Hi I'm Erin.
This space right here is where this summer's tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers will grow.
It doesn't look like a garden yet.
But soon there will be a new high tunnel over this ground and we will fill it with our seedlings.
But first we have to get those seedlings started and I'm going to share with you why I do
this year after year and why I still enjoy it on Our Wyoming Life.
This summer will be our 9th season of attending our local farmers' market.
We've come a long way from our humble beginnings and have grown more produce than I could have
ever imagined.
Finishing beef and pork was also not something that I ever thought we would do in the beginning.
This year with the second high tunnel being build we will try and grow even more!
There's so much work to be done and in all honesty the weather outside isn't cooperating.
But make sure you subscribe and hit the bell notification so you don't miss an episode
and come garden with me and escape the ordinary.
Gardening and market farming is a huge part of the ranch life.
It keeps me busy all year long anymore and if I didn't love it there's no way that
I could do it.
But why do I love it?
That's the big question.
And let's not forget that sometimes I have moments or days or even weeks when I don't
love it.
When it's hot and dry and my crops are struggling I don't love it.
When I've pulled more weeds than I could ever count and there's still more to go
I don't love it.
When I've worked long hours everyday for weeks without a day off from the gardens I
don't love it.
What I do love it putting a tiny seed in the ground, seeing the beginning of it's life
happen and being rewarded with a harvest for my family and other families.
I love the challenge of growing new varieties every year and bringing more color and flavors
to my market booth.
I love the puzzle of where can I put all of these crops and how can I grow more pounds
of produce every year in my garden space.
The thing that I love the most about all of this work though is seeing my family eat the
food I grow and the relationships that have grown with my customers.
There is nothing more satisfying than working super hard all week, getting up really early
Saturday morning, setting up our booth and having it overflowing with veggies and then
seeing our customers be excited for what is in our booth that week.
They come back week after week, they share their new favorite way to cook kale or how
good the pork chops were that they cooked on the grill.
They have put their faith in the ranch that we can grow and raise the most amazing veggies,
pork and beef.
That's an awesome responsibility and sometimes a burden, but one that I am so very happy
to carry.
The summer crops that we harvest in July and August start in our basement in March or April.
I actually am later planting seedlings this year because of the high tunnel construction.
If I was planting in the existing high tunnel we would be transplanting in about 10-14 days
depending on the weather.
But that's not the case this year and we are hoping for a May 15th transplant date.
Tomatoes and peppers get started the same way every year.
A small germinating tray is filled with dirt, seeds are sprinkled in and a light layer of
dirt is placed on top.
It's the same for all the varieties I'm planting today.
The smaller trays go in a 10x20 garden flat.
Once all the seeds are planted the trays are move into the indoor greenhouses, clear domes
are placed on top and everything gets closed up and a blanket is used to keep the seeds
warm until germination is complete.
In about a week we should have new baby tomatoes and peppers.
After a couple more weeks we can transplant them into individual pots.
There's a few essential things that I couldn't raise successful seedlings without.
And once you get the hang of starting your own plants you won't ever quit!
You need light.
But you don't need fancy grow lights.
Daylight fluorescent bulbs from the hardware store will work just fine as long as you change
them every other year.
A timer to run those lights is also needed.
After germination everything gets about 14 hours of light.
Dark is just as important for the tiny seedlings as light.
If you leave the lights on 24 hours a day once your seedlings are up they will struggle.
You also need to be able to adjust the height of the light as the plants grow.
These chains and s hooks work great.
You need good dirt and not potting soil but a seed starting mix that is specifically designed
for germinating seedlings to be able to push through.
Trays and pots are also needed.
There's tons of different kinds online and you can definitely find what works best for
you.
Heat is also needed for warm germinating seeds like peppers and tomatoes.
But you don't need heat mats.
The fluorescent bulbs put off heat and while germinating the lights can be left on 24 hours
a day and a blanket wrapped around our indoor greenhouse captures the heat.
These indoor greenhouses are also amazing I personally couldn't live without them.
Lastly you need patience and a hope for new beginnings and a bountiful summer harvest.
Now we are a long way away from picking our first tomato but before too long we will be
picking lettuce and other spring crops.
Outside in the high tunnel there's lots of green.
The lettuce, kale, broccoli and cauliflower that we transplanted 3 weeks ago are doing
great and they need water today.
I also direct seeded some spinach and radishes and they will need water too.
A hose is hooked up to my mom's house and we're in business.
I like to start with the direct seeded beds.
Right now since they are germinating it's important to keep the top layer of soil damp.
I expect to see things popping up in the next couple of days.
I move up and down the beds giving everything a nice gentle drink.
Our Salanova lettuce is next.
I like to move the hose down pretty close to the beds and just move around all of the
heads of lettuce making sure there are no dry spots and that everything gets plenty
of water.
On to the spinach.
There's still a few aphids living in the spinach.
It needs cut and we will try spraying again.
I need one more harvest off of this for our April market and then we will burn the bed.
Because there are aphids I don't want to splash the water everywhere.
So again the hose is placed close to the crop and moved around.
The kale, cauliflower and broccoli bed is that last to get watered and by now you get
the hang of what the plan is.
Hose close to the crops and around and around, back and forth the water goes.
Right now the spring crops need watered every 2-3 days.
It takes about an hour and in all honesty if I started figuring out how much work compared
to how much we will make once the produce is ready I probably wouldn't like how the
numbers work out.
But this goes back to why do I do this and why do I love it.
It's cold and cloudy out today but yesterday the sun was out.
It was 85 degrees in here.
When I step inside the high tunnel it smells like a greenhouse.
It smells of heat and humidity and rich ground.
The gardens are my favorite places on the ranch.
Don't get me wrong I love all the animals but I love the gardens more.
From the earth and with my hard work and knowledge I'm able to grow thousands of pounds of
veggies year round.
Every time we go to farmers' market people are happy to buy the products that we have
worked hard to grow.
What doesn't get sold at market gets donated to our local council of community services.
Where people who can not afford fresh local produce still have access to our veggies.
All in all I would say market gardening is a pretty good job.
It's definitely not what I planned on doing with my life but I honestly can say that I
have never worked so hard in my life and enjoyed it so much.
Thanks for joining me today for I hope you enjoyed hearing more of the story of market
gardening.
Make sure you subscribe, hit the bell notification and like us on Facebook or Instagram.
Mike will have a new video for you this Sunday and I can't wait to see you next time as
we explore the gardens and escape the ordinary on Our Wyoming Life.
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