TL;DR

Today was some greenhouse work, but mostly planting celery and eggplant out in the main field…and a lesson in hand tool hazards.

Planting with a Spear Trowel

Sometimes the soil is soft enough to just use your hands to plant seedlings in. Other times…not so much. Either natural or tractor compaction, crusting over, or rocks get in the way of quick and precise planting into rows. In this case, a spear trowel is a great implement to have on hand. Especially for overgrown seedlings that should be planted deeper than their soil line, such as eggplant and tomatoes, a spear trowel makes it easy to create a hole and drop the seedling in it with good soil contact.

Times to Drop Seedlings First and Times to Not

Sometimes it makes sense to drop seedlings into position first, then go along and plant them in afterwards. For instance onions planted into the FilmOrganic mulch with 5-inch spacing guidelines printed on it. Without guidelines though, rows that will be hoed by hand or where landscaping fabric is used also don’t need extreme precision in spacing so dropping the seedlings from standing height is okay.

In situations that need precision but have no built-in guidelines (mulch film, tiller groves, string wires, etc.), it really must be done by hand carefully and down near the ground to ensure that the spacing meets the (typically mechanical) precision required later in the season for weeding and harvesting with a specially-made tractor attachment. Even if not using tractors (which contribute to soil compaction) and still hand hoeing and harvesting, irregular spacing and/or row misalignment (a.k.a. “wonkiness”) can sometimes slow the work down.

Eggplanting

After ensuring that the landscape fabric was in place in the middle areas of the main field earlier this week, the two of us were able to plant about 5 rows while Jamie prepared beds for other things later this week. This took about 16 50-cell trays of 3 different varieties of eggplant and close to 3 hours.

After forgetting to put on gloves before using the spear trowel for a little more than the first row, I developed a nasty blister on my right hand between my thumb and my index finger where the trowel handle sat in my grip. Once I started to feel it…and it didn’t feel good…I did what I could to clean it off, then put a plastic glove over it and put my gardening glove over that. I also adjusted my grip so that my thumb was at the top of the handle while the rest of my fingers braced the bottom half, less like a barbarian hold a spear and more like a ninja might hold a weapon.

Before moving to the next task, I went up to the barn where the first aid kit lives and did a proper cleanout and re-dress with gauze before covering again with plastic then also work glove on top.

Celery Babies Leave for the Field

What once were only inch-high celery seedlings a mere 3 weeks ago, were now at a bushy 4 inches tall and ready for planting. How quickly our celery babies grew up! It almost feels empty in the greenhouse without them near the potting table, but there will always be something to take the space they once occupied.

We planted two different plots in the top main field…one right behind the new greenhouse up on the flat hill and another on the top area because Jamie was concerned that any other prepared area would be too wet. Celery are susceptible to rot if they sit in soil that is prone to pooling or poorly draining fields. Quick to grow, easy to break, sweet to slugs, and finickey around water, celery needs to be planted in just the right spot before being harvested and the space reused for something different.

The first row was short, around ~150 feet and the second was twice as long. This took about 2.5 hours and we used about 20 trays in total, where some were single plants in 98-cell trays while others were two seedlings on opposite corners of each cell in 50-cell trays (at the time of seeding, we were out of 98-cell trays).

Electrifying the Pig Fence

Like the deer and other animals, the pigs need to be ‘trained’ about the electric fence. This means a short, hopefully once-only encounter with it where they get a shock and associate that with their curiosity around the area in question.

We rode up to the pig pen and helped Jamie install a small section of electric fencing inside the pig pen so that once we allow the pigs to roam around in the forest (which is nicer for them than being stuck in a pen for the summer), the fence we use around the large forest area is effective to keep them where they belong. In about a week or so, we’ll set that wider area up. For now, the pigs get to learn that some things are for understanding and other things are just to be left alone.

End of Day Thoughts about AI in AgTech

As I watered the greenhouse, I thought about how tech and AI has already and will further influence agriculture. I thought about the contextless developers and product managers at software companies that have never worked a hard day of farm labor in their life. I thought about the startup entrepreneurs and capital investors that have no idea why agriculture is as complicated as it seems.

I think if there is a path forward where agriculture can get better, not just more profitable but easier to anticipate growths in, it’s going to need people who have walked the walk and understand how variable nature is…how it MUST remain allowed to be despite our options to abuse it for personal gain. I personally wouldn’t buy software products or services from AgTech companies that don’t require farm experience in their employees, leadership as well as individual contributors.

Otherwise, you run the risk of software that MIGHT be helpful but is subject to lack-of-context bias and ultimately likely to miss the mark needed to be truly effective for farmers. Whose fault is a lack of context…the person without it or a culture where context doesn’t matter? For instance, here’s how my LLM thought my day went:

Summary

Here is a consolidated summary of the main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions:

Main Themes:

1. Learning and self-improvement: The intern aims to improve their skills and knowledge in areas such as identifying plant varieties and problem-solving.
2. Problem-solving and resourcefulness: The intern demonstrates creative solutions by fixing a broken hose using a repair kit.
3. Exploration and education: The intern sees an opportunity to educate others about different plant varieties and their uses.

