86 Things We Learned from Farming

January 6, 2011

Kristin

Over the course of the year we have each kept a list of things we’ve learned from the Thomas Farm project, specifically to make a compilation at the end of the year.  It’s fair to say that the year was nothing like we thought it would be, but we still learned a lot about where our food comes from – which was our goal.  Some of us, like Caleb, learned that farming is a passion for them.  For the rest of us, this experience made us more grateful for the farmers who grow our food so we don’t have to.  It’s a lot of hard work, with very little monetary reward.  This list is for you, farmers and gardeners of the America!

1. Opossums can kill chickens, in fact, they disembowel them
2. Matt can kill opossums
3. Raccoons decapitate chickens
4. Weasels leave the chickens they kill mostly in tact
5. Plants don’t do well when it’s really hot for a long time (Whitney)
6. Plants need water, like, regularly (Kristin)
7. Plants require, typically, about 1 inch of rain a week (Caleb)
8. Excess heat really affects crop production (Matt)
9. Peas are usually easy to grow because they fix their own nitrogen even in poor soil, and they are not particularly stricken by pests (Caleb)
10. Peas are hard to grow (Kristin)
11. Sometimes you do everything right and it all goes wrong; sometimes you do everything wrong and it turns out well
12. Cedar trees should not be planted next to apple trees
13. There is a reason why insecticides are so popular
14. The leaves of all nightshade plants (i.e. tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, etc.) are poisonous
15. Blackberry bushes have wicked thorns (Kristin)
16. Picking wild blackberries can hurt; best to wear long sleeves and jeans (Matt)
17. There’s an actual part of a chicken called a “tender”
18. Virginia is too far south to grow Honeycrisp apples
19. One can eat weeds like parslane and lamb’s quarter, and lamb’s quarter leaves contain a complete protein
20. It is unusual to find cantalopes or yams in the U.S.; the actual vegetable names are “muskmelon” and “sweet potato”
21. Tomatoes should be stored upside down to discourage squishing
22. Tomatoes should be harvested at the first blush of color to prevent cracking or insect damage
23. Tomato plants won’t produce new tomatoes above 85 degrees
24. Raw milk doesn’t “go bad” as much as it “sours”
25. Cinnamon is tree bark
26. There is no one pumpkin species
27. Hens begin laying at about 18 to 22 weeks of age
28. Cows can swim
29. Pineapple grows on the ground
30. Vine bores are terrible pests
31. Many trees show stress from lack of water through their top-most leaves
32. Tent moths are nasty creatures
33. Healthy chickens will harass wounded chickens to no end; pecking orders are real
34. It’s easy to forget what the garden looked like 3 weeks ago
35. It’s important not to water too frequently or roots will not extend deep enough in the soil to weather droughts
36. One person cannot eat enough tomatoes to keep up with several tomato plants
37. The colors of the harvest in July are the most gorgeous
38. Parsley has a flavor, and isn’t just a decorative garnish
39. (Matt)I need to be held accountable for harvesting, or I’ll forget to do it
40. A walk through the garden every day is a good idea
41. Orchards graft many of their apple trees to roots of different types
42. You can tell if an orchard uses herbicides if there aren’t many weeds around the base of the trees
43. Virginia soil is good for grape and wine production, but we have too many insects to do it without lots of pesticides
44. Thomas Jefferson could not have managed his economically-failing farm and maintained time to tinker if he hadn’t kept slaves
45. Raccoons are strong. They will destroy your chicken coop if you’re not careful
46. Chickens need calcium or their egg shells become soft
47. When potato plants die, it’s time to harvest them, unless you want them to cure in the ground
48. Green onions are just young onions
49. Eating well takes time. Appreciating good food takes even longer.
50. Compost content needs to be balanced
51. You can peel tomatoes easily by first boiling them for a minute, then dropping them in cold water
52. Chickens are far more docile when it is dark outside than when it is light
53. Planting just few vegetables in your yard can be really easy
54. I’d rather pull weeds than pick green beans (Matt)
55. Rotating types of crops between plots and beds can reduce the risk for invasive pests
56. Don’t delay fixing problems in your garden
57. Eggplants are best mixed with other things to be used as a flavor accent
58. Walking outside to grab a vegetable off of a plant or clipping herbs for immediate preparation is wonderfully pleasurable
59. How to shoot a rifle, use a pole saw, chop wood, drive an ATV, transplant plants, compost, operate a generator, trap groundhogs
60. Ticks need to be embedded 24–36 hours before they can transmit Lymes Disease (as Caleb learned the hard way)
61. Groundhogs can climb short fences — really well
62. Regular watering is best done in the early morning.  If you water in the afternoon it evaporates too quickly.  If you water at night, it can encourage fungal diseases in plants.
63. I’m terrible cutting wood with a saw (Matt)
64. Chopping wood with an axe is therapeutic
65. What skinks, mud daubers, and turkey vultures are
66. What a hummingbird looks like in “person”
67. Large planting pots can store more water than smaller ones
68. How to identify acorn, spaghetti, patty pan, and summer squash
69. I don’t find mustard greens particularly palatable (Matt & Whitney)
70. Sweet corn needs a lot of water
71. What asparagus looks like after it shoots
72. How broccoli heads form from the plant
73. Indoor vegetable plantings need to be very close to a light source or they’ll become weak and leggy
74. How to identify poison ivy
75. How to shell pecans after they fall off the tree
76. Pine burns quickly and makes excellent kindling
77. Eating the autumn harvest is the best
78. Deer can jump at least a 10-foot-fence
79. Chestnuts come inside prickly balls
80. Black walnuts are not as good as English walnuts.  Plus, they kinda smell.
81. Persimmons should be picked after the first frost
82. Kumquats are the northern-most growing citrus fruit
83. Trees need to be watered, especially young ones
84. Animals don’t like to eat plants in the allium family (i.e. onions, shallots, garlic, etc).  Thus, they can be planted outside of garden fences.
85. Worms are good for a garden.  Slugs are bad for a garden.
86. Putting egg shells in your compost will keep slugs out of your garden.