Local Goodness

When we first set out to start a farm our goal was to cultivate an extremely diverse farm environment. We didn't just want to grow lots of food, we wanted to grow lots of kinds of food too. Furthermore, we wanted to be diverse with what we would do with the food and flowers we would grow. CSA, Farmers' Markets, Restaurant sales and even homesteading are all on our agenda. We are happy to report that this year we were successful in both CSA (check out a picture of one of our most recent CSA boxes below) and some restaurant sales (look for our tomatoes at Brix 25 on Pioneer Way in Gig Harbor starting as soon as this weekend, www.harborbrix.com).

If all goes well, in the coming years, Peace of the Earth Farm will expand our CSA, start selling to local Farmers' Markets, increase our contribution to Brix 25 and possibly other local restaurants, and grow significantly more of the food our own family will consume. However, diversity is not enough if we do it alone. A strong community is very important to us and we hope our farm can help build relations ships right here in Gig Harbor and Rosedale. In the coming years we hope to have farm tours and workshops to help educate others who desire to learn more about local food as well as grow some of their own at home. Thanks again for all those who are helping to get us started! Peace!

Keeping the wonder alive....

I just wanted to share a passage from John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath:

"And when the horse stops work and goes into the barn there is life and a vitality left, there is breathing and a warmth, and feet shift on the straw, and the jaws clamp on the hay, and the ears and eyes are alive. There is a warmth of life in the barn, and the heat and smell of life. But when the motor of a tractor stops, it is as dead as the ore it came from. The heat goes out of it like the living heat that leaves a corpse. The corrugated iron doors are closed and the tractor man drives home to town, perhaps 20 miles away, and he need not come back for weeks or months, for the tractor is dead. And this is easy and efficient. So easy that the wonder goes out of the work, so efficient that the wonder goes out of the land and the working of it, and with the wonder the deep understanding and the relation".

We understand that our small little farm is not so efficient, and not so easy, but it is filled with wonder...a wonder we feel privileged to experience and share with our community. Thanks for being part of this with us, let's keep the wonder of the food, of the land, of the living breathing life that interacts with it, alive.

peace,
Hillary

Tomato Trellising and Pruning

It seems like everyone has their own way of pruning and trellising tomatoes and of course everyone claims to have the best method. Well, I don't want to claim that this is is the best method but it is what I have been taught and It seems to work pretty well. This is the method that Steve Solomon, author of many gardening books, most notably Gardening West of the Cascades, uses as well as The Evergreen State College Organic Farm where I studied sustainable agriculture.

When pruning a plant you may have to give yourself a pep talk before you begin. You might be worried you'll cut too much or cut the wrong thing. Tomatoes are pretty good at recovering if you cut too much or cut in the wrong place and secondly, most people actually cut too little when pruning. You may find it difficult to bring to yourself to cut large portions of the plant but try and remember that this will help the plant thrive. We prune because it helps focus the plant so it can get to the business of making the fruit as big and delicious as possible. If we don't prune, the plant will keep setting out as much leafy growth and fruit as possible....you'll get more growth and more fruit, but the flavor and size of the tomatoes will not be as desirable. Furthermore, your plant will be more susceptible to disease if your don't prune because of overcrowding of the leaves. Pruning gets the leaves and fruit up off the soil, and promotes better air circulation, both of which can help against disease.

Begin by first understanding the tomato plant's anatomy. In it's most basic state you have three main parts: the stem, the ground and the leader. The ground comes out of the main stem and the leader is right above the ground (figure 1).

Figure 1 (remember to clock on the photo for the full image)






Once you understand the anatomy it is now time to do some cutting. I like to start by cleaning house. The first thing I do is cut all the suckers that start to sprout at the base of the plant. Next cut the grounds and leaders toward the bottom of the plant. You don't want a single leave touching the soil. You may need to cut off leaves as far up as 12 inches up the stem. When pruning with this method it is recommended to prune the plant down to two leaders. While you are doing these initial cuttings start trying to determine where the primary leader is, and which leader you will choose for the secondary leader (figure 2). I usually choose a leader that is fairly hardy, one that already has fruit or flowers forming, and one that is about 12 to 18 inches from the soil. I like to mentally choose a few potential candidates for the secondary leader and hold off on cutting those until I know for sure which one I'll leave. Most of the leaders will be fairly small and can easily be pinched off with your fingers, others might need a snip from some siccors.

Figure 2 (remember to click on the photo for the full image)






Of course it's usually never as perfect as figure 2 but you might be surprised at how similar your plant may look to figure 2 after you're done cutting back all the leaders.

Now it's is time to trellis the tomato plant. We use a string method. Most people try to prop the plant up using stakes or cages in an effort to combat the plants desire to follow the laws of gravity. In my opinion this is a fool hardy goal as gravity will always win and you will create a lot more work for yourself as the tomatoes get bigger and heavier. Many people are very attached to their stakes and cages and refuse to give them up, however, I implore you to try out the string method because most people find it requires a lot less maitence as the season goes on.

