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Fall strawberries...

No caption needed.

Second Spring Update

The idea of planting anything in September or October with any hope of
getting a crop was not even considered in our "short season" homeland
of Colorado. (Although Eliot Coleman grows lettuce all winter long in
unheated greenhouses in Maine... so it can be done). However, since
we are actually rated as a USDA zone 9 (the same as Southern
California) we have great hopes for our "second spring".

Here you can see the peas growing up their new trellis lines. We used
stakes earlier this year and decided to give them more support this
time around. They definitely like it.

New Lable Maker on the Farm

In an effort to keep Jonathan from hitting me on the head with a
shovel the next time I asked "what is this?" and "when did we plant
it?"... we now have weather proof labels adorning our field. A big
thanks goes out to Liz for helping me look a little less lame.

Second Spring

Eliot Coleman grows vegetables all winter long in unheated coldhouses
in Maine. To do this, he plants cold hearty vegetables in August
(with succession plantings later on) for harvest throughout the winter.

We have a much milder climate than Eliot does, so we are hoping to be
able to see production from our hoop house (a 30'x96' greenhouse with
no ends on it). We can put ends on it if we have to. Last year the
previous owner still had broccoli and beets growing available for
harvest in December without any covering at all.

Jonathan has been busy planting peas, spinach, rainbow chard and
lettuce for our "second spring".

Food fresh from the farm...

One of our neighbors on the island came by for a visit so we sent her
home with some fresh veggies.

Her haul included two kinds of beets (including a cool red and white
striped one) carrots (she ate them before the picture was taken),
tomatoes, a round zuccini and some cucumbers (given after the picture
was taken).

Come see us and we'll give you some food to take home too!

Memories...

I have very distinct memories of my dad walking through his garden
with a salt shaker in one hand and ripe tomato in the other. It has
been my goal to recreate that memory when our tomatoes ripened... and
now I can do it every day.

The only thing that could make this any better would be for my dad to
still be on this planet to enjoy them with me. Heck, there are ten
possible dimensions right? Who's to say he's not?

Bountiful Harvest

Next year this might be what one of our CSA baskets looks like. This
year we took a gift basket to the chefs at CRAVES RESTAURANT in
Florence. They prepared a meal for us that featured the vegetables
they get from our farm. If you are ever driving down the coast or
find yourself in Florence, they are a must stop for a fantastic food.

http://cravesfinedining.com

Second Section Started

With the first section completed, we turned our attention to the second, with one determination... NOT to do it the way we did the first.

While we were able to minimize the grass that grew up in our beds by raking out the grass clumps rather than tilling them under... the man hours to do so were excessive. We think we've come up with a faster/better option, but we won't know until we actually plant something.

We'll keep you posted.

Farmer's Market

This is what our table looked like at the Organic Farmer's Market in Florence. We have spent most of this year getting the fields, greenhouses, irrigation and propagation areas functioning... so our selection is still somewhat limited when we go to market. That will all change as we go and grow, but for now we are happy to be able to provide a small contribution to the local market.

Corn is ready

We planted corn in our cold house for three reasons.

1. We like corn

2. We had no other place ready to plant

3. We hoped to be able to have corn early.

Well as you can see... we have our corn... and we seem to have it a bit earlier than most in our climate. It really isn't a sensible use of our cold house, but in this year of experimenting, it's a fun conclusion to another fact finding mission.

Apologies

In every blogger's life there comes a time when you ask yourself... is anybody reading this stuff?

And of course, since it is easier to not make a blog entry than to make one, you convince yourself that no one is really reading any of this and that it is all an exercise in vanity... and so no entry is made.

Well I was reminded this week that people (well, OK... one person) was anxiously waiting for updates on the little startup we call Whiskey Creek Organics. So for that person (yes Graham, I'm talking about you) and for any others who wish to follow the antics of some crazy people living on an island in Oregon... I promise to post on a regular basis.

Tiny weeds

One of the basic principles of the system we are using is to catch
weeds when they are very small. The bed to the right shows the
difference.

Kale Smoothie Anyone

If you've never had a Kale Smoothie... you're missing something. The Herb Jar in Florence sells this wonderful concoction made with kale, orange juice, banana, lemon juice and ice. Of course, they use Whiskey Creek Organic kale... and of course it is their best selling smoothie.

Our first farmers market

White Russian kale, green Curley kale, peas, mixed lettuce and
Cilantro. We had to go back to the farm on the boat to get more kale.

Weeding the Eliot Coleman Way

We use tools designed by Eliot Coleman for weeding. The tool is a
sharp hoe with a long handle that is designed to cut just below the
soil level using a motion that keeps the operator standing upright,
rather than bent over like the traditional hoe.

The beauty of order...

Eliot Coleman's layout is really a beautiful thing. While we won't say weeding is our favorite past time, but we can say that it is certainly manageable with this system... and the results produce a beautiful order to the garden.

One week more means less...

We left some of the pickling cucumbers in the greenhouse until June because the instructions said to transplant after June 1.

Guess what? They were wrong.

The small plant is the one with the extra week in the greenhouse... the big healthy one we transplanted at the end of May and it is doing much better. My hand is there to give some perspective.

Kale, lettuce, peas and corn

Jonathan and Cristina have nurtured every one of these plants from
seed. We are so thankful for their loving effort.

Kale for Sale

The Co-op in Florence, Oregon is the first store to sell our produce. Wow, From seed to store in 58 days.

What a difference 10 days make...

Compare this picture with the one we posted on May 1. 

We're farming now!

Our First Customers

Hayden and Dawn Sears take a bite of some fresh picked White Russian
Kale grown at Whiskey Creek Organics. Hayden was the previous owner
of the land and it seemed only fair that he and Dawn be the first to sample

our first produce.

The fruits of our labor...

This is the first salad made ever made from Whiskey Creek Organic
produce. The greens are organic White Russian Kale grown from seed on
the farm.

Look mom... here's your salad. (At least it's a start.)

Grama Pip wanted to know when she could have a salad... so here's the
answer. Right now. As long as it's a White Russian Kale or Baby
Spinach salad.

Kale, Peas, Spinach, Lettuce and Corn

This may look like a greenhouse, but it's actually a cold house. Without endwalls or a heating system, it's main purpose is to keep the spring rains off the crops and allow the sun to warm the ground. Once these crops are harvested we will wait a bit, then replace them with fall crops and use the coldhouse to extend the season.