Posts Tagged ‘efficiency’

It’s all an experiment

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The experienced growers on this site have written about planting the crops they know do well, and doing trials of new crops.  For us right now, it is all a “trial.”  We have been on this land for just over a year, having barely gotten the deer fencing up in time for last summer’s small garden.  It is also closer to the coast (~1 mile away) than our other gardens have been, definitely in the summer coastal fog zone.   Previously, we’d been about 3 miles inland, in the “banana belt” - far enough inland to grow tomatoes outside, but with enough coastal influence to keep summer heat moderate.  So, we are working with some new-to-us varieties, as well as really ramping up the volume we are trying to produce.

I am definitely beginning to understand the value in the idea of working/interning on a farm before branching out on one’s own.It’s something I haven’t done (neither of us has), but I imagine I would have learned a lot about performing some routine tasks.  It’s interesting, for instance, that something as simple as planting things (e.g. hundreds of transplants) can become very difficult if you’re not actually sure of the most efficient way to do it - because you’ve never planted so many before.  For example, when our modest order of bare-root strawberries came in, I realized I had no idea how to get them all in without taking forever.  (I finally hit upon a strategy… but I won’t share it until I’m sure they all survived!)

Another issue I’m having right now is in completing our Producer’s Certificate application (to be submitted to California Department of Food & Ag) for selling at certified Farmers Markets (which our local markets are).  Listing every variety of every crop you might possibly sell within the year might be tedious, but is pretty easy.  But how much will we sell - of each variety of each crop?  Since it’s our first year, we have no clue - not even a ball-park figure.  I am having a really hard time estimating opitmistic yields, let alone realistic amounts.  We plan to try to adjust how much we grow of each crop based upon sales, but have almost arbitrary starting points.  So I’ll be calling CDFA to see if I can get some advice.  Again, I know this will be easier next year with a market season under our belts.

Other than these few not-entirely-shocking bumps in the road - and a learning curve that will probably get steeper! - we are still optimistic, and working hard.

Hello, Everyone