It seems like I just wrote. I think that is because I did! But this week, we are going to be at market with crops. Although everything we are bringing is in limited supply, we are just getting started.


This week will be busy! Jim and I hustled to put the finishing touches on the walk-in cooler, which will be in use this week for the first time this year; The sweet potato slips are coming in on June 1st and will get planted PRONTO; We are planting a slue of other plants including wintersquash, watermelon, more tomatoes, and flowers; I am super busy watching birds ; And we are getting ready for our first markets with items- checking inventory and set ups.

Once the season gets rolling, there are a lot of ongoing tasks that are essentially never completed and weeding is one of them. Before our arrival, the fields here had been left to the wild for the last three years, which led to an established plant population, among others. Every year, these plants grew here, they worked hard to replicate themselves, producing seed and spreading rhizomes and roots. Every seed they drop (and a single plant can drop thousands) adds to the WEED SEED BANK and can remain viable in the soil for many many years. Because of this, our inaugural year is going to be one our most challenging weed years ever! We have to tame this weed mustang and it won't be easy. Some of the most prevalent weeds include Silene latiolia - White Campion, Articum lappa - Burdock, Rumex crispus - Curly Dock, and the dreaded Cirsium arvense - Canada thistle. We also enjoy goldenrod and aster species, the beautiful bull thistle, yarrow, and lots of different grasses. 

Why is a weed  bad? It competes with our plants of choice for nutrients, light, and water and can harbor pests and plant diseases. Not all non-crop plants are bad. Having a diversity of plants growing can serve to protect against disease and pest problems by preventing the rampant success of one by supporting many, which is why our long term plan involves cultivating wild spaces for native plants and creatures on our farm. Despite this, we don't like non-crop plants in our crop beds and they must be removed! 

In previous years, we did almost all of our weeding by hand. We also demanded our crops tolerate some weed competition. This year, we are able to cover the broad strokes with our Farmall 140, which cultivates between the rows of plants in the bed. We then go through and clean it up with hand tools and fingers. We also use the scuffle hoe (aka stirrup hoe, hula hoe) to get close to plants while we remain standing. These tools are a welcome respite. They make weeding fly by, when before, it crawled along with us up and down the aisles between the beds.

There are several aspects to managing weeds on an organic farm. From the short term perspective, the goal is to boot them out before they damage and compete with our crops. The long term perspective is what gives me hope. If we can deplete the seed bank- germinate weeds seeds and kill all the plants before they set more seed, we are effectively reducing our weed problem. We have lots of tools available to do this: cover crops that will out compete the weeds, tractor cultivation, flame weeding, remaining vigilant about possible weed seed sources such as compost and mulch, and stale bedding to name a few.
Even as the years go by, and we (hopefully) reduce the weed seed bank, weeding will continue to be a never ending battle. Let us just hope that this year, we take it down at least one notch.

See you at markets!

Helen, Jim, and the Lake Divide Team!

Fresh from the field in limited supply!

Kale
Mizuna
Mustard
Radish

*We send this email out before harvest, and although we do our very best to make accurate predictions, crops and quantities found at market may vary. ​

​Finally!
While this week, we do not have produce to sell, we will be at markets to introduce ourselves, answer questions about our CSA program, and tell you all about the farm in person. We will be at the Stockbridge Market Friday, the Dexter Market Saturday (with FRESH EGGS from Rustic Roots Farm!), and in Howell on Sunday!

This week I am going to let the pictures speak for the farm. I am looking forward to seeing you all!

​Our hiatus from the newsletter has flown by. The last time we wrote, we were just finishing the greenhouse, the garlic was an inch tall, and nothing had been seeded in the field yet. So much has happened since then it is almost overwhelming to think about.

First things first, we need to let you know that we will start attending markets a little later than planned. Our goal is the week of May 15th. We will use the time to finish building a roof over our walk in cooler, erect two additional hoop houses where we will plant ginger in a few short weeks, finalize our larger walk in cooler, and plant as much as possible.

Mark your calendars so you can come see us on our first market days!

• Stockbridge on May 19th from 4 pm to 7 pm and every following Friday through October!
• Dexter on May 20th from 8 am to 1 pm and every following Saturday through October!
• Howell on May 21st from 9 am to 2 pm and every following Sunday through October!
• Ann Arbor May 24th from 7 am to 3 pm and every following Wednesdaythrough December!
• Ann Arbor May 27th from 7 am to 3 pm and every following Saturday through December!

Note that these are our debut market days. Every week following we will be at market rain or shine! Also remember, that all these markets open this week, and even though we won’t be there, a wonderful group of vendors selling a variety of delightful products will be there, so don’t wait for us to be there to get out to the market!

Honestly, we hate to delay, but it wasn’t really up to us. In the end of March when my whole heart wanted to be discing debris and plant material into the ground to prepare it for planting, we were waiting and pleading with the world for the rain to stop, much like now. It felt like it took forever to cobble together a few precipitation free days, thusly we don’t have much in the way of vegetables.

A farmer should not work a wet field and equipment getting stuck isn’t the only reason. Like a noodle that is firm when dry and smooshable when wet, when the ground is wet, the structure that gives the soil pockets for air, water, and creatures to exist, isn’t as strong. When this happens the soil can be easily compacted which can have lasting effects. Most plants do not grow well in compacted soil. They rely on those pockets to get their water and air, to get their nutrients, and to send their roots forth to forage.

In addition to the spring being wet, we are still learning land. It is bumpy! So while some areas are dry enough, they are right next to areas that are still way too wet. It took us a little while to figure out where to start and, I will let you in on a secret, it wasn’t where I planned on starting! But once we caught on (plant at the top of the hill) we were off!
So far we have just less than two acres planted. In that mix are onions, peas, carrots, beets, kale, lettuce, arugula, turnips, and radishes to name a few. We have our first planting of tomatoes in the hoop house, buffered from this cooler weather and these wicked winds. All the while we are still working wildly to prep more land and get more vegetables in the ground.