Farmer Authors

Have you ever accidentally ordered too many hot pepper plant varieties and then accidentally planted too many hot pepper plants out of pure excitement for summer flavors? Of course you have! We've all been there; the seed catalog is open and the varieties are impossible to pass up. You think one or two plants of each type will be just...

While we busily harvest the great bounty of fruiting crops, nutritious leaves, roots, flowers and herbs erupting from the garden in mid July, the sneaking thought that winter is coming plays like creepy horror film music in the back of my mind. We're all doing our best to can our tomatoes and make our cabbage into sauerkraut for use in...

There’s a new pest entering the scene and it is wreaking havoc on brassicas crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli and kale. It’s called the swede midge and it's larvae feed off of and destroy the growth point of plants.  As a new and invasive pest that currently has no organic approved pesticides that work to eradicate it, early detection and...

There's no labor of love on the farm quite as time consuming and stressful as attempting to raise a healthy tomato crop. After years of honing in on a system, we find what methods work best for our spaces and what varieties outperform others. This cumulative experience of growing tomatoes, season after season, serves as the wisdom that ultimately leads...

The gardening season is here! It's an exciting time and has been made even more so by all of the new gardeners getting growing this year as a means of supplying their families and communities with fresh food during these uncertain times. Below we've put together some friendly first-timer tips and, as always, we encourage you seasoned gardeners out there...

As we've each dealt with the difficulties and uncertainties of life amid a global health crisis individually, we've also been forced to carry the burden collectively with disruptions to foodways, resource distribution, healthcare and our local and national economies. It has affected everyone, though not equally, and each community has had to make tough choices about how to move forward...

While challenges and pressures will continue to exist for those who hope to stand up to the problems inherent in our modern food system, there are always those who have gone before and those who are finding solutions to these issues today. Connecting to elders, collaborating with community members, reaching out to other farmers, and tapping into the local and...

The year is 2020 and while there has never been more access to information for young farmers seeking to learn, it seems as though acquiring the land and capital to start an agricultural enterprise has never been more difficult. As this newest generation of agrarians face the mounting pressures of student debt, finding land with good access to markets, systemic...

When it comes to market gardening, it can be difficult to find a balance between diversity and efficiency. Whether you're hoping to put together a beautiful table at a farmers market, attract restaurant sales, coops or local shops, or satiate the culinary curiosities of a big CSA, having a wide selection of different crops, varieties, and options keeps your operation...

As the season comes to a close, it can be hard to find the motivation to properly shut down the farm.  Steps taken in the fall to organize and protect tools, equipment, and supplies will be rewarded with more efficiency when getting started in the spring.  While all farms and gardens are unique, there are many commonly used systems and...