Get it? Spring…ing? Because its not winter anymore? Get iiiit?
Ok with that absolute clanger of a dad joke out of the way, let’s dive into (or spring into, if you will) the real content of this blog post - namely, what we’re up to now that the winter has packed up its things and left.
Crop Planning and Seed Starting
Throughout the winter months, we spent a rather inordinate amount of time putting together a crop plan for the upcoming season, and then we revised that plan after some careful (and sometimes careless) consideration. We then revised it once more, in light of further considerations (from both sides of the care spectrum), and ordered seeds to match that totally final draft crop plan.
We then discussed and soul-searched, and realized that we did not have remotely near the capacity to manage the workload/learning curve of that particular revision of the crop plan, and decided to dial it back by a whopping 50%. Guess we’re keeping those extra seeds for next year!
Once we get legitimately and certifiably good at crop planning, we will be more than happy to share what we know about the subject, but for now you can feast thine eyes upon a screenshot of the crop plan, in its current state:
I didn’t say it was pretty - and no one likely ever will. But it did allow us some clarity of mind when trying to establish a baseline whereby we can tweak and adjust as the season unfolds. Much like a lilac tree, this plan will be pruned down quite aggressively to make way for new growth next year, but the roots will all still be there.
With the information in hand of just how many seedlings we needed to start, we began the arduous task of turning organic potting mix into soil blocks, using a neat tool called a soil blocker. If I knew how to do things like affiliate linking, I’d do that here, but I don’t, so just google “soil blocker” and some local hardware stores will have a version of it. Mind you, the quality definitely does vary between types and models, so if you’re planning on doing a lot of blocks, do the research and spend the money on a good one.
All things told, we have (as of typing this blog post) created and seeded over 1,000 soil blocks.
I must admit, it has been one HECK of a motivational boost to see all the seedlings sprouting, with really high germination rates. The seedlings add a sense of urgency to what we do now - we have some clear deadlines (or what we call ITG or “in-the-ground” dates) to meet, and a wee bit of a chore list to accomplish between now and then.
So yeah, we still have over 1,000 holes to dig in the ground to transplant these cute little seed blocks. Annnnnd those no-till garden beds aren’t exactly, well, built yet. But that’s a topic for another blog post. Just wanted to check in with all *checks notes* two of you reading this blog post and let you know we are, in fact, still at this whole farming thing.
Until next time!