Welcome to April. This month marks our first field plantings of 2022! Now that we’ve started the plantings will continue for the next 6 months. I am praying for moisture and mild weather as we plant out this year’s crops. Today’s wind and the overall lack of precipitation might have other plans.
Colorado has 4 distinct seasons and with each season certain windows of opportunity present themselves. In the seasonal rhythms we time our crops to represent and thrive in those season. Having adaptable crops helps us to thrive through our fast paced year. For example, by having bred our lettuce to grow through snowfalls we can plant out early enough to hopefully have Hearts and Souls Mix by the first market.
Crops like lettuce, greens, carrots, and other quick hardy crops are planted throughout the year. The plantings we do this week will be repeated, hopefully, consistently until September or October.
Long season crops like peppers, onions, and winter squash require precision in timing to “hit” the window. Time is fleeting around us and getting any 100 plus day crop to full maturity requires significant preparation and a little luck.
Farmers watch the weather looking for those perfect conditions. Too dry and working our soil could tax the fertility, too wet and we might deal with compaction. Ideally I plant crops in a dry spell between rains. There is nothing like sowing seeds just as the rain comes.
In many ways the feeling of having only 1 shot is seem stressful. There is a significant learning curve that never seems to end. We experience crop failures throughout the seasons and often feel like we are running late.
I am grateful however for a profession that remains challenging. There is always wisdom to be gained from riding nature’s rhythms. We take failures in stride, try our best to learn from mistakes, dust ourselves off, and do better next time.
So with love, devotion, and surrender we offer our first planting this week. These greens and roots will hopefully grace our farm stand’s shelves and farmer’s markets booth come May.