Scale

One thing that has been challenging to me thus far has been the change in my sense of scale. The last two days were supposed to be spent getting irrigation ready for the garden–yesterday was not so productive as it was raining buckets, and I spent the day adding some weight to the low tunnels to keep them more secure in the wind.

how far do you reckon that is?

I bought Home Despot out of 3/4″ poly pipe for mainline yesterday–3 rolls at 100′. But when I actually walked out from the barn this morning, I realized (okay, really, I had realized yesterday, but I was, you know, kinda hoping) that that 300′ wasn’t going to make it far enough. And yes, from the water at the barn to the close corner of the garden is about 450 feet. To the far corner it’s 600+.

So back to HD to see if they had re-upped their stock of poly pipe today. Yes, and no. They did have three more 100′ rolls of 100psi poly, but I needed at least three plus buffer. So I ended up having to gather a roll of 160psi pipe (2x the $) to round it out. I didn’t end up having to use it (yet) so I might do an exchange if I can hold off until the end of the week.

irrigation for tunnels

In the end, I ran out of time before my class tonight to get the system hooked up to water. That’s Saturday’s job, as tomorrow I teach drawing at the kids’ school and (foreshadowing ) it’s Turkey Day…

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Growing Seeds Farm is a small, diversified farm located in Corbett, Oregon, dedicated to the idea that the most important thing is to know where your food comes from and how it gets grown. We are farming fruit (berries and non-citrus tree-fruit), vegetables, and grass (pasture) in the most regenerative way possible.

Our fruit and vegetables are grown without chemicals or non-natural fertilizers. We use the outputs of our other systems (such as livestock and cover crop) as inputs to our fruits and veggies. In return, our livestock reap the reward of some fruit and veggies (and all the yummy insects that feed on them) for their feed.

The livestock that we are raising (or will be raising) are animals that can live and forage on pasture with minimal amounts of human maintenance. These animals are primarily known as "heritage" livestock-the types of animals that were raised on family farms before the advent of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)--you know, where the animals are packed together without any space to move, don't forage for their own food, are fed things that they wouldn't naturally eat, and have to be mutilated and pumped full of antibiotics just to keep them alive to harvest.

This means we are using our various types of heritage livestock to create a rich and healthful pasture system, and in turn, our livestock (chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, goats, cows and pigs (and llamas, too)) are happy, healthy, and flavorful. Having well managed pastures means that all our animals eat more of what nature intended and less supplementary feed and hay. What it means to you and I is that they're happier, healthier, and if you eat them, more flavorful and nutritious.

Part of our mandate is that we are educative and open about our farming. We encourage you to come visit us and see how we are raising our (your) food. From the students coming up from Portland as part of their learning experience, to the casual tourist out driving the Historic Columbia River highway, we're happy for guests. Our philosophy is that you should know what it is you are eating, and where it comes from. You should be able to, and be comfortable with, coming out to "visit" your food (our farm) whenever you like, and you should be comfortable and happy with the way that you see, hear, taste (and smell) your food being grown.

Growing Seeds Farm

33410 E Historic Columbia River Highway, Corbett, OR, 97019

you can reach us at fred@growingseedsfarm.com or jessica@growingseedsfarm.com

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