Early June Greenhouse Activity

Lettuce, ready to find a home in the great outdoors! Getting so big in the greenhouse it is a chore to get water to the roots...the umbrella of the plant can often be obtrusive when trying to water, additionally, the roots begin to dominate the soils capacity to absorb water and the plants dry out much faster. These flats of lettuce are on their way out, following recently transplanted flats of celery and, of course, the hundreds of chiles an tomatoes plated out earlier this spring.




Cabbage? I didn't even check...if not cabbage, broccoli. This stuff comes in waves throughout the farm as Lee and Wayne try to always keep it available as staple crops. In fact, this is what we were sowing again this week. The stuff we seeded this week will be the fall harvest and some of it will go into winter, for example the brussels sprouts. Other crops seeded this week include another succession of lettuces, cauliflower, cabbage (lots of sauerkraut to come!), broccoli, romanescos, etc...All of that sea-green stuff. All of this is done according to the moon phase and we were in a hurry this week to get seeds into soil while the timing was right.

An overview of celery to plant out in coming weeks. The Thanksgiving crop? Perhaps. Planted too early the celery will flower as it is a biennial and reacts to temperatures that are too low. Planted too late it will never mature prior to fall/winter frosts. We have a good time trying to get the perfect celery specimen to harvest each season. It is one of my personal favorite growing experiments. Not to mention the tiny seed size. It is a challenge to drop just one seed per cell, one must focus very hard or else thin later on which can prove to be a lot of extra work.



Number one all around assistant Dominique and her side kick, Marisol, work hard to drop seeds in soil, organize flats, follow instructions from Lee, brew soil to fill flats, water greenhouse during high afternoon temperatures, etc.... This is a nice shift from the farm stand, the CSA, the commercial kitchen and all the other places Dominique had divided her energy for the farm these days....not to mention she is trying to invest time and energy into her own farming adventures this season! If there is one thing for certain, farming offers way too much work all the time. If you could do ten things at once, you might be able to get to it all...

Greenhouse Review

Sunday, April 18th, was our Greenhouse Open House Event. Drop in guests from across Chalk Hill Road to as far away as San Francisco dropped in throughout the day, some familiar with the farm and all it does, others simply curious about topics of growing and seeking an opportunity to engage in discussion. Many people went home with a plant or two to stick in their own gardens and a taste of the well known chile jams.

I feel horrible that I came away from this day with no group shots! Next time! I was able to document the plants as usual and will provide a short visual tour of what I saw this season in the greenhouse. As my first visit to the place in 2010, I was overly impressed with how well managed things seemed in there. Meet Zeni, Lee's number one right hand woman in the greenhouse and all things that occur to assist the farm at the Chalk Hill Road property.

Zeni goes about her midday watering responsibility after helping prepare for the Greenhouse Event last Sunday....Lee's pup, Cloudy, has a thing for water and water wands in particular. This complicates the watering process somewhat as it becomes a game and a job all at once.


Baby chiles here. This is a small fraction of the bigger picture.



Baby basil with a steaming camera lens. Many visitors were chased right out of some of the more heated areas of the greenhouse on Sunday as it was such a beautiful day....it was also one of the warmer days yet in the greenhouse. Others enjoyed and basked in the hot and humid climate that could be found in the specialty structure.


Corn. Tierra grows sweet corn, popcorn, flour corns, hominy corn. Which one is this? I'm not sure, I never asked Lee. My guess it that this is a flour corn that takes a long time to mature. The greenhouse start gives it a boost to ensure it matures before cold weather comes in fall and that pests do not damage baby seedlings in the field as often happens when things are direct seeded in spring.



Chiles....Ancho specifically. I think these are my favorite. The immature green Poblano will do, but a sweet and spicy, ripe, red Ancho is perfect for everything. I could eat a roasted Ancho a day and maybe I will when their season rolls around this summer/fall. Looks like there will be lots as usual!


Overview of red malabar spinach (a heat loving green that grows like a vine), first year asparagus seedlings (to plant out in 2011), previously described corn and a mix of basil and chiles.


Close up is either cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower....I think cabbage based on the leaf shape. These will go out to the farm field immediately, maybe today or tomorrow. They are ready and we just need the weather to allow access into the field. Behind is a sea of other brassicas and tomatoes and lettuce. All ready for a life in the great outdoors.


One more look at the forest of tomatoes and lettuce ready to go out. You could eat a salad right out of the greenhouse right now. Lee is masterful at bringing plants to a healthy and mature state before putting them outside. This approach gives them all that much more ability to survive the unexpected conditions that could impact them once exiting the greenhouse including weather, pests, soil, water, whatever!

