Putting on the poo

Ben loading up some poo

Manure is a necessary part of farming in a sustainable way.
People think that farmers only grow plants, but at the heart of it, farming is the cultivation of soil microbes. Without a healthy crop of microbes in the soil the plants have trouble absorbing nutrients. In many ways plants and people are very much alike, we both have a symbiotic relationship with single-celled organisms to help us get nutrients from our food.

So Melissa and I spent the better part of yesterday putting the poo onto our field. We had 6 yards of organic source cow manure delivered into one big, stinking pile. From that pile we manually spread the aged cow pie mix onto each of our 80' beds. It smelled a bit, but anyone from farm country gets a sense of nostalgia from the scent of manure.

Baby plants, Melissa and our farm-cat friend Boomerang

Today we began the muscle building process of forming our raised beds. Each 2' wide pathway has to be dug out a bit and dumped onto the adjacent beds before a final tilling. Farmers lucky enough to have a tractor can do this with very little sweat, but since we can't afford one (yet), we're putting our sweat equity to work. Given that many people spend tons of money per year at a gym to reach a similar result, I'd say its quite a deal. However my sore muscles presently disagree...

Anyway, all of this work is so that these babies have a place to go. These babies, as well as tons of seed are waiting to move into their beds next week. It is a pleasure to know that all of this work is leading to the best part of farming...PLANTING!!!

 - Ben

Frozen

February observed temps compared to average at SeaTac Aiport.

We don't get the kind of cold temperatures we've been seeing this past week very often in the Pacific Northwest.  When we scheduled to have our 1/4 acre plowed two weeks ago, we thought it would happen right away.  However, farming is an exercise in patience simply because it is undertaken under the open unpredictability of a large planetary body.  One cannot rely fully on averages to predict the weather, as you can see on the graph we've been nowhere near average lately.

At first the plowing had to be postponed due to heavy rain over a few days.  The wet soil was too soft for the tractor to traverse the land without leaving ruts.  The irony is that waiting for the soil to dry out meant waiting for the drier, colder air to arrive.  The dry air was nice, but it was Yukon air.  Instead of drying out, the topsoil froze.  You can't plow a frozen field.  And so we've been waiting.

We thaw out starting tonight.  Hopefully we can get the field plowed quickly after the thaw, as the warmer air is being brought to us by a series of wet storms.  Farming is not for the impatient.

From cold to wet...Winter in the PNW

 - Ben

Nursery and pasture

Before...

Our new 1/4 acre farm plot in Langley is part of the lower pasture that has been graciously donated to us by Chocolate Flower Farm.  Now that we have scheduled the pasture to be tilled, it is time to get ready to make babies...Plant babies!

Babies need a warm place to get their start, so we cleaned up an old Chocolate Flower Farm greenhouse that has sat unused for a few seasons. In the northwest a wild greenhouse becomes a weed jungle pretty quick.

...Later

There were blackberries going all over the place. Grass was growing along the entire inside edge, and bindweed (morning glory) was beginning to take over one whole side of the structure.  I lost count of the number of spiders I saw under all the pots and platforms.  It was not for the faint of heart.

The spiders were not the worst of it though, and we were lucky it is still winter.  Even in the middle of winter the wasps were beginning to stir inside the greenhouse.  We found dozens of yellow jackets just beginning to wake in the warming air of the sunny greenhouse.  Small dormant wasp nests were all over the place; in boxes, under tables and throughout seed trays.  Removing them made me feel like a one-man bomb squad as I carefully investigated each wasp infestation before gently carrying them outside.

Despite the hazards, we made quick work of the weeds and were able to begin organizing the jumbled interior.  Much organization remains, but after a day of work we can officially claim this greenhouse ready to nurse some baby plants!  It is not a moment too soon as we are finally getting the pasture opened up this weekend.  Very soon we will have baby plants going in the greenhouse, and a new tilled pasture ready for them when they grow up.

Flying Bear Farm's new digs - 1/4 acre of former horse pasture

 - Ben

The move to Whidbey Island

First Street in Downtown Langley, WA

Invoking the pioneering spirit of our ancestors, Melissa and I made the hop off the mainland to Whidbey
Island at the end of October 2013. We found a humble home in Langley, the 'Village By the Sea'.

 I will always think of the time I spent in Seattle fondly, and of course to Melissa it will always be her childhood home.  We will never really leave Seattle entirely, as we have a myriad of friends and favorite places to visit; not to mention the Seattle Sounders.  Still, it was time to make the bold move to pursue our mutual dream of establishing a homestead and farm.

Now that we've settled into our new lives in Langley and entered into the new year, we are forging ahead with our plans to make Flying Bear Farm into something that will nourish our family and enrich our new community.  Our search for a permanent home continues onward, but in the meantime we will take root on a 1/4 acre plot of land generously donated to us by the local Chocolate Flower Farm.`On this site we will grow flowers and produce for the Langley Farmers Market and for our wedding clients.

It will be an exciting and challenging season in our newly adopted home. We face a limited water supply on our plot that will require us to be creative with our irrigation system.  Balancing the day-to-day work at Useless Bay Coffee Co. while helping Melissa establish our business will also be interesting.  Even so I can't help but face these challenges with a great big smile.

 - Ben