If I was to sum up a theme for the 2022 season it would be “growing for the future”. Here in the last weeks of fall many garden beds are resting under winter cover crops. Much of this ground received the blessing of summer cover crops as well. Cover crops are deposits into our soil bank. A savings account of sorts that we will withdraw from in the coming season. They fill the empty spaces with resilience and keep our soils developing rather than going dormant.
Reflecting over the past 4 years our journey as a farm business mimics the seasons. As this 4th year wraps up, we have made a full revolution through a cosmic year with this one representing a winter. So many cover crops resting the ground, along with introspective learning has filled the empty spaces and rounded out the business plan.
The first year, 2019, started like spring. Young, fresh, and hopeful we spread out across our first acre. Everything felt new. The crops provided and gave way to a youthful year full of initial lessons. We are still growing from seeds harvested back in this season!
The following year, 2020, extended further into the dog days of summer. Our CSA program grew from 17 members to over 70. Multiple farms and lots of tender crops made this a compelling realization of scale and effort. We worked through the midday sun, earning our stripes as growers.
2021 brought with it the tremendous harvests of fall. An acre of squash, onions, and potatoes. Root crops and winter greens filled our cooler heading into 2022. The many teachings of the previous years were strong, however our soil was waning in productivity. My mental fortitude was also battered from overworking. An overall feeling of depletion resonated.
This year has been our winter. The field wasn’t quite as productive but the real blessing has been the synthesis of knowledge. Past seasons coalesced to produce great crops and even greater lessons. A culmination from a career of growing. Processing in real time has created the flywheel of inspiration that will catapult Folks Farm into the 2023 season.
The cover crops from this year provided us, and our ground, much needed rest. Incorporating rye, buckwheat, clover, alfalfa, daikon radish, sudan grass, and many other species into our crop plan has changed the way I look at rotations. The effort in diving deeper into the cover crop program has been rewarding mentally, and hopefully financially rewarding for seasons to come.
I’m imaging the roots of these cover crops sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing energy in the soil. Like a gas tank, we are filling the ground to drive us towards the future. Once flattened ground is now building with root exudates creating channels for a vast universe of microbial life to flourish. Consistent practice of writing has been performing a similar task of filling the empty space in my mind. The knowledge invested on these pages will provide fruitful abundance heading into our next phase as a farm.
The goal is gradual improvement day after day, year after year. Cover crops, maintaining cash crops, and the pursuit of a life outside of farming all require constant steady effort. The rye will not stop growing at any chance it has, why should we?
So we plug away through the twilight of the year. Pull the matured crops, put the ground to rest, and invest the knowledge obtained into the next season. The intention of regeneration is clear, fruitful harvests are the goal, and smooth business systems to distribute food is priority.
Farm News
We are excited to announce our 2022 Winter Share is now live and ready for purchase. You can find more information by following the “Winter CSA” button below.
Another development will be the opportunity for paid subscribers to listen to the author read each weekly post starting with this one. Enjoy a free sample this week. To contribute to this blog financially and listen to the reading click the link below.