Sustainable Farm Journal

Today, I transplanted one-month old greens starters into Bato buckets of perlite in a small greenhouse. There are 11 buckets total. From left to right, I have: Bucket 1 3 calabrese broccoli Bucket 2 2 calabrese broccoli Bucket 3 2 georgia collard greens Bucket 4 3 georgia collard greens Bucket 5 3 japanese red mustard Bucket 6 3 japanese red mustard Bucket 7 4 japanese red mustard Bucket 8 4 mizuna mustard Bucket 9 4 mizuna mustard Bucket 10 4 dwarf blue scotch curly kale Bucket 11 4 dwarf blue scotch curly kale

Today, I was mowing and then came across a sight that made me stop, turn everything off and skip mowing for the rest of the day. First, there are flowers blooming like goldenrod, asters, and a nighttime blooming flower called boneset. There are also butterfly caterpillars feeding on milkweed. And to top it off, butterflies have made chrysalises in the grass.

The flower tables that I started over the summer have been a success. The zinnias started blooming by the end of September, and the marigolds began blooming in the first week of October and are now flush with flowers. I used Bato strawberry troughs and Beekenkamp strawberry troughs. The shallow root zones have not provided adequate anchoring in high winds, but if I support the stems and foliage next year, I should be able to correct the issue.