12 Apr Mon 2010
Spring is the Thing
Trying to get back into the swing of things this Spring. We have been running every which way for the last month and are just starting to figure out where we are. So far we have added a lot more Apple Trees, new equipment to help get the work done and are working on fencing/Raspberry trelis to hopefully slow the Deer down.
Apple trees have been great fun this year. We added 140 new second leaf trees from ACN. New varieties in this batch included Lady, Ida Red and Pristine. We added quite a few Albemarle Pippins both on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstock. We are growing both on a trelis and are curious to see how they do in comparison to each other. We also are working our way through 130 or so bench grafts. These are largely heirloom varieties that we are excited about. We will keep everyone updated on how this project goes!
New equipment has included a spreader for the tractor which has been greatly appreciated and a potato planter. We could not be happier with both of these. We started off hand spreading soil ammendments. For those of you who have done this, it is great until you are working in a field that is more than 20x20. Last year the budget would only stretch so far as a pull-behind spreader for the lawnmower, which was an improvement, but only just. This year we finally were able to get a 600 lb capacity 3-point spreader for the tractor. It really saves a huge amount of time and energy and is helping us more accurately and evenly apply our amendments. The potato planter got its first workout this weekend. What a difference! We planted 200 lbs of Adirondak Blue potatoes in less than an hour. It would have gone much faster but we kept stopping to make sure the planter was doing its job. The field we are planting in this year is also on the tight side, so there was lots of time spent making 3 point turns.
With the new mechanization we are really looking forward to being able to get things planted a lot faster this year and more importantly, at the times they need to be planted! Now if we can just get all the Farm Markets squared away we will be set!