Progression of The No-Till

I posted earlier about the environmental benefits of No-Till farming, and how we go about doing it at One Straw Farm. Well it is now a few weeks since Uncle Drew flattened the field of wheat and vetch and we are now able to see some results of the No-Till crimping. By and large the field of cover crop went from being a flat blanket of lush green and purple, but have now begun to decompose into a dull yellow and bleak green. This only means that the crop has begun breaking down, releasing nutrients into the soil are necessary for healthy plant growth. Refer Back to the previous No-Till post to see the field before, and right after it was flattened

The Container Crop Return

Now I know many of our faithful CSA customers grow a little weary of looking out over the sea of green at the markets during the beginning of the season, and having to pick what type of green they want to experiment with every week; well it is that time in the year where we begin to move on from the green wave and into a more diverse selection. We will start to have beets, zucchini, and yellow squash; followed closely by red/white onions, peppers, herbs, and garlic. So start finding recipes that don’t rely solely on the use of greens because the heart of the season is near.

Fells Point

Some of you may already know that there is a new market location for One Straw, and that is in Fells Point. The Fells point market is a brand new start-up market, and is in a prime location; right by the water, good food, fresh produce, you name it. I keep hearing good things about the market from my brother, who has been working there instead of Waverly on Saturdays. So check it out. Go alone, take a date, or take your whole pack with you, but definitely give the new market a look. After all, since when has trying new things been a bad thing?

The Start of a Crop

If you look through the photo section of the blog you can follow the progression of the crop from seed to field. The seed is first planted in the seed greenhouse where it is left to germinate. From there the crop of seeds is moved from the seed house to another greenhouse to allow the seed to spout and grow in a controlled environment to ensure that the environment won’t kill off a crop before its growth can take off. The crop is then loaded on a trailer and moved to its designated field to be transplanted. As you can see in the pictures transplanting is either done by hand, needing more guys to do the job quickly, or is done by a transplanter, which only requires a tractor driver and two people planting the crops from the back seat of the planter. From then we can only hope mother nature blesses us with beautiful weather and keeps the deer far away from out fields, but nature’s beast is not easily tamed and often grants the farm with the greatest challenge.

Senior Week

Sorry about the lack of updated posts recently, but I took a sabbatical in Ocean City M.D for the past week for Senior Week to celebrate our graduation from high school. My conviction to the idea of local organic food was only strengthened during the notoriously unhealthy Senior Week. During the week my friends and I lived off of a diet of greasy pizza, cheeseburgers, ramen noodles, and easy mac. The whole week my stomach was uneasy from the processed food and grease. The whole time my body yearned for a nice home cooked meal from mom, consisting, of course, of One Straw vegetables. I went straight from Ocean City to Avalon NJ to enjoy some family beach time, and upon arrival to the house I found the table covered with vegetables from the farm; fresh and ready for a salad. Now my stomach can rest in peace.

No-Till Fields


Well today farmer Drew rolled the tractor out to the cover crop fields of wheat and vetch to prepare the field for a squash crop. Instead of preparing the field like he would for any other crop, the squash field is a no-till operation. No-till is useful for soil conservation and adds nutrients to the soil to help facilitate natural plant growth. To prep a field without plowing it, Uncle Drew pulls a large grooved roller behind the tractor to flatten and crimp the cover crop. After the cover crop is crimped it begins to decompose into the soil, thus providing the necessary nutrients for the coming squash crop. I will post pictures and video following the no-till preparation in action.