Prosser Farm Report 2010/by Jackie Cross
Big doings in Prosser!
Well here we go again… time for farming. Only this year we are going even bigger and (hopefully) better. The last several months have been spent transforming the lower fallow horse pasture into a beautiful new bed that is eight times larger than the previous garden! The rabbit fencing has been erected, four quadrants have been double tilled, miles of irrigation pipe laid, rows have been furrowed (best invention ever, the furrower attachment for the tractor), compost spread, seeds started, and drip lines installed.
And then, finally, the big planting… last weekend many fabulous volunteers (family, friends, staff) went to work busily digging away. Everyone was such a great sport despite the unseasonably hot 88 degree weather and the sheer volume of plants. Over 400 tomato plants, 200 peppers and at least 150 eggplants were transplanted along with rows and rows and rows of corn, beans, melons, and squash. Amazingly, three quadrants got completely planted!
My father had also built 9 raised beds (4 ft x 16 ft), which got transferred down the hill on the flatbed truck, set into place and filled with gravel, dirt, and a top layer of compost. These beds will be used for raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, herbs, and other perennial fruits and vegetables. The upper bed (old garden) had already been totally planted and I will begin harvesting lettuces, raab, and radishes in the next week or so.
Plans are underway to build a small barn which will house a walk-in cooler, making holding picked vegetables much easier and maybe even a small green house for starting seeds next year. Well, I can always dream can’t I?
(Editor’s note: In addition to their Seattle residence, Tom and Jackie bought a house and small farm in Prosser, WA, some years ago. The produce from the farm is trucked into the Tom Douglas Restaurants each summer.)
RSS Subscribe