More than tomatoes growing

We admit we've gotten a bit carried away
with tomatoes recently, but can you blame us? 

500 of those beauties is a lot to salivate about. 

But now it's the patience part of farming, so, like you, we will wait
until it's time for picking to enjoy the fruits of those labors.
Well, we will do more than wait-we promise to tend them!

John picking tomatoes last summer

for now, John like the rest of us, is still in tending mode

 thoughts of this keeps us focused!

So, we turn our attention to the other plants at the farm 

that are in "ready" mode--our beets and radishes are very close 

to harvesting and the carrots are not far behind.

beet salad at the girl & the fig

carrots a few weeks ago

carrots this week

carrots next week!
photo by Steven Krause for
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey through the Seasons in Wine Country

We haven't forgotten the upper quad beds–we've planted lots of potatoes 

including Butterball, Fingerling 

and Russian Banana (which is actually a Fingerling variety). 

yet another way to keep us focused on our work

Something else going on in the upper quads caught is really interesting. 

We planted fava beans because they are good cover crops

 during the interim period as the farm transitioned from winter to spring. 

The nutrients from the favas "fed" the soil. 

As the pods mature, they are like decoys, attracting aphids 

but the aphids attract ladybugs, who get to work right away.

Ladybugs are busy getting rid of the aphids 

and all the other good work they do as our partners at this biodynamic farm.

Did you know that one ladybug can eat 5,000 aphids in a lifetime!
(and on average that is only one year!)

Learn more about our ladybug pals and other friendly bugs from

UC Davis "The California Backyard Orchard. 

Always lots of good stuff going on at the farm, even 

when we aren't picking food to bring to table.

And the same can be true in your "backyard farm."

We like this book and website tips and resources.

There is a lot of good information out there for you, 

whether you are planting a big space, part of a community garden, 

or even just tending a few pots of vegetables.  

We recently stumbled upon this online garden forum 

and have enjoyed the ongoing conversation. 

Check it out, join in with a question or if you have an answer to share. 

And please do the same here, as you follow the farm project with us.

What are you growing? 

Keeping the farm growing

So much more is going on at the farm than just the land we work, 

seeds we sow and plantings we tend. 

We are not the only hard workers at the farm.
Our partners are the "good bugs," and natural predators 

who populate the Insectary garden.

Insectary planting bed

Insectary plants are those that attract insects, 

but "the good guys." 

Not just caterpillars and ladybugs, but ground beetles, 

hover flies and parasitic wasps are intentionally introduced. 

 Think of it this way: An Insectary garden is meant to be
a kind of companion gardening experience that invites insects to live within,
providing the right kind of food and shelter they need to survive and procreate.
The particular plants you grow to attract them do matter but not as much as having an assortment of plants of different heights, and blossoms of various sizes blooming from early spring through late fall, to provide ideal living conditions for the most effective variety of beneficial insect species.

Did you know that the beneficial insects 

that contribute to the health of what we grow 

are likely to be ten times more abundant in an Insectary?

In addition to the carefully chosen plants in the Insectary beds
that surround the farm, some of our popular vegetables and herbs
also invite the "right" insects to maintain proper balance.
Fennel, carrots, dill, parsley, lemon balm, rosemary and thyme turn out to be good choices for us and the heath of the farm's overall ecosystem.

Standing tall in the Insectary is a bird house

 as a haven for the birds that also participate in the 

natural predatory process that occurs at the Insectary.

So while it may seem as if nothing is going on
at this point in the life of these plants,
 the hard workers at the farm toil
even when we are not there.

Without these insects and other natural residents at the farm,
we would not enjoy the bounty it yields for us.


Next week: John and Colby look ahead to a new season.