Tag Archives: deer fence

Peregrine Farm News Vol. 13 #6, 3/25/16

What’s been going on!

Another beautiful and productive week.  Started last Saturday, while Jennie and Betsy were at market I was on the tractor getting the last of the minerals spread on two fields and then disking them in before the rain, got done just as it started to come down.

Monday I had my Advanced Organic Crop Production class out to help move the last two sliding tunnels over the tomato beds and move the last Big Top hoops from one field to the field the main planting of tomatoes will be in this year, it was a tomato planting preparation kind of day.

Midweek saw a lot more cultivation, planting and irrigation set up and watering, just hot and windy enough to both kill weeds and to need to keep crops moving with water.  Yesterday we spent nearly the entire day working on more deer fence, we are now just 300 feet from finishing up what we wanted to get protected for this season.  There is at least another 1000 feet we would like to build but that will have to wait until next winter.

Most exciting is that today we planted the early tomatoes in the sliding tunnels, only two months until we can eat a real tomato!  With the cucumbers already planted and looking good and zinnias going in next week it is hard to believe we are working on warm season crops already.

Picture of the Week

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The long view from the very top of the farm, green green

What’s going to be at the market? Continue reading →

Peregrine Farm News Vol. 13 #5, 3/18/16

What’s been going on!

Very close to the first day of spring and still feeling very spring like until Sunday and Monday night when they are forecasting a low of 29 degrees, never be complacent in March!

Another busy and productive week.  Two heavy downpours on Sunday and Monday with a total of 1.5 inches in a very short time but the warm weather and a little breeze has dried things out well for perfect cultivation conditions and excellent weed killing.  Jennie and our newest staff person Tricia have worked over almost all the spring plantings, just in time as the rains and warm temperatures have really made the weeds sprout too.

Another 1000 feet of new deer fence is nearly done with about 600 feet more to finish up the big loop, this coming week for sure.  We did have to spend yesterday sliding one of the little tunnels over the early cucumbers and off the first lettuces.  Today we will get all the beds and trellises ready for the early tomatoes so we can slide those tunnels on Monday.

Another sure sign of spring is the start of the regular work schedule when the staff are here every day.  We are fortunate once again to have found another great person who has jumped right in with energy and a smile.  Lacey has moved on to other non-farm pursuits and we will miss her but Tricia is not missing a beat.  Its official, here we go again.

Picture of the Week

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End wall off, tractor hooked up, ready to pull the tunnel over new beds for cucumbers

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Peregrine Farm News Vol. 13 #4, 3/11/16

What’s been going on!

Shorts, sunscreen, wide brim hats, what happened to late winter?  With the warm temperatures we have been running hard the last two weeks and gotten quite a bit done.  Just wish it wasn’t quite so warm yet.

Jennie has single handedly pruned all the blueberries and while it will probably be a small crop this year due to the unseasonably warm December that caused some blooms to open and then be killed, the ones left should be large and on more open bushes.

We did get part of the deer fence finished around one field and will get back on the big loop next week but we got a bit side tracked cleaning up from the mess made by the backhoe/bush/tree removal.  Many days burning brush and hauling stumps out of the way so we could get around center of the farm again.  The new fence seems to be working great, no sign of entry in the young tender lettuce field.

Lots of planting going on including all the onions, two thirds of the spring vegetables, many beds of lettuce, the tuberoses and dahlias too.  Of course now that the rain spigot has shut off and the temperatures are rising we had to spend most of this last Tuesday getting the irrigation up and running to keep everything happy.  It’s either feast for famine.

Pictures of the Week

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The new fence around the lettuce field and partly mulched tuberoses

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Incredible Anemones and Jennie pulling Beets in the next tunnel

What’s going to be at the market? Continue reading →