July 31st - From Seed to Produce, In Reverse

Created on July 31, 2025

2025   ·   potatoes   csa   lettuce   bokchoy   carrots   onions   seeding   greenhouse   ·   daily-notes

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TL;DR

We planted lettuce and bok choy then harvested carrots in the rain. Then I bagged potatoes, peeled onions, and seeded the rest of the short day.

In short, we got rained out today. All the plants need the rain anyway, and there’s always stuff to do on a farm.

Fewer Pictures Than Usual

Because of the rain, I took fewer pictures than usual. I could have taken more while inside but it wasn’t really a priority since all this week has been about the same produce as what’s already in the gallery.

Tomorrow I might take some time to add a few Liquid includes to this site for things like inline micro-gallery by a specific date/range and/or by tag(s).

From Seed to Produce, In Reverse

Today I experienced just about every stage of getting fresh organic produce out to people because it is the perfect time of season for everything to be happening all at the same time across various crops.

Starting the day planting, harvesting and packaging then seeding up trays made me think about how we’re all ‘planting seeds’ with each other in everything we do and say. Some seeds don’t even germinate while other over-seeded cells are too crowded to grow. There is a right-timing, right-sizing, right-fitting to our interactions with people and there’s never a ‘best approach’ because every moment of life is unique.

With my kids, I try to plant seeds of kindness and patience. I want them to grow into people who can see the good in others and who are willing to help when they can. I plant seeds of honesty and hard work because when kindness and patience don’t work, you have to fall back on something and I prefer that not to be dishonesty or laziness in relationships with others.

But indeed, I fail at these things myself and often also unintentionally include seeds of other things like cursing, sarcasm, and procrastination. There’s rarely ever a ‘too late to adjust’ in growing plants…until it’s way too late…and similarly, the idea that it’s ‘too late to adjust’ behavior is counter to intentional parenting. It’s rarely ever ‘too late’ to change, but it feels like the older one gets, the harder it is to expect that people are receptive to that change.

People past, say, their 20s have already formed much of their worldview, particularly about how to approach life with others. In contrast to a young child constantly forming and reforming expectations, I find that mature individuals settle into default expectations of others and lose the capacity for patience with new people they encounter. It’s a shame, really, that first impressions are often the strongest, but that’s just usually how it is for human brains.

I wish we could bookmark our interactions with people and revisit them later to see what we can learn from them, and often feel that discussions with others are simply copy-paste talk track they and I have developed in other contexts anyway. At least with this blog, I can revisit my own writing and maybe even include sources that might have been influencing my thoughts on any particular day. On a related note…

Weekend Improvements to Bookmarks

I’ve been using Pocket (app) for almost 10 years, but last month it finally shut down. I exported all my pocketed articles to a CSV file for later import to another platform, so I still have hundreds of links from this past year’s research in AgTech.

Since last year’s conversion to mostly open-source software running in my homelab, I think I may just run Karakeep (a.k.a. Hoarder) in my Kubernetes cluster. It has both an API and a mobile app with integration to Chrome.

Once I’ve settled in with my prior data, I’ll look to incorporate my bookmarks into these blog posts both retroactively and moving forward. But before that, I need to test out the platform to make sure I want to commit to it. I also have to create a proper pipeline to encode the steps I’ve already prepared as automation tasks into a more asynchronous workflow that does as much as it can with my human inputs until the blog post is as ready for my writing as possible up-front.

For today, here’s the LLM-driven summarization of my audio notes from today’s rainy day farming activities:

