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Field Walk…
If you've attended any of the recent Saturday work-days, then you've heard my claims of a "good relationship with weeds." It's true. Weeds, to me, have just as many benefits as detriments. Sure they over-crowd a field, stealing nutrients, sunlight, and water from our food crops. But, weeds are also an excellent indicator of fertility and can be a major source of organic matter, the ultimate soil food. With weeds, count your blessings alongside your anguish.
That said, weeds have exploded across the fields in the past couple weeks. This is very typical of May and June. Temperatures have stabilized and the farm is one big open field of the open space that nature kindly fills in. A farmer's goal is to stay one step ahead of the weeds, to let them germinate only to whack them when no taller than a thumbnail.
Unfortunately, to cover 4 acres would require almost constant hoeing, and so there will almost always be places on the farm where weeds get out of hand. Some of you have experienced the dilemma in the leeks, enjoying a Saturday sunny morning freeing these tasty autumn morsels. Earlier this week, we "saved" the peppers, potatoes and basil, and are currently working on carrots, tomatoes and lettuce.
When weeds start to get out of hand, it's very easy to encounter the dreaded downward spiral. A weeding "emergency" can require a full day of labor per bed! That's a full day spent not weeding
any other crop, which means that the chances are fantastic for two more "emergencies" to pop up the next day.
Weeds tend to grow at light speed once established. Getting a little overwhelmed means you're a week away from being very, very scary overwhelmed.
So, faced with the
dreaded downward spiral into weed chaos, I tilled large areas of the farm this week and postponed several plantings. I want to maintain this "good relationship" that I like to think I have with weeds, and
promote a truce in this years dance with nature…
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