Tag Archives: seed order

Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed

Office Farmers

 

 “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.”

–Francis Bacon

Well, spring is here…but alas the farm work is still mostly being done inside.

Office Farmers

Our Volunteer ‘Office Farmers’ are Stuck Inside as Easton awaits a Spring Snowstorm

We must work with a force so great as nature, and oh there is work to be done at LaFarm… even if we are stuck in the office as we wait for it to dry out and warm up out at our Metzgar Fields farm.

Our great Lafayette College volunteers Ben & Julia were hard at work today. Ben was saving seeds from last years ‘Bling Bling’ Cosmos,  Organic Burgundy Okra, and ‘Bishops Children’ Dahlia.

office farming

Office Farmers!

Julia was busy inputting information in our AgSquared crop management database about the average number of seeds per ounce for specific crops.  These numbers are used to calculate our total seed order needs for the year so that LaFarm can grow as much fresh produce for the Lafayette College as possible.

Last year we grew over 1 ton of produce on our tiny but might 1/2 acre production garden.  Go LAF!

 

Winter is soooo SWEET!

Emily and Maddie harvest a monster bunch of sweet winter carrots from their garden plot at LaFarm, The Lafayette College Community Garden and Working Farm!

Emily and Maddie, Lafayette Students,  harvest a monster bunch of sweet winter carrots from their garden plot at LaFarm, The Lafayette College Community Garden and Working Farm!

Have you ever heard that veggies are sweeter if they have been harvested after a frost or light freeze?  Better yet,  have you tasted hardy fresh veggies touched by cool weather?  If you have you know it is not in your head nor is it a myth.  According to Lora Bailey from Kentucky’s Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service, “Cool temperatures slow the internal respiration of the greens, allowing more sugars to accumulate, making them slightly sweeter.”  This is also true for carrots, and other cold tolerant root vegetables…they taste sweeter because they are ramping up the extra sugar.

 

True also is that most good farming and gardening takes place about a year before the garden grows.  Check out this simple and great guide to succession planting.  So as you plan your seed orders this year don’t forget your second successions and get some seeds to take your garden into NEXT winter!