how to make sure you’ve got enough vegetables of the right quality and kind at the time you need...
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How to make sure you’ve got enough vegetables of the right quality and kind at the time you need them for your CSA. Laura Krouse Abbe Hills Farm CSA Mt. Vernon www.abbehills.com. 72 acres total 54 acres tillable 10 – 15 acres vegetables G – C – OM – M. CSA since 1996 20 weeks - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
How to make sure you’ve got enough vegetables of the right
quality and kind at the time you need them for your CSA
72 acres total54 acres tillable
10 – 15 acres vegetables
G – C – OM – M
CSA since 1996
20 weeksearly /mid June until late
October
200 shares
pickup Mondays and Thursdays
$400 per share in 2011
3-4 student workers
we grow sweet corn and potatoes for Local Harvest CSA = 200 shares
we donate food every week to food pantries and soup kitchens
Variety
Quantity
Quality
We strive for at least 10 items per week
June 27, 2011
head lettucespring onionsradishesgarlic scapesstir fry kitspring turnipskohlrabikalecollardsarugula
August 11, 2011
potatoessummer onionssquasheggplantcukesgarliccabbagesweet cornchili
kalecollardsbasilcilantro
How much is a share?Enough for 2 adults and 2 kids for 1 week
July 4, 20112 heads lettuce6 medium onions1 daikon10 garlic scapes½ lb peas¼ lb turnips2 heads broccoli
2 cabbages8 kale/collards leaves3 kohlrabicilantro
PFIA Comparison of CSA Offerings
http://www.practicalfarmers.org/resources/horticulture-crop-resources/A-CSA-Offerings-Comparison.html
Roxbury FarmWeekly Share Plan
http://sfc.smallfarmcentral.com/dynamic_content/uploadfiles/942/Weekly%20Schedule%20CSA%20Farm.pdf
What is a Share? From “Sharing the Harvest”, p 179
Weight is in pounds Basil 2.0Beans 20.0Beets and greens 15.0Broccoli 10.0Brussels sprouts 2.0Cabbage 15.0Chinese cabbage 4.0Carrots 30.0Cucumber 15.0Eggplant 3.0
How much should I plant?
number of shares x amount per share
200 shares x 8 heads broccoli/share = 1600 broccoli transplants
200 shares x 15 lbs beans /share =how many feet of row?
Things to consider:
How many times can this crop be harvested?(is quality good enough? is it worth you time?)
Do I need to plant it more than once?What is yield per foot of row?How much should I overplant?
Is there another market beyond my CSA?Do I have room to plant some to give away?
Broccoli: I plant 288 seeds (4 flats x 72 cells per flat) of each of two varieties, 4 times to have
400 heads broccoli per week for 4 weeks
Why two varieties?Spread risk of failure
Slightly different maturities within same week
Why so much? (40% more than I need)Not every cell will produce a good plant
Not every plant will produce a good headI usually have room
I can sell or give away the extra
Beans: I plant 3 rows x 250’ of each variety, 5 times, using 1-3 varieties each
time = at least 24 rows total
Why different varieties? Spread risk of failure
Give shareholders choice
Why so much? (25% more than I need)Not every variety will yield well every time
Shareholders love green beansI usually have room
I can sell or give away the extra
How much should crops yield?Johnny’s Selected Seed catalog, p 2
Johnny’s Growers Libraryhttp
://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-growers_library.aspx?source=HomeGrowLib0411
Seed calculation and yield charthttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/2010VegetableCharts.pdf
Bean comparison charthttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/information/GreenBeanComparison.pdf
Things to consider:
Your experience with this cropWeather: temperature and rain
WeedsDisease and insect pest pressure
Soil fertility, soil healthYour ability to do timely harvest
“Sharing the Harvest”CSA Crop Planning Chart, p 174
Their actual yield = .15 lb/ft of row,based on records of previous years
Johnny’s assumes yield = .8 lb/ft of row
My actual yield = about .5 lb/ft of row1.5 lbs/week x 200 shares = 300 lbs / week
300 lbs / week requires 600 ft of row
What yields can you expect?
CSAfarms.orgCommunity Supported Agriculture in
Michigan
http://csafarms.org/csafarms0656231.asp
Chapter 4: Planting for the CSAAppendix : Planting GuidesCrop Planning for Row Crops
1 acre crops = 20 shares
More experienced farmers become more efficient
Farmers with less land need to become more efficient
More mechanization usually means less efficiency per acre (or does it?)
When should I plant? Harvest date – days to maturity =
planting date
Things to consider:Transplant or direct seed?Days to maturity, variety
Soil and air temp, moisture levelsDay length, temperature tolerances
How many harvests from one planting
Succession planting
Multiple plantings of a single varietyGo by calendar
Go by developmental stage of crop
Single planting of multiple varietiesDifferent days to maturity
Scheduling vegetable plantings for continuous harvest. ATTRA
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=20
Broccoli: I transplant 275 plants of 2 different varieties as early as soon as soil can
be worked. Repeat every 10-12 days, 3 more times
But it doesn’t always work!Blue Wind broccoli, 49 days, Johnnys, p 12
2010: planted April 19, first cut June 172011: planted March 14, first cut June 30
Don’t forget “broccoliettes”
Beans: I plant 3 rows of 2 varieties on May 25, repeat 2 weeks later. Plant 3 rows of 1 variety every 2 weeks for 4 weeks. On July 25, plant 3 rows of 2 or 3 varieties for fall
Why so many plantings?Always have beans at optimal maturity
We usually pick a row only 1 timeSome overlap spreads out risk
Spring/summer weather favors pathogensI can sell or give away extra
Sweet corn: I plant 6000 feet of row of each of 2 varieties when soil temperature is >55o.
When plants have 3 fully extended true leaves, repeat. Repeat again before June 20
6000 row feet = 500 dozen ears (1 ear/foot, 20% more than we need)
Bodacious = 74 daysIncredible = 84 days
Or, you can be like my neighbor and write your own program!
Starts with his desired harvest dateThen calculates transplant dateThen calculates planting date
Can handle multiple harvests per year
Saturday, October 29, 2011
potatoesonionsleaf lettucehot pepperssweet peppersred beetsgolden beetschioggia beetsdaikon radishred radish
red meat radishHakurai turnipsred turnipspurple top turnipsgreen mustardpurple mustardHo Mi ZMei Qing ChoiJoi Choi
Da Cheong ChaeYukina savoyarugularainbow chardcilantroparsleykalecollardsRed Russian kale
When to plant/transplant for fall harvest
Late July/early Aug: beets, leaf lettuce, cilantro, daikon, turnips, chard, Chinese
cabbage, broccoli, cabbage
Mid Aug/ late Aug: mustards, Asian greens, spinach, Red Russian, head lettuce
Late Aug/early Sept: radishes, arugula
Take Home MessagesPlant early, plant often
Plant more than you need, >20%, especially late spring/early summer crops
Plan to give some away
1 acre = 20 shares
10ish things per week, variety might be more important than quantity
Plant for fall, everything for spring except better!