Contemplating the Work - Knowing When to Move On
Dried okra means lots of seed for next season.
Of all the hurdles that I’ve confronted in these early stages of getting the farm going, there is one biggie that I’ve surpassed and one that still plagues me. Given the consistent demands of the CSA, knowing that people are hopeful to receive produce on a semi-regular basis has meant I’ve had to overcome my hesitance to harvest. In years past, particularly in smaller growing settings, it has been difficult for me to know exactly when to bite the bullet and pull a crop. I believe the hesitation comes from a hope that the crop will continue to grow, the larger it becomes the better the gardener I am, and I inevitably leave things on the plant until it’s too late. Fibrous okra, yellow cucumbers, bitter lettuce, and woody radishes are all things I’ve had to deal with because of this hesitation.
Cracks in clay after very little summer rain and record heat in Central Texas
With the CSA, though, nobody is interested in the larger radish next week, as they are interested in the current sized radish right now. Therefore, I’ve gotten much better at pulling, cutting, and clipping things from the plants in the garden.
The hurdle with which I still struggle is knowing when to say when. I’ve been known to pull out all the stops to continue caring for crops that are clearly beyond their prime time, wasting valuable resources like time, water, and space, which would be better directed towards the next batch of crops. The result is defeating. I can attest that the only thing worse than a pepper picked too early is a pepper that stayed on the plant too late and died rotting on the bush. The only thing worse than a tiny lettuce head is a three-foot monster of bitter, milky leaves that are barely suitable for the chickens.
This summer has been hot. Really hot. That said, I’ve tried to fight with the tools at my disposal. I’ve used our drip tape to water frequently, I’ve put up shade cloth, I’ve added fans in the high tunnel. There came a point, though, where I realized I was cutting into time that I needed for the field to rest before preparing for fall. Believe it or not, it’s around the corner, and I know that many of my colleagues have already begun seeding transplants in greenhouses and grow houses to get a jump on fall plantings. While that’s not possible yet for us, I have made the decision to let this summer be done.
Of all the reasons, extreme heat being near the top of the list, water usage has been furloughed by our water company. Without great rainwater catchment built out yet, it means we’re effectively praying for rain, and receiving little in return. That said, I’ve flail mowed about a quarter of the garden and have begun removing crops from the remaining rows. In deference to the bees and their need for pollen, I plan to take it row by row, leaving flowering okra, cucumbers, and squash in their summer mode until I absolutely need to move on. As it turns out, I’m getting plenty of okra for personal use and pickling, and also pulling some squash and cucumbers. What doesn’t come out great goes to the chickens, a happy compromise for all.
In the future, I’ll be challenging myself to have time management at the forefront of my mind, intending to plant more crops in shorter rotations, rather than aiming for two long seasons (spring and fall). I should be able to get a couple of harvests of radishes and beets, kale and collards, before it’s time to move on. All part of the learning process.
As our systems coalesce and our processing workflows become more efficient, I anticipate the schedule of plantings and rotations to be one of the larger challenges I’ll have for years and years to come, (along with these 108 degree summers, of course).
