Tomato plants growing

The tomato plants are growing very well in the hoop house.
The CSA boxes should have quite a few tomatoes in a few weeks.

The cucumber plants are just sprouting and getting started, a few more weeks before cukes will make it into the boxes.

1st 2015 Harvest Done!

Just finished our first harvest.  We now have 70 subscribers, quite a jump from last year, when we started with just 20. 

Here are harvesters and packers.  Many more people helped, just didn't get a picture in time before most headed home.

 All the  boxes ready to be distributed Sunday.

We are also supplying these 10 small tubs of different leafy greens to a community kitchen.

Ready for 1st Harvest

Tomorrow we have the first harvest of the season.
Many crops are ready.


Lettuce

Swiss Chard

Kale:  2 varieties Ripor and Toscano

Cabbage

Vegetables not ready yet but coming:

Onions (on the right side)

Beets (and more Swiss Chard on the left)

Cauliflower & Broccoli (will take awhile longer)

Not pictured, but growing include:  Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Potatoes, Boc Choy.

Transplanting

Most Wednesdays we transplant new seedlings out into the field.
On average we plant about 1,000 per week!


In the morning, the cart is loaded up with trays to go out into the field.  Each of these trays has 200 plants each.  This week was mostly lettuce and boc choy.
 

 
Here is Gail and Fedrico "popping the seedlings out".  They poke a pencil into the bottom of each plant cell to loosen it so it can be easily removed without damaging it.

Next the rows are marked off where to plant.  A 4 prong rake with used to make lines 6" apart for the planting rows.  Cain made this rake just for this purpose. A drip tape goes in between the rows, so each row will be only 3" away from the tape.

After the rows are marked 6" apart, "columns" or plant spacing is marked off at 6" also. We plant all the lettuce and boc choy on these 4-row 6"-grid patterns.

Then the seedlings are transplanted.  No impersonal machine transplanting at Ananda Valley Farm, just happy transplanters!

See how this row looks several weeks later.  These lettuce plants are quite happy with their treatment and personalized care.

 Here are photos of other happy transplanters from previous weeks.
  

New Seedling Tray

The farm was in urgent need of a bigger seedling table.
We had outgrown the makeshift one from our first year and didn't have enough
room for all the seedlings needed for our second year.

A generous supporter donated a few hundred dollars to build a new one.

Sahadev, the resident woodworker, built one from used lumber.

A cattle panel gate purchased from Half Moon Bay Hay and Feed store made a great table top.

The netting prevents chickens and birds from snacking on the seedlings.

Automatic sprinklers keep the seedlings watered.

Since this picture was taken, we've almost completely filled up the table.  We'll need another one next year if we keep on growing.