Farm Friday

I'm happy to be blogging tonight after surviving the hottest week so far this year; the daytime temperatures this week were all in the mid-90s.  With that said, the broiler chicks are very comfortable, and we're not having any more trouble with wet soil.  In fact, I set up our drip irrigation system today.

Our garden consists of 8 60' rows that are 4 feet wide, with 2' paths in between.  Drip irrigation makes watering the garden as simple as filling up a barrel.  We have a 55 gallon barrel, uphill from our garden, which is fitted with a pipe, valve, and filter.  Two header lines run out of the filter and along one side of the garden.  At each bed the header is fitted with one or two 'T' fittings which allow us to connect the driplines.  The driplines themselves are basically just hoses with holes in them, but they are designed to flow evenly and resist clogging.  The lines run the length of the bed and are tied off at the ends.  To water the garden we simply fill the barrel with water and open the valve, and we can calculate how much water we wish to apply.

In the pasture, we have planted popcorn and Southern peas inside a goat-resistant fence (I've learned not to say goat-proof, it's an oxymoron).  We also have some buckwheat planted in the hoophouse as a cover crop and green manure.

This isn't exactly farm-related, but I noticed what seems to be a geological phenomenon in one of our ditches.  This ditch is cut down to the stone underneath, which is sedimentary and really soft.  Normally, the layers run horizontally, but as I was walking by today I noticed a section that is positioned vertically.  I don't see an explanation, because there is horizontal layering on either side, but it's interesting. The first picture shows normal layers, and the second is an overhead shot of the vertical layers.

Tomorrow I'll be selling at the farmers' market for Birdsong Community Farm, so stop by if any of you are passing through. =)

Have a great weekend,

Sherlock