It's the beginning of the market season and the crops are off to a great start. Thanks to the row cover that I used this spring, I have a beautiful crop of arugula, baby kale, lettuce, baby brassicas, beet greens, lettuce and radish in the field to start of the season.
It's been really great this year having help on the farm. It's allowed me to stay on top of weekly plantings and transplantings, as well as keep on top of social media, set up the barn for my farmstand, install a new greenhouse, and attend multiple farmers markets.
For many years, I farmed primarily on my own. While I enjoyed the quiet time in the garden, at the end of the day I never seemed to get enough work done. My to-do list kept getting longer, and I kept falling behind. Growing up on a farm, I was told that I would never make enough to secure a living on the farm, so I was always cautious about hiring help.
However, for the last two years, I worked on another organic farm (Firmly Rooted in Belgrave), with a team of people. Some people worked full time, but most part time. We had the equivalent of 7 full time employees managing a 7 acre farm (and only 3 acres in vegetable production!). It was awesome to work with a team of amazing people, have fun while working, and get done long tedious tasks together. The work got done on time, and never dragged out too long.
So this year, I have Rahul and Sruthi, here on the farm, helping me keep up. My goal is to provide them with long term employment at a reasonable wage, while building my farm into a more sustainable, organic, and beautiful place.
Commentaires