All posts by OneLaneFarm

Growing produce, for us, is a year around process. We aren’t planting or growing for twelve months but we are continously brainstorming, planning, and organizing. Plants are started in February and March. Planting is in May. The Market, hopefully will be extended to June throughout September. And then October until the next February will be spent reviewing the year and making decisions about the upcoming year. That’s also the rest period, which we need by then. It sounds like a lot but when you love something, it takes most of the labor out of it.

Review, Revise and Plan Ahead

All during the year, we collect information about our crops. The information includes the crop quality and yield. Enemy and pests that we faced throughout the growing season is documented. We evaluate the marketability and demand of different types of produce at the market. And I also like to take note if I set aside enough produce for our own use. Last year, I didn’t preserve enough for our household for a year. So a goal this year will be to make sure I lay aside enough for us. This information helps us to plan for the upcoming year. We use it to decide what we will plant more of, purple hull peas please and less of, tomatoes. It influences our garden design and overall schedule, as far as, purchasing, starting seeds, and then planting. The most fun part is deciding what new varieties we will plant. We have friends that grow something new each garden year. I took that to heart and try to do the same. It has paid off well! Purple hull peas grow well in our soil and I love them! I am so glad we tried them last year!

Buying

We try to keep some of our seeds from the previous years such as beans and peas. You can keep any seeds you want. Be mindful that some vegetables cross pollinate and the cross will show up in the following year’s plants. Even that, can be a fun experiment. The majority of our seeds we buy from a small place in Liberty, Kentucky called Martin’s. We have bought our seeds there for several years and have been happy with the product. Martin’s doesn’t have a website but they do have a Facebook. I usually call in February to have a catalog mailed. You can order over the phone and have your seeds mailed or pick the seeds up in person. We make our annual trek to Liberty usually in February or March depending on the weather and schedules.

Starting Seeds

After the seeds are all gathered, my sister, Lisa begins all our plants in her greenhouse. It really is amazing! She has raised thousands of plants in her small but highly capable greenhouse. I think it’s like a science lab trying to keep everything the right temperature and moistened. Lisa is the scientist constantly checking all these factors multiple times a day. She is always looking to improve her process. Lisa usually starts the majority of the seeds in March but after the great freeze this year, we are thinking that maybe next year, we might push that back a little.

Planting and Growing

My faithful plant by date has always been May 1. I love to hear people talk about their plant by dates. You think expiration dates are serious. Those dates don’t hold a candle to farmers’ plant dates. In 2019, I did plant the last day of April due to the weather and things turned out okay. This year, I planted on May 2 and as unexpectedly as possible, Middle Tennessee experienced a great freeze, not a frost but a freeze. Thus, influencing my position to maybe push my plant date even later to May 15 next year. We plant everything at the same time, some seeds, some plants. This is the easiest way for us. Once planting is over, the real work begins. Tilling, fertilizing, hoeing, thinning, trimming, and of course, putting up defenses all consume the weeks ahead. You rest when it rains. It’s amazing how fast time goes by when you work in the garden everyday. Next thing you know, harvest is here.

Harvest and Preservation

My first vegetable of the season is typically a yellow squash. It’s almost commemorative, signaling the beginning of summer harvest. After the start, in roll the zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, beans and other delicious rewards. I love coming home, grabbing a woven bushel basket and heading out to fill it up with the day’s bounty. I say day’s because cucumbers, zucchini and squash, have to be picked daily or they get too big too fast. Then we spend any spare minutes we have canning and freezing our stock for the upcoming year. I love to can! And I have said a few times that I would can almost anything once. It’s a good preservation method and doesn’t take up freezer space. It’s also simple to get started and easy to do. The National Center for Home Food Preservation makes processing food safe and simple. Also, check our your local extension office as classes are available in some areas.

The year is busy for us, it’s a process for sure. But one that we thoroughly enjoy and it’s rewarding beyond measure. We encourage others to try your hand at growing produce regardless of how much or how little. If you can’t or don’t want to grow your own produce, please support your local farmers. We greatly appreciate your business!

