Dear Curiosity Journal,
In our third season of no-till production, some of the fields needed a major reset. This is partially due to our management and inevitably the process of Mother Nature. On the management side, we could have done a better job of staying on top of the weeds. There is also a certain father-in-law who kindly offers to mow our lawn, but consistently blasts grass clippings (loaded with weed seeds) into the garden beds, which are living their best life in the fertile compost. As for Mother Nature’s part, her agenda is to cover the ground with vegetation to protect the soil, and She has all resources at her service. Although we suppressed the weeds from below with cardboard and compost, we were defenseless against airborne seeds, especially thistle and dandelion. Our solution for this season is adding more compost and landscape fabric. We are a 3-farmer team, and we can only pull so many weeds. I have mixed feelings about landscape fabric, but it sure saves us on labor. Rufus and Annie finished the Field B rebuild today with 1,072 peppers, 360 swiss chard, 360 fennel, and 200 leeks. When I asked Rufus if he had any comments, he said, “I’m glad it’s behind me”. It was a major overhaul, but it sure is beautiful, and will be much more manageable for the remainder of the season.
~Joy
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