D&V Organics CSA
Week 7
We're feeling a little relieved after a solid set of rain events this past week. Monday's rain seemed to be plenty, coming in at .75", however, with the ground being so dry, it barely made a dent in saturating the soil. It was enough to provide some much needed moisture and continue to work the fields with equipment, but upon working the soil, things were still moderately dry under the top layer. For too long, we put off working the soil in order to prevent potential damage to the soil itself. After nearly a month of no real rainfall, the soil loses structure, so taking equipment into the field to do extensive work can cause damage to the soil components. Because we need to plant on a continuous basis, we did have to do some work to continue our planting and so that our supply of produce remains steady. So once Monday's rain came, we resumed the more extensive preparations to the fields that had been waiting. This time of year we are thinking ahead to what our Fall season will look like and where we'd like to grow our selection of Fall crops. Early this Spring we planted some cover crops, which will help to improve the soil by feeding soil microbes and increasing the soil's ability to hold moisture. The cover crops ran their course and needed to be incorporated to maximize their benefit to our farm system, but we had to wait until the soil was moist enough to incorporate them into the soil. It is interesting to think that we can simply grow things on the farm that have a long term net benefit to the farm ecosystem. We don't always hit the nail right on the head, but with a little planning and consideration, taking these steps will eventually pay off in terms of sustainability, and that is the goal of organic agriculture.
Enjoy,
Derek and Crew
