full moon farms journal

full moon farms, the umbrella organization that our farm, the backyard moon, operates under, is also the name of our mother farm over at the bent spade in watkinsville, ga.  farmer jack, hired this season to knock the hide off the ball as our vegetable farmer at bent spade, has begun keeping a journal in the dirt on the full moon farms' website.  here is his first post, with hopefully a lot more to come throughout the season. 

it's a good start

written back on march seventh by farmer jack

It’s almost Spring and it feels like farming out there.  The past few weeks outside at Full Moon make you wonder why everyone doesn’t do this.  We are working to transition the farm from winter rest to a good grow.  Motivation is high and seeds are germinating.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon seeding the third succession of greens in the hoophouse, and I feel like we have a pretty good early season crop established.  Multiple varieties of beautiful greens, red beets, and carrots have provided a lot to look at in a house of plastic.  In fact, the first of the tender greens are ready for harvest tomorrow morning. Woo Woo!

As for the fields, bed prep for our first spring transplanting has involved a couple weeks of patient process.  Back in the fall, a rich cover crop of winter rye and clover was established to benefit and overwinter the tillable dirt.  Once January turned to February, a mow and disc of this cover incorporated all the organic matter into the earth, and the last month has given time for that matter to decompose down.  Now the raised beds are ready to be made and the plants to be sown in them.  Oh the beauty of ecological transition.

I leave you with a little ‘Tractor Gospel’…

One Mother told me

not always in clover is a right man rich,

as I have been warned by ants.

Your farmer, Jack Matthews