The Beginning

Brent and I bought our farm in Rickman four years ago. The first summer, 2016, we were still living in Algood and so we didn’t have a garden that year as the summer was packed with construction, packing, selling, relocating and all the processes of moving. The second year, I put out a pretty good sized garden just for our consumption. We paid a friend to plow and till it for us and I’ll never forget seeing and smelling that freshly broken ground for the first time. There is something about the smell of dirt at planting time. It’s the smell of opportunity and hope. It will always be one of my favorite scents. That year, I enjoyed planting the usual things tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers. It was a success with plenty of produce for ourselves and extra for gifts to friends.

Our first Market Sales

It wasn’t until our third year that I expanded the original garden in size and decided to start selling at the local Farmer’s Market. I love being able to share our abundance of produce with customers. It’s so nice to talk to folks each week, some new, some regulars. It’s like having a front porch visit with friends. We talk about the farm, the weather, their gardens and even share recipes. It’s an enjoyable time and a great way to provide people with alternatives to commercial produce. That year, 2018, I only sold butternut squash and spaghetti squash. I didn’t even set up a table. I just sold out of the back of the pickup truck. It was a good way to introduce myself to the market and get familiar with the process. After all, you can’t just set up your wares one day, on a whim.

Market Requirements

The Farmer’s Market requires each vendor obtain a permit. I contacted City Hall of Cookeville and was advised that because I am a non resident of Putnam County, I had to get a letter from my local Overton County extension agent verifying he/she  had observed my grow space, in order to apply for a permit. This is to ensure vendors are truly growing their food locally. I was able to contact my local agent, he came out, observed my garden and I secured my permit. A permit is required for each selling year. A list of regulations are also provided that include items such as a list of items that can and cannot be sold.

Last year, 2019, I made plans to return to the Farmer’s Market and with more than just squash. We added an additional garden to our farm to increase both variety and yield. We planted several first time items and also new varieties of beans, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peas, peppers, squash and more. I obtained my  permit again and in addition, our niece, Mattie, also obtained her permit and decided to set up as well. Mattie is 15 and enjoys gardening produce, but more so growing flowers.  Her and I had a great year of selling most weekends throughout July and August. We had help from Brent and Mattie’s Mom, Lisa.  We sold a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers. It was fun to try the new varieties ourselves and to introduce them to our customers. Our customers were happy with our products and that made us happy!

We look forward to trying our hands at new vegetables and varieties again this year. And we are counting down the weekends until we can get back to the Market for the 2020 season.

Here on the farm, me and Brent collaborate each year on ways to grow and expand our produce production. Over the past couple years, we planted two apple trees closer to our house that were an old-fashioned type, which were given to me from my sister. Those two trees triggered our new adventure idea for this year, which would be to start an apple orchard. My Dad had apple trees for a few years that my sister and I loved helping with. He learned how to grow them from talking to different people who had trees. The knowledge I gained through Dad has been unbelievably valuable. With that and our own research, we started our orchard.

Plans for Our Apples

In any new project, it is important to have a vision. Use that vision to establish and obtain your goals. Our goals for the orchard include the following:

• Fresh consumption
• Canning
• Dehydrating
• Making fresh cider from the variety of apples (personal favorite!)
• Selling to customers

Apple Tree Supplier

In the beginning of the process, it is a good idea to establish a relationship with suppliers. Our supplier, Rusty Mangrum Nursery in McMinnville, TN, grows a large variety of apple trees. We previously purchased blueberries from Rusty and decided to also buy our trees from him for our orchard. This year, we decided 18 would be a good number to start with. The trees were purchased in mid-March and planted a couple weeks later. Additionally, in December, we plan to plant more trees. This advice, to plant in the winter, was given to us by our supplier. Planting in winter allows the trees time to absorb all of the winter moisture, increasing their growth in the the spring.

Orchard Locations and Lot Dimensions

The area we cleared for the apple orchard is located on the southeast side of the farm. After that, a designated part of our field was cleared and mowed that would allow for 18 apple trees. We started with two rows, the first has twelve trees and the other has six. The space between the rows is approximately 23 feet while the space between the trees is 15 feet and 7 inches. Since we planted in a slight diagonal path, the row distance varied between 21-23 feet. However, this leaves plenty of room to drive a vehicle between or any kind of ATV.

Types of Apple Trees We Planted

We planted three trees of each of the following types: Arkansas Black, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Winesap. Later this year, we plan to add Granny Smith to the orchard. Pictured below, you can see the trees growing, flowering, and budding.

Follow along each week with updates from around the farm as our journey continues.

I cannot wait!