Patio Farm Internship

One of the responsibilities of the today's farmers is to educate others about the importance of growing food. With the number of farmers dwindling, and the links between farm and table becoming increasingly invisible to the average urban eater, it is vitally important that each of us spend the time and energy to share our love and knowledge of farming. Patio Farm was recently lucky enough to host our own farmer-for-a-day intern and to share the simple pleasures of planting and harvesting. 


The first farm chore was starting seedlings for summer crops. Using an indoor greenhouse for pre-season planting we started lemon cucumbers, sweet cherry peppers, yellow pear tomatoes, Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes and some hollyhocks. Farming requires two personal characteristics that are often difficult to cultivate: advance planning and delayed gratification. Starting seedlings is a perfect example of this, and it was well worth the effort and mental discipline. This week the seedlings started to pop up their first sets of leaves. 

Our next task was a full-scale crop harvest. One of the first things that I planted in September when I started Patio Farm was radishes. Radishes are the darlings of children and impatient farmers alike, as they only take 3 to 4 weeks from planting to grow and mature into a harvestable vegetable. Unfortunately, these seed packet statistics assume that there is adequate sunshine and so it has taken several months instead on my shady patio for the crop to mature. Nevertheless, we had an abundant harvest and made room for some new seeds to be planted. 

Feed the soil, not the plant. This is great advice and reminds us that our relationship to food production is more than just planting and harvesting, it also includes stewardship of the earth. On Patio Farm we have a strategy for feeding the soil that includes digging holes and putting green scraps and coffee grounds in them to boost the levels of organic matter and nitrogen. So I had our intern dig a new hole for me ... a task that is incredibly satisfying. We were lucky enough to find several earthworms during our excavation and took the opportunity to export a few of them to one of the large planters to further share the wealth of the farm and continue to improve the soil. Earthworms are one of my greatest accomplishments on Patio Farm. My planter beds are pretty much a closed system, and yet the worms somehow appeared and have proceeded to multiply. I am so proud of my worms. (There is one on the picture below ... can you find it?)

The last farm chore was planting. We planted some white turnip, French breakfast radishes, and purple Russian kale. We are still on Spring crops here in the desert, and hoping for a few more months of salad vegetable production before the heat sets in and delicate greens are replaced with heartier summer crops. The kale has already sprouted, the radishes are up as well and I am now only waiting for the turnips to poke through and start growing. Each day is truly exciting as I survey the farm for signs of growth and change. 

After a full day of farming, we were tired, dirty and a little hungry too. We washed our hands (and feet!), put our tools away and finished up the day with a final treat: carrot harvest! We pulled some choice carrots from the ground and enjoyed them with a few of the radishes and a little dash of salt. Food definitely tastes better when you have put your heart and mind into it.