A big thanks to everyone who came out to appreciate some the work that goes on behind the scenes on the farm. We hope you learned something new and look forward to seeing your faces again at our next gathering this season and at the farm stand, CSA, or farmer's market all season long.

Finally, check out this You Tube Video production by one of our guests of the open house, he took it upon himself to do a thorough overview of the structure and has shared his enthusiasm for all to watch and learn.

An Open Greenhouse Day

Sunday, April 18th, Lee has opted to open her greenhouse doors to farm followers who would enjoy stealing a glimpse this side of the farm operation. She has been hoping to celebrate the grand opening of this newly completed structure for more than a year now. Please come between 11:00am and 5:00pm.

Tis the season of the greenhouse as plants must be started ahead of time to live out their full life cycle and produce a good crop, but cannot be set outside too early in case a late frost might take them out. This includes a full of array of chiles, tomatoes, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, and whatever other unique varieties of vegetables Lee has opted to seed this season. Come and have a look!

If you think the outside looks fantastic (the place was carefully crafted by farm friend, Montana, in the Fall 2008-Spring 2009 period of time), come and see what is inside share in the successes of farming in the initial stages of creating annuals plants for food production.

When discovering this Tierra Event had been scheduled on the same day as the Farm Trails Spring Tour, we then opted to join up with the existing event. Take the full spring tour of Sonoma County farms with Farm Trails and make a full day of it or just drop in and see us at the greenhouse at no charge.

Parking will be tricky, so just be aware. The greenhouse is located in Healdsburg at 13684 Chalk Hill Road. There will be signs attempting to clearly direct you to a parking area.

Rain or shine, it won't matter. The greenhouse is the optimal environment for plants and people and will shelter from wind, rain, frost, and any other environmental challenges.

The people of Tierra and who does what: Lee

If there is one thing I have discovered again and again while operating the farm stand this winter/spring it is that not enough of you all know Lee. Lee James is the "sister" half of the farming team, Wayne compensating for the the other half. These two have been paired up on this project since 1980 (about the time I was born), Evie joining them as expert sales and marketing manager and point of contact, hence most of you know her well.

Lee operates the newly completed greenhouse out on Chalk Hill Road in Healdsburg, also her home and also the original business and packing site of the farm prior to gaining an office and commercial kitchen in Windsor a few years ago. She is the one who selects the seeds and varieties of vegetables that we delight in all season long. She plants, coddles and cares for these seedlings this time of the season.

Then, once the greenhouse is situated for the day, Lee is off to the commercial kitchen often times, working to concoct new and unique products with the vegetables she has grown. It is hard to go wrong as the ingredients are always fresh, incredibly well grown and different from anything you might in conventional grocery shopping outlets. In this scene she is overseeing a huge batch of chile jam...there is also hot sauce, sauerkraut, dried chile powders (there is lots of coughing when this task is being executed). She is not afraid to try to creatively preserve anything for you all to discover and is absolutely an expert at traditional and innovative methods of doing so. From Mole and Enchilada spice mixes to slaked hominy corn, you never know what you might find brewing in the Tierra kitchen.

Seemingly a busy lady already, there is plenty more. Lee is the primary packer of the CSA. She oversees the doling out of goods, especially those that are delivered to three sites across Sonoma County each week.

Then, she and Wayne convene at the field to plant and oversee management of field operations. She assists in stocking the farm stand with items from the kitchen or storage which is often from a great old barn on her place.

Then, as Friday rolls around again, it is time to prepare for the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. If anything dictates her weekly schedule, it is this priority. A good market is a good source of income for a small farm and that is what this market has become for Tierra over the years. Friendship with vendors and customers make all the hard planning and work worth while as Lee packs up each week for her longest day on Saturday.

Lee and her Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market neighbor, David of Little Organic Farm, indulge in popcorn samples in this image. Note Lee's felted hat....you will always find her in this during the cold season. Additionally, she is now accompanied by not just one, but two Sheltys. Her non-farming expertise happens to be in dog behavior and her pups are the best behaved I have ever known.

Standing in her chile patch, Lee was filmed and interviewed by the Emeril Green show last summer. She speaks with expert confidence on the topics of what she does for a living....a never-ending source of information on growing, harvesting, preparing, storing, and selling vegetables. She also likes to have fun while doing all of these things. I'm often delighted to see her having fun with the minuscule tasks of her day.

