Working Wet Soils

5/6

I plant oats in the field. The fields are still too wet to be worked – but in desperation (I am about a month later than my ideal oat planting time) I went to two little fields with tractor and cultivator and disc yesterday to work down and incorporate the wheat/hairy vetch cover crop that was growing to prepare them to plant oats. Apple planted sweet clover in the fields during the time I planted the oats with a mechanical drill – that places seeds into the soil in rows 7” apart.

We also till two fields in preparation for sorghum planting – even though the soil is too wet. Why? The sorghum plants in the flats are about an inch tall already and will be ready to transplant in about 10 days. It takes about 2 weeks for the cover crop (all of our fields are in cover crop) to die and be incorporated by the soil organisms before planting. Since it is constantly wet, I decide to take the risk and start working a few fields - altho I keep having this nagging thought that in 2 weeks I will regret it because likely the soil then will be full of clods and not good for planting; on the other hand, it may be a brilliant move – if weather and soil conditions are propitious, we may be able to transplant in those fields when none other are ready. Ah! The joys of being a farmer – the weather is the final arbiter - it may prove your actions brilliant – OR - “you should know better by now!” (which will it be? Stay tuned……).

I also tilled up a small plot (12’ x 75’) to prepare it for transplanting black currant starts into. When we cleaned up our currant patch last March, I cut a bunch of the prunings into 8” sections and had Michelle plant them in a little bed. Most of them sprouted and are ready to be transplanted. I hope to be able to plant them into their permanent home soon.