student poses with a machete

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Preparing for Spring

February 10, 2020

We began cultivating additional land for crop production last fall, which will add about 33% more growing area. Using the walking tractor, Eric and the students first shaped the new in-ground raised beds before adding soil amendments and compost. Since we are promoting soil health, it is best to have something growing in the beds at all times, so it is important to start growing as soon as possible.

  • Student planting seed potato
  • Student spreading hay on planted potatoes
  • Student planting seed potato

Students planted seed potatoes, which we covered in a layer of hay, and transplanted out collard greens. In some beds they also sowed a cover crop mix for early spring—hairy vetch, field peas, and oats—all to improve soil health and to keep the ground growing before crops are added later in the spring.

  • Student using tilther

We are no-till, but we just tested out a new tool, the tilther. Run by a cordless drill, the tilther is like a baby rototiller, only working the soil to a depth of about two inches. This improves the tilth of the soil by fluffing and smoothing out the soil surface, making it ready to be transplanted into. It also mixes in any amendments, fertilizers, and minor crop residues.

In the greenhouse meanwhile, more seedlings are being started, and the early crop of tomatoes are being moved to larger quarters to allow their roots to expand and grow before they are transplanted to the greenhouse once March arrives.

  • Student transplanting tomato soil block
  • Student planting collard seedling
  • Student transplanting tomato soil block
  • Student adding soil amendment to farm beds
  • Three students broadcasting cover crop seeds
  • Student using tilther
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