New Production Garden Preparation

If you have been to the farm recently, you may have noticed some changes happening in the front field next to the Visitors Center. Next summer we will be moving our vegetable production garden to this front field and we are doing our best to get it prepared for a successful season.

In order to prepare the site, we first used the manure spreader to spread out the big piles of straw and lakeweeds (which had been dropped off to provide compost and nutrients). Then we used a subsoiler and disc to break up the compaction in the field and open the ground for planting. Next we will till the field to make a nice even seedbed.

Before our next big rain (fingers crossed for rain please!) we will broadcast seed for a cover crop. The cover crop is a mix of plants that we grow to improve the soil and suppress weeds. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and when you stop by the farm in September, you’ll see a beautiful cover crop growing up tall in that front field.

We are also hoping to complete the hoop house in that area to allow us to extend growing seasons.