A notebook does not dig a bed, carry water, or turn a soil clod. But among the early tools of a beginning grower, it is possibly the best that you can buy. Most beginning growers attempt to keep too much…
A bed with too many seedlings may look vigorous for a few days. The consequences, though, are usually evident soon thereafter. Leaves shade one another. Stems grow tall and spindly. Airflow is reduced. Roots vie in the same small space…
When watering seems easy until the growing bed gives you mixed messages. The leaves wilt, the surface dries out, and your first reaction is usually to immediately add water. For a new farmer, this is one of the toughest things…
It’s for that reason that soil observation is the easiest skill to master in agriculture. It is a gentle activity that teaches you to see and slow your vision before you make critical choices on the farm about sowing, irrigation,…