The farm I worked on in Alabama owned a very nice John Deere zero-turn mower. It was incredibly easy to use and could turn on a dime. You could maneuver into whatever space you wanted easily, but it also went about 10 miles per hour. I taught my daughter how to use it and she picked it up quickly. Lawn mowing is one of those things that, on the one hand, I enjoy doing. It’s fun to smell the fresh...
You’ve heard about the profitability of urban farming, and maybe you’re raring to go at this point. But let’s slow down a bit and talk about something that not many people discuss in the farming space: burnout. Burnout Seasons Urban farmer Curtis Stone says he experiences burnout every season: spring, summer, and the grand finale: the fall burnout. The spring burnout comes from...
Next up on our summer greens series, we’re heading to hot and humid Selmer, Tennessee, to talk to farmer Ray Tyler of Rosecreek Farms. Ray produces 300 pounds of greens a week in the summer, and he’s planning to up his production to 500 pounds. Rosecreek’s Greens Rosecreek mostly grows salad mix, arugula, spicy mustard mix, and baby red Russian kale. They also grow green sweet-crisp...
Next up on our summer greens series, we’re heading out west to Queen Creek, Arizona, to talk with Erich Schultz of Steadfast Farm. Erich successfully grows greens in 100+ degree temperatures. Anyone Else Growing? Pretty much everyone else in Erich’s climate has completely abandoned growing greens in the summertime—and it has been that way since he started. That’s actually the reason he...
Second in our summer greens series is a farm in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas. In this post, Brandon Gordon of Five Acre Farms explains how he’s able to grow 200 to 300 pounds of salad mix a week in the midst of the summer heat. The Challenges The biggest problems Brandon and his farm face when growing greens in the summer are bolting and bitterness. And then there are the caterpillars...
Have you ever considered growing lettuce in the middle of the summer? You might be thinking, “Why would anyone try to grow greens in the blazing heat of the summer sun?” While it makes sense for some farmers to stay away from heat-sensitive crops in the summer, quite a few growers are seeing success in growing them, despite the sun and heat. In this four-part blog series, we’re taking...
The first time I heard about such a thing as a walking tractor was when Phil Whalen got one. Phil was in his early sixties and wanted one to make hay on his five-acre homestead just outside of Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife had a huge vegetable garden, raised chickens, and fattened a few head of cattle for themselves and friends. The Whalens were actually the first people I ever knew who...
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