Bringing in the new...

Hello all,
Well, the opening of the Memphis Farmers Market is just two weeks away and we can feel the pressure of the growing season mounting. It's a good feeling, not a bad one. Just so much to do these days. Our potatoes, leeks, onions, greens, lettuces, mushrooms, kale, snap peas, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, and herbs are all doing fantastic. We've been getting just enough rain to keep everything moist but not drenched! Keith and I have been transplanting maniacs and have thousands of tomato transplants to set out within the next couple of weeks. Can't wait to get those guys in the ground, then we know the real growing season has commenced.

Flowers have been a top priority for me more this year than ever before. I've already got sunflowers, daffodils, tulips, safflower, phlox, gladiolas, lisanthus, delphinium, snapdragons, flowering kale, purple coneflower, bachelor buttons, rudbeckias, and host of other beauties up in the flower fields. Some of them are only a few inches tall, but I am much further ahead in the my planning and planting this year - whew! I so am excited to envision what we will have to offer all our of cut flower enthusiasts.

Just this past week our farm interns started work out here at Whitton Farms. We have four possibly 5 interns this year. Two of them are my brother and his wife, Mark & Amy Arnold. They both left their jobs in the coporate world to learn the trade of growing wholesome, clean food right here in the Delta. I know its gonna be a journey for us all, you know it is when family is involved, but I have extreme confidence in their abilities and dedication to the art of farming.
One of our interns, Charlie, is pretty incredible. He's been a commercial fisherman, turtle hunter, chicken caretaker, carpenter, etc... You name it he can do it and we feel blessed to have him here working with us, especially since we are entering into the field of chickens, and possibly ... crawfish! More about that later, like in a couple months.
Finally last but certainly not least, is our main farmhand, Caleb. Caleb has been with us for 3 years now, and is currently a college student. We got Caleb, at the age of 16, while he was still in high school and he has been an absolute joy to work with over the years. He truly recognizes the determination and importance of local food, and has worked extremely hard here at Whitton Farms to help our dreams of owning a sustainable farm come true. As a farmer, if you don't have a dedicated staff on a farm, your operation is in jeopardy. You're employees can make or break any business operation. We owe much of our success not only to our family, customers, and "Mother Earth", but also very much of it belongs to our former and present staff. So if you come to the farm for a visit, please show them the courtesy of thanking them for all of their hard work. This field is indeed, an extreme sport, if you're running it right!

Trees... about a month ago Keith, Caleb & myself planted just over 1000 hardwood trees on the farm. I can't remember if I told you guys this or not. Man, what a job, but we are firm believers in replenishing the area with the trees that were cleared in this region many, many years ago. Many of our neighbors in the community of Whitton have joined in the effort, a few long before we ever had the idea to do so. It's nice to live a small town where neighbors can recognize what's right for the Earth and take the initiative to do something about it. A few of the trees I planted are Vitex Trees. Most are only 1 ft tall, but they are fast growers, have beautiful blue blooms similar to butterfly bush, and are major butterfly attractors. In about 5 years, they will really make the statement out here on the farm that I'm looking for.

Oh we're in a couple magazines this month, Edible Memphis, and Jonesboro Occasions. Just found out that a local artist will be visiting the farm in the near future to begin painting a series of Whitton Farms, so that's pretty cool. Be on the look out for dates for our Spring Farm to Plate Dinner out here on the farm. Some of the proceeds from the event will go to one of our favorite non-profits, and rest to the farm. Hope you can join us for the farm-filled-fun. Okay, I'm a dork for saying that! Anyway hope you can make it at some point, to the farm this growing season.

Well, I know this message is all over the place, but I wanted to get back in touch with you guys and let you know what we've been up to. Got lots of baby flower transplants to work on the greenhouse right now, so I must depart. Hope all is well in your world and come see us at the Memphis Farmers Market April 18, 7:00 - 1 :00 pm. Peace Ya'll! Have a rockin' week!

Just keepin it real in Whitton, ya'll
JillBilly

Farming is a dirty business.