If you have never met Lee before, she is a pleasure to know and quite an important figure behind the entire Tierra operation. Keep your eye out for the felted hat in the winter or the trail of puppies in the summer time and say hello to one of your farmers. She works incredibly hard to serve us all!

Greenhouse Management

Another set of brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, broccolis) is packed up and ready to head out to the field today. There is some celery and celeriac that is ready to go in the ground too.

This is good timing as things need to be moved about in the greenhouse. As dictated by the waxing moon phase that favors seeding above ground annuals and flowers at this very time, Lee and I worked to put a few more seeds in the soil yesterday including cabbages for sauerkraut (large varieties), colorful cauliflowers (graffiti/purple and cheddar/orange), and some savoy cabbages, more celery, etc...

Here is a look at the brussels sprouts we seeded one week ago, emerging at a sporadic rate, Lee and I spent some time fussing over their conditions. As the season warms, some of the micro-climates within the greenhouse are less suitable (too hot) for seeds and seedlings that require lower temperatures to germinate like a lot of these items we are seeding for the fall harvest time. By moving out the seedlings that are ready for the field, we create more room for other flats of seeds that would prefer the cooler locations within the greenhouse. So we spent a little time finding the ideal homes for all of these little guys....

An overview of flats full of seeds demonstrates some of what we are fussing with here. Keeping track of the soil and air temperatures is constant work and shifts all day long depending on the outdoor conditions. A while back, Lee installed some cardboard above this area to filer the intense light a little bit. When we were working with chiles and tomatoes, the intense heat and light was a bit more favorable. As we work with less heat-loving seeds amidst the early summer time heat, the challenges have shifted to keeping the temperatures from rising too high.


In the cooler, outer room (where the seedlings harden off and live out their final days prior to transporting to the field) it is also getting quite warm. Yesterday, we spent some time putting extra shade over the roof of the greenhouse in order to filter the sun a bit as the temperatures remain high this week. Everything this season in the greenhouse is still a bit experimental since it is a brand new structure.

Hopefully the TLC we invested yesterday will pay off with high rates of germination. It is frustrating to spend so much time working with tiny seeds and to come back and see failed results, but it always happens one way or another. Seeding is such a balance of conditions, healthy soil, balanced water, perfect light and temperature, it is really a full time position to watch over all of this stuff.

In closing, I got another nice shot of celery and celeriac seedlings. The brilliant midday sunlight enhanced the vibrant green of these guys and inspired the photographer in me yet again. They are headed for the field next and hopefully to our tables by Thanksgiving to Christmas time.

Today is a great day to come out in the afternoon and try to catch us putting these little transplants into the ground. If you are stopping in to pick up your CSA share today, think about bringing a hat and setting aside 10-20 minutes to go and check out what is happening out in the farm fields. It is quite a treat to get to see all the steps behind your food production. Make the most of it!

In the Greenhouse-Thinning

Yesterday afternoon Lee and I found time to work in the greenhouse. It gets tougher this time in the season now that the CSA is in full weekly operation, the farm stand is open Tues-Sat, and the farm fields demand more time than all of us could ever devote all on their own.

There are small plants in the greenhouse that demand attention too. These are mostly those we seeded a couple of weeks back including celery, amaranth, and a slew of new brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, etc).

As Lee set to work sowing another round of celeriac seeds for the fall, I focused my efforts on thinning the current inventory of seedlings. Above is cabbage (I think, could be broccoli, I wasn't paying full attention after a while as I was in high speed thinning-mode in an effort to accomplish all we could in our single greenhouse afternoon). When seeding, you can drop one seed per cell assuming this one seed will grow and produce the plant you are attempting to have come transplant time down the road. Sometimes the seed packet contains a less than ideal germination test rate on the label as a warning that this might be a bad idea. At least two seeds per cell doubles your chances of having that germination success. This also uses up twice the seeds. In some cases, a small pile of a few seeds is better when it comes to things that are prone to poor or slow germination. This is the case with the celery and celeriac. Additionally, sometimes the seeds are so small that it is nearly impossible to drop in just one seed, like the amaranth. One must juggle the seed success rate, with personal ability and experience, with seed supplies, and then optimal greenhouse conditions and watering to follow through and make all this effort worthwhile. Lots to consider at once as usual and this is just in the seeding stage of farming!

So, my job yesterday was to thin all these plants down to singles to prepare for their new phase of growth and life prior to transplanting. Now that the seeds are up, we can see the success, in this case the cabbage seeds popped up ideally and we are thinning it down to one plant to eliminate the growth competition and have the single seedling ready for transplant when that time rolls around. I could have just sown one seed, but what if that seed never came up? Then I'd be here three weeks later with no plants. A little extra insurance is good when you are providing food for people who are relying on you to do so.

