Greenhouse duty

My current apprenticeship rotation is the greenhouse.  So far, this has involved watering the germinating seeds and baby plants, along with mixing up a batch of tree potting mix.  Tomorrow, my role will expand to planting seeds, something I am very excited about.  Having the greenhouse as my first rotation feels right--what better place to start my farm life than the very place that many of the farm's plants start their own lives?

Kohlrabi with damping off

I've always thought of watering as an easy chore--just spray some water and you are good to go.  Not at Soil Born Farms!  Watering is almost a science.  If you water too much, the plants can be more susceptible to damping off, a fungal infection that attacks the base of the stem and causes plants to fall over.  Right now, we have some kohlrabi getting hit by damping off. :( 

If you don't water enough, the plants wilt.  Finding the "just right" point is tricky.  We check soil moisture before and after watering by feel and by visual inspection, carefully prying individual cells out of trays.  We overhead water everything using a hose with an adjustable spray nozzle.  The goal is to water evenly--no easy task.  You have to pay attention to many things as you water--how hard the water is flowing, which cells in each flat are getting watered with each pass of the nozzle, making sure the edges don't get skimped on, and keeping the angle of the water correct (the nozzle should point slightly upward so that the water arcs upward before falling, simulating a gentle spring rain). 



Lettuce ready for planting

  

Right now, our greenhouse is home to both winter and summer crops.  We are getting ready for a winter planting of brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce), as well as preparing warm-weather crops like tomatoes and peppers.  We also have a set of bare root fruit trees that were just potted up out in our hardening-off area, waiting to be adopted at an upcoming plant sale.   

   



Emerging onions



Onions are my favorite greenhouse "baby" so far.  They initial emerge from the soil bent over, forming an upside-down "U."  Then they spring upright, looking more like you expect onions to look.  I think it's quite playful, but perhaps this is a sign I've been spending  too much time around plants!

    

I was struck late last week by the tremendous responsibility I have as the greenhouse apprentice.  The farm's next crop planting depends on me.  If I forget to water, overwater, leave the greenhouse open at night, or forget to vent the greenhouse in the morning, the plants can die.  The good news is that our greenhouse manager is looking over my shoulder, making sure I don't make any major mistakes.  I really appreciate this oversight and ongoing feedback at this point in my training!

Upright onions

  

Goldfinch exploring the greenhouse