In 2006, my husband, Casey, and I started our farm, Oakhill Organics, in Dayton, Oregon. From the beginning, we have been a two-person operation. The only labor on our farm besides our own is one or two friends who help out one morning a week during the main summer season. We’ve chosen to not hire […]
Equipment eases physical pains Read More »
We used to grow a lot of tomatoes. Now we only plant about 1,200-1,400 because we do most of them in the high tunnels. But with my traveling we still didn’t have a lot of time to tie them up. We were using the basket weave technique with 3/4” metal electrical conduit every 10 feet
Letters from Readers: Tomato trellising Read More »
Note: Click here to see photos of some of these delphiniums. I can never grow enough delphiniums. I keep trying, but it seems that I run out of space before I run out of demand. The florist I sell to loves delphiniums, both the elatum hybrids and the looser, airy belladonna hybrids. I planted 1,400
How to choose the best delphinium varieties Read More »
As the awareness of financial and environmental costs of transportation increase, farmers are pushing “local” to extremes. Good. Let local reign! We regularly challenge ourselves to trial the “that doesn’t grow here” type crops on our farm. Hence, growing ginger in the Northeast. We own and operate Old Friends Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts. We are
Spice up your summer greenhouse with ginger Read More »
Kohlrabi is an unusual vegetable, sure to attract attention at your market booth, or be a discussion piece in CSA bags. It is tender with a flavor between a cabbage and a turnip. And it’s a tasty crunchy vegetable that’s easy to grow and doesn’t wilt as soon as you harvest it. It can be
The humble kohlrabi: easy to grow and store Read More »
Got weeds? So do most farms – probably all farms, although I’ve heard some deny it. Even if you manage to keep a field completely clean of weeds for a year, there is still a seed bank of weeds waiting to germinate the next season. Even if you were to keep any of those seeds
Basic tools for mechanical cultivation Read More »
In other USDA research, scientists are studying the conditions under which pathogens multiply quickly. They have found that E. coli 0157:H7 multiplied 10 times more on the young, inner leaves of romaine lettuce than on middle and outer leaves. One explanation: The young leaves are a better nutrition “buy” for E. coli. because they exude
Nitrogen increases pathogen risk Read More »
USDA researchers have long known that carvacrol, an extract from oregano, is a powerful antimicrobial that kills foodborne pathogens including E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria. Now they have figured out a way to make “edible films” infused with carvacrol that they say could be inserted into packaged fresh produce to prevent the development of
Oregano-based antimicrobial Read More »
A day after Florida tomato growers asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare there is no salmonella in the state’s tomato crops, FDA lifted the warning on all tomatoes. The agency said that the number of cases of illness from Salmonella has been declining and they hope the outbreak may be over. Investigators
The hunt for salmonella Read More »
The Natural Marketing Institute says that consumers are experiencing “greenwashing washout,” unable to distinguish between companies that are sincere versus those that are promoting sustainability for superficial reasons. According to NMI Managing Partner Steve French, “While numerous companies are attempting to gain credibility as good corporate citizens, consumers are overwhelmed by the myriad of communications
Greenwashing success Read More »