Greetings & Salutations,


What a difference a few hours makes, right. Thursday I broke from my winter clothes and donned some shorts. Again, Friday morning I was in shorts, but by noon those clothes were gone and back to the leggings. Then, well I guess we all know what happened next. Ten fluffy inches of snow is what happened next. This was Saturday of course, but man oh man did it snow, and anyone travelling Interstate 40 found out the hard way. The Sunday morning reports were that some motorist had been trapped over night. WOW! Has everyone had enough of Winter yet?

Before the snow started Saturday the Memphis Farmer's Market held their annual vendor meeting with record attendance. The MFM continues to be the place to be on Saturdays, and all farmers, artisans and food vendors are extremely excited about what is shaping up to be the best year yet. I actually believe farmer's markets are recession proof, and I guess this year we will see.

Last year I noticed many gardens sprouting up throughout Northeast Arkansas where in previous years there had been none. It seems gardening is the new hot thing again. Country folks, like my neighbors, garden to cut down on food costs more than anything else, but anyone who has ever turned one spade of soil knows there are many more benefits to growing your own food or flowers than just saving money. Whatever your motivations are I am sure you agree that the more attention you pay to your garden the better your outcome. One thing should especially be noted, and this is something I know people do a lot, and that is over thinking. Gardening is a very simple exercise when done correctly, but all plants require different care, and this is where people get into trouble - your's truly included. Some early disasters I managed to produce include overwatering, underwatering, incorrect spacing (too close together), trying to trellis plants that did not require it and planting tender annuals out too early. Mostly out of ignorance, but some failures should be attibuted to overthinking. There is no better way to learn than thru experience, and often the experiences producing the most learning are ones of failure.

Related to this, everyone should keep in mind that in the mid-south the last average frost date is around April 15th. Now, give or take two weeks of this date and you can either be the first one in your neighborhood or at the market with tomatoes or you can devastate your crops and potential earnings by getting your plants killed. Old timers will attest that no tomatoes should be set to the ground before May 1, and if you plant on two week intervals this will naturally be one of your planting dates. Last year I planted every two weeks thru the middle of July, and just as you can have a late frost in the spring you can have delayed frost in the fall and turn out a decent late October-November crop of tomatoes. You can also have an early frost in the fall, but when weighed out it still makes sense to plant thru July. The reason is because if you have had success throughout the summer and you are looking to have tomatoes as long into the year as possible it doesn't sting as much in the fall to loose a crop as it does in the spring when you are greedy for juicy fruit. You have to remember, however, that daylength is shortening and those large green tomatoes that you are desperately waiting to blush up will take extra days to do so. Also, many stewards use the late plantings of tomatoes to be picked green and stored in the dark to ripen off the vine. When wrapped in newspaper it is common to have tomatoes ripening on Christmas. Of course it should be noted that these fruits will fail to match the flavor of a vine-ripened specimen, but they far and away outdistance what can be found at the grocer.

Also this week I started sub-soiling my fields. Sub-soiling is just what it means - getting down into the lower layers of soil - those layers of clay under the topsoil. What you are doing when you dig down that deep is many things. First, after many years of discing or tilling only the top five or six inches of soil the lower levels get compacted from driving over them, from rain and standing water and from the weight of the top soil. This makes it very difficult for the fine roots of succulent vegetables to penetrate deeper in the soil. When this soil is disrupted and those fine roots are given more discretion in movement they naturally travel further down into the soil in search of moisture during lean times. This is one trick old timers used before irrigation was common - break the soil up deeply and allow the roots to go down, down, down. Then, when it gets dry and hot your plants will be better able to handle the stress. One hundred years ago this method of subsoiling was commonly down with a shovel and a strong back. Today, Friday in fact, it was done on my farm with a one-row implement referred to as a sub-soiler. It amounts to a very heavy duty and thick piece of curved, pointed steel that is set at an angle as to pull itself deeply into the ground - up to two feet. It is mounted onto a hitch with which I affix it to my tractor, and then lowered and raised with hydraulics. It was slow going, but did an excellent job, and as a testament to the amount of earthworms I noticed deep in the ground I can say the fertility of my soil is astounding. I am very excited about this years tomato crops. In fact, the tomato seeds I started in the cold frames 10 days ago are starting to sprout. They are extremely tiny now and it is almost unthinkable that by August they will be 12-15 feet tall. Tomatoes are a vine of course. It is also unthinkable to some that the snow and ice did not kill everything or collapse my structures. Infact both the snow and ice build up acts as an insulater against the outside cold and this morning when I first shoveled the snow away from the door and went in it was 45 degrees. The lettuce bed was grinning back at me, and all the seedlings were chilly but not dead. I actually think raising my starts in the fluctuating cold frame makes them tougher and hardier. Once the sun was at 9-o'clock it was 80 degrees on the inside and everthing was marvelous.

