Greetings! Over the last several weeks, I’ve been establishing a new plot for my 2025 seed crop. It’s been a lot of work! After last year’s outstanding sun-grown seed crop, the landowner informed me that she might be selling her farm, so she could not rent to me again for the 2025 growing season. That set up a search for a new location!
Luckily, I found an organic flower farmer who was excited to “host” my seed crop, but the space that he had available had been in sod for at least 20 years. No problem, I thought. I can remove the sod, which was easier said than done!
I measured out the space needed for my 10 foot by 20 foot plot, and began digging sod. I used a long-handled digging fork to loosen the sod, one clump at a time. Once the sod was loosened, I used the same fork to beat and shake each clod of sod to remove as much topsoil from the roots as possible. That was time consuming and back breaking, but I got it done!
Once all of the sod roots and large rocks had been removed, I shaped the soil into 3 long beds. I amended the soil with compost, worm castings, Pro Hemp fertilizer from North Country Organics, and wollastonite (calcium silicate). Finally, I was ready to plant!
I had started my Lamb’s Breath plants a few weeks earlier, indoors in grow tents. The seedlings were doing great, but they were ready for some fresh air, sunlight, rain, and healthy soil. The plants seemed to smile and say “thank you,” once their roots were in the ground and I gave them a shot of Stress-X to help prevent transplant shock.
A neighbor of ours uses a large lawn vac to collect tree leaves in the fall, and dumps them in a ditch nearby. I loaded my truck with moist, chopped tree leaves, and mulched my entire plot. Nothing better to conserve moisture, prevent weeds, and establish a healthy soil root biome than chopped leaves!
Once the plants were in the ground and mulched, I erected the 10’X20’ locked dog kennel.
I am very pleased with my new plot location, which is on a beautiful organic flower farm, near a spring-fed pond and next to a blueberry patch. The new location should make for some happy, healthy, well established Lamb’s Breath seed plants!