We mostly grow crops outside of a greenhouse! Our greenhouses are more akin to propagation houses, especially this time of year. The first week of March is when we sow our first lettuce plants. We typically use what are called 128’s. 128 is an abbreviation for transplant trays that have 128 cells in a 10”x20” tray.
We will seed lettuce in trays every two weeks from March till the end of June, and hopefully plant 1000 plants every other week. Of course, that is the plan on paper. And I can guarantee one thing: farming with a pencil is a whole lot easier than the real deal!
But without some planning, the odds of having a successful year get a lot slimmer. I know that if I don’t have a plan to grow food for you, I won’t be as successful.
The trick is to recognize that that plan is just a plan, and implementation is where the plan meets reality. Our farm plan allows us to flex when needed, but our farm plan is not designed to be always in flex mode. That is subtle a difference, but it is important to not always be in “flex” mode. Flex mode is used when a deviation is needed to course correct and then get back to the plan.
We try to stick to our farm plan. It has been honed from years of trial and error. For us, we grow lots of staples. Our main crops are lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, beans, raspberries, pears, plums, apples, and garlic.Last year’s plan worked awesome! The weather cooperated, and the weeds were manageable. If I could only order last year’s weather!
-Tristan