Well, that is about all I am up for at the moment, and I have noticed that Jill has gone adrift herself - out making snow women she said. It is time I pelted her with some snow balls. So, until I blog again you better start getting your hands and back in shape - Spring will be here before you know it.

Keith

Yikes! Spring is fast approaching!

Long time no chat, eh? Well, as you can imagine its been getting a little crazy out here on the farm. Seed starting, prepping fields, final adjustments on the greenhouse, building a giant gourd trellis, inoculating shiitake logs, transplanting, and the list goes on. It seems as though just when I'm able to cross one goal reached off my list another one is ready to be jotted down in its place. We've had a few interesting events take place over the past month or so. Keith was elected to the board of directors for the Arkansas Farmers Market Association which was really cool, and we were named Edible Memphis Farmers of the Year for 2009, so thanks if any of you voted for us. We truly feel blessed to have the ability to farm and live this life in the country.

So what have we been planting, a few of you have asked. Let's see... leeks, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, fennel, lilies, broccoli, lettuces, arugula, swiss chard, lots of asian greens, 1000 oak trees, wildflowers, a large variety of medicinal herbs, oh and artichokes. I'm sure I've left a few things out, but you'll see it soon enough at market. Speaking of farmers markets, the Memphis Farmers Market is opening on April 18, and the Botanic Garden Farmers Market will open April 29! Yipee! I am so looking forward to seeing my market friends and catching up on what everyone has been up to over the winter months. Some of the best people I've ever come across in my life I've met at the two previously listed locations.

Other interesting news! We recently were contacted by a couple of local public schools who received grants from the USDA in order to purchase locally grown food to feed students at lunch! How awesome is that! Since we transitioned from teaching to farming, we've always wanted to figure out a way to get good, locally grown food into the mouths of students at public schools. I have always thought public school lunches were disgusting and contributors to childhood obesity, diabetes, and the list goes on. When I would discuss this issue with my collegues at the time, many would say it would be the only meal of the day for many students so calories were packed in, but I honestly felt that was a lame excuse. Many if not most students would , in addition to eating the school lunch, would pay for a soda and or candy bars to fight the hunger pangs at noon. Try teaching a group of adolescents math after they've been jacked up on sodas and candybars. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my former students, but sometimes kids need to be taught what to eat, and have it prepared in way that is appealing, and tasty in order to foster good, healthy eating habits. Deep fried, processed and super starchy foods are not what should be pumped into the stomachs of our youth. It's a revolting thought, and I can talk about it forever, so I'm going stop and focus on the fact that the local food movement is beginning to really take hold here in the Delta. It's making a difference even here, in our little community.

Last but not least, there are a few organizations that are looking for volunteers this summer. The Memphis Farmers Market is looking for volunteers to help with market operations, I believe they have two board positions open as well: Vendor Chair, and Treasurer. If you know of anyone who is interested, and has the time to dedicate, please give them my contact info and I will put them in touch with a MFM representative. FoodAwareness.org is looking for a few good volunteers to help with their organization. Grow Memphis is looking for anyone willing to work with area students on their urban garden projects, and last but not least, we welcome volunteers to the farm on certain days throughout the week. So if you've got a little or a lot of free time on your hands see what you can do to make our communities a bit better.

Well as you can see, its late, couldn't sleep, anticipating a big day tomorrow, so I thought I'd cross another goal off my list of things to do. Thanks for reading and stay in touch... with nature!

Continue to have hope, pray for peace, and get ready, spring is just around the corner.
Signing off,
JillBilly