SOIL BLOCK BREAKDOWN.

 Had we never interned at Bugtussle Farm, I don't know that we would have ever tried soil blocks. Beyond Eliot Coleman and a few others, most farmers decry this seed propagation method as too slow, too much soil used, too cumbersome.We, however, seven years in, see it differently. And I thought I'd just do a little breakdown of what we've found using soil blocks––per an (always appreciated) request in our comments section––and why we still do. But first, some dispelling.SPEEDSlow is the word people often associate with soil block making. And though we've admittedly never used any other method on anywhere near the scale we use soil blocks, one soil block tray of 50 or 84 blocks takes me about 90 seconds (minus seeding which depends on seed size, color and shape). Give or take.  4" blocks, maybe take less. And that's with regular hand held block makers ––more efficient ones exist or are coming out. Is that slow? Hard to imagine cell trays going a whole lot faster (though let me know if I'm wrong!). Of course, when you first start out, it may be slower. No, it definitely will be. You will try and make every block perfectly crisp. You will try and clean the block makers of dirt before releasing the blocks. If you can push beyond that, however, get a block looking at least three quarters good––AKA good enough for a seed to approve of––that's all you need.CRUMBLYIf you have trouble with crumbly blocks, two things may have occurred. First, the soil may not have been properly prepared or moistened. I prefer too wet of a soil over too dry (explained below) for this reason. Second, you may have tried to transplant the block before the seedling took root––generally around first true leaves. Once roots are established in the block, they will more or less hold it together. You may lose soil here or there in transplanting, but it's no big deal. Throw it in the garden, or stir into unused mix.TOO MUCH SOILIndeed, you will use a lot of soil with soil blocks. But think of soil block trays as portable gardens. When these gardens exit your greenhouse and go into your field, not only are you transplanting a crop, but all of that soil, that garden, as well. By that logic, we have added roughly 1 1/2 tons of soil mix to our 3/4 acre garden so far this year from soil blocks. That's a lot of bonus organic matter!HOW TO USE:Start with a well-prepared soil mix. This can be purchased from a compost company like Vermont Compost or Johnny's or simply made at home. For us, our recipe is: one, 3-cubic yard bag of peat moss (or like substance), 20 gallons sifted sand, 10 gallons sifted compost plus 10 gallons sifted soil or old compost. We then add 4 cups blood meal for nitrogen, 4 cups lime, 2 cups rock phosphate (or other organic phosphorous source), 2 cups green sand (or similar potassium) and occasionally crushed egg shells for calcium when potting up tomatoes and peppers. (This is essentially Eliot Coleman's recipe). All ingredients should be mixed well, of course, and it seems to perform better when left to "marry" for a few months, so make in fall or winter when possible. (Four of these mixes will usually get us through the spring.) Next we wet the soil to a consistency where it is not quite puddling or muddy, but is definitely wet. It should drip but not run––you'll figure that out with practice. We then pack it into the maker and form our blocks. Don't worry about perfect blocks. Just make sure they hold together. To help with that, depress the soil block maker against the tray to compact the block a little before releasing the blocks. Then we seed, cover in accordance with the seed size (larger seeds like cucurbits generally like to be fully covered, whereas smaller seeds like lettuce can just be lightly covered––we simply pinch soil from the side of the blocks, no extra needed) and place in shade or greenhouse.GENERAL TIPS:Use a wheel barrow or similarly sturdy container so you can utilize the edges for pressing the soil in. Soft containers will bend and flex, eventually breaking. Make sure it's at a good height for you––don't break your back bending over. Dip your soil block maker in water after every blocking or two to rinse. This will help keep the blocks sliding out smoothly. If the mix gets too wet, add more dry mix and stop dipping until back to good consistency. Do not leave block makers out. They will rust and become more ornery over time. Always rinse and place somewhere dry and warm for longevity.WHERE TO PURCHASE:We have only used the soil block makers from Johnny's, though we are fully satisfied. Others exist, but I cannot comment on their efficacy. We have also made our own four inch makers out of old plastic pots––good for a small scale garden, but won't last long. Additionally, our block makers are all the small-handled versions, though we hope to step up to the long-handled makers one day to save on back strain. Johnny's is also, I believe, working on a maker that will produce an entire tray at once, which could drastically improve the speed.If you have any questions, additions, or comments, leave them below! We also made THIS video last month of potting up peppers for reference.-Jesse. 

SEED STARTING IN THE SNOW.

We spent the first sort of warmish day of the year making soil blocks down at the Smith's house, and letting Further get his first good dose of sunshine.

FORWARD MARCH.

It's around the fall when farming is at its most unforgiving. This is the time of year when it's too late to plant more corn. Or more tomatoes. Or more sweet potatoes. Whatever is done is pretty much done and if you made mistakes that year, you have to wait until next year to correct them. This, to me, is one of the hardest times to be farming.But March. Now March is a good month to be a farmer. March is that time of year when you haven't screwed anything up yet. You haven't had that drought yet. You haven't lost that crop to that weed or pest yet. All you have is possibility. March is a clean slate, a fresh palate.I imagine this is what it's like to be a professional athlete (though notably less lucrative). If you have a bad season, you have to wait until next year to improve on it. But like a good athlete, farmer's don't sit around while we wait. We think about what we did wrong. We work on the things we need to improve. We plan, we plot, we prepare ourselves––physically and mentally––for the next year when we will get another shot, another chance to do better than the year before. 2015: 0 wins, 0 loses.For us, this year is about being prepared for dry weather. It's about not raising turkeys. It's about not having goats––well, milk goats, at least. This year we're going to concentrate on our strengths. And our strengths are in the garden. We are good vegetable growers and we love to garden. We will still raise pigs, and maybe ruminants for a few months, but Further will be our primary livestock this year.With that said, we're feeling really good about this season. I mean, I say that every March, but with one more year of experience under our belts I feel more confident than ever. I'm excited about this growing season. I'm excited about the people we're going to feed. It's going to be a good year. I can almost taste it. Well, almost––tasting it starts next month.- Jesse.

THIS & THAT.

Some random photos from the past week.Making ricotta. We are running out of room for feather collections.Boris taking care of an itch.Making a double-double soil mix. Kind of over the guineas right now. They're pretty obnoxious.