*Written in anticipation of late spring snow
Seed is the heart of Folks Farm. The adaptation of food crops leads us on a journey stewarding local heirlooms and producing a more resilient food system. Cold, rain, snow, in late May has happened before and will again. However, it is very unnerving to put your crops at preventable risk today for improved varieties tomorrow.
Intense weather comes as a test to witness our efforts in action. Do the kales need cover from the storm? How about the lettuce? Will the genetics of our crops keep them from perishing? Most importantly, who will survive when others perish? The resilient are the plants we want. Those that can to climatic adversity. The fighters who go on to prosper in the glory of harvest. If we continuously put ourselves between a crop’s fate and baby them along, personal burnout is inevitable. Farmers, and gardeners, need plants that will take an environmental beating.
But do we risk our crops for resilience? We have the materials and manpower to cover and protect. You could say that by covering we are the ones fighting towards success, coolers full of fresh produce, happy customers.
The dichotomies of this dilemma have been at play with Folks Farm since our inception in 2019. Being primarily a produce company our main concern is selling fresh market crops. Successions of lettuce and greens are planted and harvested as quickly as possible. In the case of head lettuce, 2 months to a fresh harvest. A lettuce seed crop on the other hand takes between 4-5 months. That means a single crop per bed. To “make money” we generally shoot for 3 crops per bed, often getting 2 in a season.
As a seed company we want the most resilient, interesting, and productive food crops. The time requirements, attention to detail, weed control, every aspect of growing becomes elongated as some seed crops require two growing seasons. Many times I have considered ending our role as seed producers for these reasons, and yet my actions continue the process.
Before this storm we planted 20 varieties of lettuce (800 plants), 2 brassicas, and 2 flowers that need seed restocking. These crops now grow in beds next to carrot, onion, kale, and cilantro seed crops destined for fall harvest.
In the end, we are two companies that share the same heart and mission. We recognize our food system has changed rapidly in the last 100 years. What were once self-sustaining communities now depend on a global economy to function. Folks Farm sees its goal to bring some of the outsourced essentials, like seed and food, back to our community. Our baggage is a self-imposed responsibility in risking something most farmers have thrown to the wayside, seed.
In the end we do more. We cover the crops needed to meet the demand of markets, and risk the seed crops. If temperatures slip into a deep freeze and we lose crops at least we know we are not selling vegetables claiming adaptation. Hopefully, our prayers are answered, the plants grow, we harvest both fruit and seed, and stronger varieties will are propagated by hundreds of more growers for generations to come.
Farm News
We had a blast at last week’s Folks Farm Wednesday Night Market and are looking forward to doing it again. This week’s vendors include:
Pig and Plow Bread
Santa Elena Food Truck
Farm Stand
Hours have updated at the stand as we are now open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Lots of great crops are coming out of the field and our starter plants have never looked better. Looks for these crops in the stand this week: arugula, spicy mix, radishes, green garlic, parsley, baby turnips, and more!