Activities Done:

• Cleaning up the greenhouse
• Filling tables with potting mix
• Fixing a broken hose at the barn
• Creating a blog post about identified plant varieties

New Things Not Yet Encountered:

• Identifying specific plant varieties and their uses
• Publishing a blog post to share knowledge with others

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

• Prioritization and task management
• Anticipating priorities and planning ahead
• Integrating learning and self-improvement into daily routines

Suggested Actions:

• Continue to work on identifying plant varieties and sharing knowledge through blog posts or other educational materials.
• Practice prioritization and task management to become more efficient in daily operations.
• Explore ways to integrate learning and self-improvement into daily routines, such as setting goals for the day or week.
• Consider seeking feedback from supervisors or mentors on areas for improvement and progress.

Part 1

Main Themes:

1. Learning and self-improvement: The intern is actively seeking to improve their skills and knowledge, such as predicting priorities, identifying plant varieties, and providing solutions for others.
2. Problem-solving and resourcefulness: The intern demonstrates problem-solving skills by fixing a broken hose using a repair kit, showing resourcefulness in finding creative solutions.
3. Exploration and education: The intern sees an opportunity to educate others about the different plant varieties and their uses, highlighting the importance of exploration and sharing knowledge.

Activities Done:

1. Cleaning up the greenhouse
2. Filling tables with potting mix
3. Fixing a broken hose at the barn
4. Creating a blog post about identified plant varieties

New Things Not Yet Encountered:

1. Identifying specific plant varieties and their uses
2. Publishing a blog post to share knowledge with others

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

1. “I mean, I don’t spend time pricking out volunteers before I do all the other obvious things like filling up the table, the potting table with potting mix, you know, cleaning up the greenhouse.” (This suggests that the intern is still learning about prioritization and task management.)
2. “How to look ahead and anticipate what those priorities are” (This indicates a desire to improve their planning and anticipation skills.)

Suggested Actions:

1. Continue to work on identifying plant varieties and sharing knowledge through blog posts or other educational materials.
2. Practice prioritization and task management to become more efficient in daily operations.
3. Explore ways to integrate learning and self-improvement into daily routines, such as setting goals for the day or week.
4. Consider seeking feedback from supervisors or mentors on areas for improvement and progress.

Part 2

Main Themes:

1. Learning and growth as a farm intern
2. Preparing for field work with necessary equipment and planning
3. Animal husbandry and training (pigs)
4. Plant propagation and maintenance (seedlings, greenhouse management)
5. Business and marketing aspects of the farm (CSA program, volunteers)

Activities:

1. Visiting pigs in a pen to train them to avoid an electric fence
2. Setting up an electric fence inside the pig pen
3. Carrying a backpack with necessary items for field work
4. Watering seedlings and monitoring their progress
5. Pricking out volunteer seeds from trays of one variety to make way for new plants
6. Switching seedlings between vehicles (van, white truck) at the barn

New Things Not Yet Encountered:

1. Using an electric fence with pigs
2. Working with a different pig farm than usual
3. Dealing with sickly or “rough” pigs

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

1. How to better prepare for field work with a backpack?
2. More information on how to train pigs to avoid electric fences.
3. Why the pigs from this new farm are looking sickly compared to previous seasons.

Suggestion Actions:

1. Consider investing in a field backpack to improve organization and efficiency.
2. Research ways to prevent volunteer seeds from getting scattered or appearing in unwanted places.
3. Create a plan for handling the “orphaned” seedlings ( volunteers) that can be potted up and sold to customers.
4. Develop a more detailed system for tracking and managing greenhouse space.

Note: These suggestions are based on the information provided by the intern and may not be exhaustive or definitive solutions, but rather starting points for further exploration and research.

Part 3

Main Themes:

1. Farm work and daily activities
2. Planting and preparing soil for various crops (eggplant, celery, head cabbage, bok choy)
3. Equipment usage (Rotary Tiller, seeder, spear trowel)
4. Safety concerns and preventive measures (wearing gloves)

Activities:

1. Potting up plants from 98 cell size to 50 cell trays
2. Watering the greenhouse
3. Greenhouse clean up
4. Filling potting mix table with potting mix
5. Bringing out and planting cosmos and zinnias
6. Planting eggplant in a field with landscaping fabric
7. Planting celery using a Rotary Tiller
8. Using a seeder to plant arugula
9. Loading up the truck with more celery and planting it in the high main field

New Things Encountered:

1. The use of a Rotary Tiller, which is an older style tractor attachment that cultivates the ground and leaves behind cultivated but slightly piled up dirt lines.
2. A seeder that looks like a bicycle walk-along seeder for planting seeds
3. The concept of using different attachments to weed and cut weeds in between plants

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

1. “I’ll have to think about it.” (referring to the name of an Asian eggplant variety) - needs further research or identification.
2. How to avoid developing blisters while planting with a spear trowel without gloves.

Suggestion Actions:

1. Wear proper gardening gloves when using sharp tools like spear trowels to prevent injuries.
2. Research and identify the name of the Asian eggplant variety mentioned in the field notes.
3. Consider investing in protective gear, such as gloves or sleeves, for future farm work to prevent similar injuries.