Transylplantia

In addition to planting potaters last week, we took advantage of the nicer weather and also transplanted a whackload of starts from the greenhouses. Everything from spinach to beets to broccoli went into the ground. Just look at all these healthy looking starts in their trays, just waiting to be planted in long, straight rows:

The first step to transplanting is separating the soil blocks. After growing together in their cozy trays, the starts have gotten used to being together. Pulling them apart is actually really satisfying, since they make a sound that's almost like velcro separating. After some separation, a single soil block of onions, for example, will go from being one of the pack....



...to a more solitary individual:

Next, we load up the tractor and the transplanter with the trays of separated soil blocks and get a-transplanting!



The starts get planted in nice, long rows....

....until the fields end up looking like this....



....and this:



Exciting stuff!

You Say Potato, I Say Potaters

Thanks to a long awaited week of warmer and drier weather, we've been busy planting and transplanting into the fields. Apprentice Tim and I got our tractor/transplanter feet wet with some potatoes. I drove the tractor, while Tim sat poised upon the transplanter.

1) Here we are getting ready to plant. I like to chat with the potatoes before they're planted - you know, just a little assurance that everything's going to be okay.



2) Up and running! The goal is to drive the tractor slow and steady down the beds, so we've got a nice, straight row with a potential potato plant every few inches. I'm looking back to make sure Tim hasn't fallen off the transplanter and been buried with the potatoes. I'm also making sure the potatoes are getting buried deep enough into the soil. If even a little skin pokes out of the soil, the ravens will want to snack on them.



3) Here's what Tim's dealing with. He sits perched on the transplanter's yellow seat, looking down at these cups as they circle around like a wheel. His job is to drop a potato in each cup as they turn. The cup's job is to dig into the soil and release the potato into the ground.



4) The beds end up being lined with a row of these pockmarks. Each pockmark has a potato hiding beneath it!

5) We ended up planting 4 different varieties of potato. It'll be interesting to see which one does best in this climate and soil.

6) Look at that straight row! Farmer Brock and Apprentice Tim take care of business.