First drive large posts (at least 6 feet) into the ground at both end of your tomato row. Then string either wire or hardy bailing twine from one post to the other (see photo below). Then hang two pieces of bailing twine down for each tomato plant. Tie both strings to the bottom of the plant and then gently guide the plant around the strings. When you get the point when your primary leader goes one way and your secondary leader goes the other, guide one string with the primary leader and one string to the secondary leader (figure 2). Make sure the strings are fairly taught so the plant is held up. This method uses gravity to it's advantage because the plants just hang there comfortable. The tomato plant might need a little help around the twine as it grows larger, but this maintenance is fairly easy and only takes a few seconds on each plant. While you do this maintenance you should also take a few seconds to pinch off any leaders that may have started to grow since you pruned.







One more note about pruning: Sometimes people will leave more than two leaders early in the fruiting season. This is because you can let these additional leaders fruit once before you prune them off. It just depends on how much maintenance you want to put into the plant and how much fruit you need to get off of it. Good luck and happy trellising and pruning!

A little history...

Brian is an officer in the USAF and goes by the callsign "tub"; hence, the name of the blog page tubbergren.blogspot.com.

Hillary has been studying sustainable agriculture at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.

We have a4 year old daughter named Madeline who goes by the nickname "Maddy"

About 6 months ago, some personal friends of ours Jon and Pat Lantz offered up their property in Rosedale, Washington. They wanted someone to use the property and knew we had an interest in agriculture.

We jumped at the chance! We are starting off small, but plan to expand to the surrounding acreage in the coming years. We are going to start a CSA and invite the community to purchase shares of the farm. For their investment, shareholders will receive boxes of produce weekly.

We can't wait to expand the farm and bring our fresh, organic produce to Gig Harbor and surrounding communities. Your visits to this site and interest in advertisers will generate dollars that will go right back into the farm. We really appreciate the support!

Please visit often and follow our progress. We want the farm to become a part of the community and your support will make that a reality.

Thanks for supporting Peace of the Earth Organic Farm...

Brian

Farm update

Today was a typical day on the farm and I thought it would be good to share with you what I did.

First, I took a farm walk. Going on a farm walk at the start and finish of each day is extremely important, no matter how small or large the farm is. This daily contact with each facet of the farm helps me stay connected to the crops and what is going on around them. As I walk, I look at the general health of the plants, take note of any weeding that needs to be done, put my hand a few inches in the soil to check moisture and also I take a very close inspection of at least one plant of each variety and crop. This last step is very important, especially for organic and natural farmers. I need to know exactly what is going on with the plants. If there is insect or other animal damage, the type of damage can tell me a lot. For instance, tiny, very uniform holes that resemble "BB gun" holes are probably flea beetles. I might also see the actual insect pest, such as aphids. If I know early enough what the insect problem is, I can more easily come up with a prevention solution. Remember that with organic and natural farming, prevention is key. Also, when I find a "pest", I should not just assume that there is an outbreak. If I look closer, I might also see the pest's predator, such as lace wings or lady bug larvae. All farmers and gardeners should have at least a basic understanding of common pests and their predators. A good book on the subject: "Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems" by Miguel Altieri. On my farm walks I also like to do some observation of the local wildlife....the pollinators, the ground life, the birds, the non-cultivated plants, etc, etc, etc... this is all part of the farm habitat, or as Miguel Altieri calls it, the agroecosystem, and I want to help keep it healthy. Today everything looked great; no major issues to report.

I then started pruning and trellising some tomatoes. We use the string method for trellising and I'll post a blog soon with pictures and step by step instructions on how to trellis with this method and show how we prune (it seems everyone does this differently, but I'll share what I have learned).

Next, I did some transplanting. I transplanted two month old peppers (cayenne- "long thin ring of fire", bells-"gold Marconi", and a Habenero variety), egg plants ("oriental express"), more basil ("aroma"), kholrabi ("korridor"), arugula ("astro"), some herbs (including skullcap, vervain, and sage), and flowers ("bells of ireland", echinacea, and delphinium). I made sure to water in all the new plants.

Lastly I weeded around some borage, nigella ("love in a mist" best name ever for a flower), sage, butterfly weed, and echinacea.

Determined a "theme" for this blog

After many nights of trying to figure out just what I was going to write about and invite the world to read, I finally figured it out today. I had to ask myself a question..."What can I put out to the World that is actually interesting?" Well, Hillary (my wife) and I decided a few weeks ago that we were going to try our hands at organic, sustainable, small scale farming. Over the course of the life of this little farm, which is yet to be named, I will fill you in on all the happenings, provide lessons learned and give helpful tips that Hillary imparts on me. Hillary is the expert of this operation--she studied sustainable agriculture at Evergreen State College under the tutelage of some incredible people. I am the braun, but am completely happy in my role. I'm learning.