I snipped away the small stem of the brassica-type plants, lettuces and amaranths. I found the celery plants a little easier to simply weed down to one plant as the disturbance was minimal to the roots. This is moves along much quicker since I can drop the cumbersome scissors and work with two hands, doubling my efficiency. Technique with this task aims to optimize growing conditions for the plants you will save, that means the least amount of root disturbance while you eliminate the competition.

The tiny little celery plants above now have all the room their roots systems need to grow big and strong to prepare to go out into the wide-world that is the farm field.

Working in the Greenhouse: An Ideal Environment

The greenhouse is an enclosed workspace with various rooms, or chambers. As someone who is ever-seeking to get outside no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I view the greenhouse as an ideal cubicle environment. In my practical experience being stuck in a cubicle where I really once was, the environmental conditions are usually quite poor. I always recall trying to escape my cube by watching the glass mirror-ball up above on the ceiling (there was no window, of course) which really only gave me views of people walking to and from the bathroom nearby. Some characteristics I recall include stagnant air carrying various odors of people, food, and other unknowns; loud voices carrying on personal or professional conversation distracting from your work focus; trash; ergonomic challenges; electronics both functioning and broken equally as often; etc... In the greenhouse, these undesirable characteristics are little to none and you are surrounded by a grand array of greenery for ambience.

The greenhouse is primed to offer the optimal conditions to plants. This is also a haven for people and perhaps pests find their way in (see aphids having a late Cinco de Mayo fiesta atop the foliage of this chile plant). I cannot complain about being stuck indoors when working in a greenhouse. Sometimes it even beats outdoors on days that are windy, too cold, rainy. It gives a refuge on those less ideal days where the work that serves the farm may still continue.




This greenhouse update includes very mature eggplants. I am only guessing these could be on their way out to the field soon after the chiles are all in the ground. The current state of the eggplant causes a watering challenge. The plants have an umbrella of foliage that blocks overhead sprinkles and requires some brushing aside of leaves and up close attention to be sure they get their daily water ration.

As I work in my cubicle, surrounded in plants, I learn. This season amongst the laundry list of lessons I take home from this job, I really focused on soil nutrition in the greenhouse. Lee is blessed with incredible soil to work with as Wayne is a master compost-maker. Some situations require the sterile soil mixes you see bagged up for greenhouse work, other times using something with a little more life inside it is the better choice. Things to think about are what sort of pot or flat you are using, what sort of seeds, how long they will stay in one pot, whether they will get additional fertilizing or be potted up. I have seen various greenhouses at work this spring, including my own mini-operation at home, and I feel enriched in my own abilities by my experience working along with the decisions I have seen Lee make in her role as a greenhouse manager.

Finally, a report of my "office" tasks in the greenhouse. I seeded an entire new round of basil yesterday to compensate for plants that went outdoors a litte too soon this season. They did not frost to death, but many of them are looking less that ideal. My second assignment was amaranth. Many kinds will be grown this year and not just for ornamental foliage, but edible foliage and edible seeds/grains. I am sure this is a topic to be touched on further in the future. Amaranth is for the patient and focused seeder. Seeds are tiny and I anticipate will become a common weed around the farm after growing this quantity of pants. They must drop millions of small grains if allowed to go to seed in the field.

Catching Up in The Greenhouse

I went away for a few weeks, hence the lack of spring farming topics. Wayne, Lee and Evie are flexible in helping me step out for various personal situations...I am not tied down to a farm myself as each of them are with needs like watering, caring for animals, running a business, etc...

In my absence, plenty of seeding, growing, and planting went on as expected. Even a little more building occurred on the new greenhouse, thanks to Wayne's neighbor Montana, an entire new room was installed. The final space is designed for plants needing a cooler climate or those in the process of hardening off (preparing to head to the big outdoors and live out their days w/o the coddling environment of the greenhouse). The hardening off area is on the left in the photo above, the middle area of the greenhouse is an intermediate temperature area and on the right is the warmest place where brand new seed trays get the best spots for optimal germination.

The newly potted-up eggplant seedlings on the left are enjoying some of the best spaces in the greenhouse currently, needing plenty of warmth to get off to a happy and healthy start in life.

Baby celery plants are enjoying temperatures that range in the 60s-70s during the day in the middle room of the greenhouse, nearly ready to move out into the field for the season where they will spend months sizing up for a late summer-early fall harvest. I seeded more for the following picking yesterday in addition to the beloved celeriac/celery root. If we time this stuff just right we can hope to be sure to have these flavorful items in time for your fall harvest needs around Thanksgiving when celery suddenly becomes a component of most recipes.

A diverse mix of basil is large and ready to find it's home in the field, likely this week, perhaps even today. Plans are in the works for diverse basil bouquets again this season. If you don't see them for sale when you drop in at the farm stand, just ask, the plants will be out there ready for picking.

Finally, the first wave of chiles has been stationed in the "hardening-off" room, this means they will go outdoors soon. Chiles are dispersed throughout the greenhouse as there are so many varieties at various stages in their growth. It will be another grand season of chiles and peppers at Tierra Vegetables, no doubt.

Aside from all of this plant reporting, there is people news within the Tierra staff. A young new assistant has joined the crew who goes by the name Kara (I'm not sure if she spells it with a C or a K she is so new to me). This is the same name that Lee calls her canine companion, so it is causing some minor confusion. Kara has taken up some slack where I stepped out for a time and has become a valuable new component of the farming operation already as she assists with seeding, market sales, and everything in between. Interested in learning more about farming and CSA, I informed her she came to the right place. Never have I gained more incidental learning at a job than the months I have spent working with this farm. The education does not stop. On the right, Kara seeds a late sowing of tomatoes and tomatillos while Lee prepares soil in the background.

One final image of the greenhouse in closing. This is a spectacular addition to the farm this season and quite an investment. It really ought to contribute to future plans and extend the capabilities of the farm in general. Note the sheep wandering past on the right and the skeleton of the old greenhouse structures behind them.

In the Greenhouse-Status Report

This week we continue to seed lettuce and other things that need succession planting to keep a continual supply available. It is also time to transplant tomatoes!! The chiles are alive and well, basil is fragrant, lettuce is large and leafy.

The earliest tomatoes are large enough to go outdoors, unfortunately, is just isn't warm enough yet!

The next wave of tomatoes are just the right size to be potted up for their next stage of growth.

Basil looks and smells so good. There will be plenty before long, but for now it remains an early season delicacy. A number of basil plants have been seeded to add as a component to the spring CSA. Hopefully CSA members will receive a Tierra-grown basil plant in weeks to come.

Baby chile plants everywhere!

The first of the summer squash.

A beautiful Lewisia that Lee keeps around for color and inspiration, obtained from our comrade, Dan, of Flatland Flower Farm of West Sonoma County and vendor at the Ferry Plaza Market.

Greenhouse Activities: Sowing Summer Squash and Rain-Watering

The earliest summer squash seeds are now situated for growing with soil, water and temperatures conducive to their life cycle. Plans and schemes are underway to have summer vegetables back on the menu as soon as possible this spring.


Since I had been to the greenhouse last week, the watering and sprinkler systems have been completed and enacted. Thank goodness all of this does not require extensive use of the watering can any longer. Utilizing rain water reserves, the sprinklers are keeping the seedlings moist as evenly and efficiently as possible in order to preserve one of our most precious resources (water!!). Hopefully an overview of the entire greenhouse construction will be made available for your reading pleasure before too long. It is all still in progress as we plant and work this spring.

In the Greenhouse-Seeding has begun

A brand new greenhouse has been under construction for the last few months now, upgrading the capabilities and efficiencies of the farm inevitably. With seeding time suddenly upon us, the greenhouse is still being built and equipped with it's heating and watering systems. All the same, seedling trays are moving in on any and all available space.

Your 2009 chiles, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuces, onions, herbs and more are on their way to infancy. Quantities are being calculated and recorded in order to serve all customer and market needs. Working with seeds is one of the greatest pleasures to a blossoming grower such as myself. I am lucky to learn and grow alongside Lee in the greenhouse this season. See below for some of the initial seedling sights of the new season.

Tomatoes are dancing to life in their new home that includes optimal light, soil, water and temperature needs in order to thrive.
These tiny onion sprouts are planted with the intention of serving your fall onion needs. Onion sprouts send up a single shoot, like a blade of grass. People in the plant world call these monocots.
Baby broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower supplies the greenhouse with it's first flush of green growth.
Seeding indoors is a labor of endurance and detail. I'd rather be doing this than sitting in a cubicle any day. In this image Lee carefully places a few seeds in each of these cells in order to ensure germination. Later, any excess seedlings will be thinned out and the strongest plant will be left to survive the length of the growing season.