AI Summary from Field Notes

Okay, the user wants me to distill the provided summary into a consolidated version. Let me start by understanding the original content. The original summary is structured into sections: Main Themes, Activities, New Things, Questions, and Suggestions. The user probably wants a more concise version of these, maybe combining similar points and making it more straightforward. First, I need to identify the main themes again. The original has five themes: weather impact, planting/pest control, harvesting, CSA management, and seasonal crops. I can keep these but maybe rephrase them to be more concise. Next, the activities. The original lists several activities under planting, harvesting, sorting, nursery work, and logistics. I should check if these can be grouped or simplified. For example, "planting" and "harvesting" are already grouped, but maybe combine the specific tasks under each main activity. New things include row cover technique, potato sizes, CSA schedule, and rain-adjusted farming. These are specific details that might be worth keeping as they are, but maybe present them in bullet points for clarity. Questions and future research areas are a list of five points. I should ensure these are clear and not combined with other sections. Suggestions for action are five points, which are actionable steps. Need to check if they are distinct and not overlapping with other sections. I need to make sure that the consolidated summary is not just a copy-paste but a more streamlined version. Maybe use bold headings for each section and bullet points for each item. Avoid redundancy, like "rainy conditions" in both themes and activities. Also, check if any of the new things are covered in the themes or activities. Wait, the original summary already has the main themes, so maybe the new things are separate from that. The user might want the new things to be distinct from the main themes. Also, the suggestions should be separate from the questions. I think the key is to present each section concisely, using clear headings and bullet points. Make sure that each part is covered without overlapping. Also, check for any terms that might be repeated or can be simplified. For example, "wire hoops and row cover" can be mentioned once in the new things section. I should also ensure that the final summary is in the same structure but more compact. Let me go through each section again and see if I can condense them without losing important information.

Consolidated Summary

Main Themes

  1. Weather Adaptation: Rainy conditions influenced planting and harvesting schedules.
  2. Crop Management: Planting lettuce/bok choy, pest control (row cover), and harvesting carrots, onions, and potatoes.
  3. CSA Operations: Midway through the summer CSA (week 9 of a 20-week session).
  4. Seasonal Focus: Salad greens, potatoes, onions, and fall crops (gourds, kales).

Key Activities

  • Planting:
    • Planted lettuce and bok choy using wire hoops and row cover to protect seedlings.
  • Harvesting:
    • Harvested carrots, sorted onions, and prepared potatoes for sale.
  • Sorting/包装:
    • Sorted and bagged potatoes (80–880 pounds) and packaged onions/carrots for CSA.
  • Nursery Work:
    • Seeded lettuce trays in the greenhouse.
  • Logistics:
    • Loaded electric vehicle for market.

New Observations

  1. Row Cover Technique: Using wire hoops and row cover to seal against pests.
  2. Potato Variability: Different sizes (tiny dots, fingerlings, regular).
  3. CSA Timing: Week 9 of a 20-week CSA session.
  4. Rain-Resilient Farming: Adjusting planting schedules to avoid rain interference.

Key Questions

  1. How to improve rain-resilient planting schedules?
  2. Are there alternative pest control methods for seedlings?
  3. How to optimize onion harvesting to minimize rain damage?
  4. What is the durability of compostable bags for potato storage?
  5. How to track crop maturity for timely harvesting?
  1. Develop Rain-Resilient Schedules: Plan planting during dry spells.
  2. Expand Row Cover Use: Protect seedlings during rainy periods.
  3. Optimize Onion Harvesting: Adjust timing to avoid rain damage.
  4. Monitor CSA Crop Maturity: Ensure timely harvesting and planting.
  5. Test Compostable Bags: Evaluate their practicality for potato storage.

This summary condenses the original analysis into clear, actionable sections while retaining all critical insights.

Part 1

Okay, let's tackle this query. The user provided a transcript of field notes from a farm intern and wants me to identify main themes, list activities, new things, questions, and suggestions. First, I need to parse through the transcript carefully. The date is July 31st, and the weather was rainy. The intern is working on a farm during harvesting season. The main activities mentioned are planting lettuce and bok choy, using row cover to prevent pests, harvesting carrots, sorting onions, bagging potatoes, and some tasks in the nursery greenhouse. Main themes would be the weather impact on farming, planting activities, pest control, harvesting, and the CSA schedule. Activities: Planting lettuces and bok choy, using row cover, harvesting carrots, sorting onions, bagging potatoes, working in the nursery greenhouse. New things: Maybe the specific use of wire hoops and row cover, the process of sealing them with dirt, the different sizes of potatoes, the CSA schedule details. Questions: The intern mentions the CSA is at halfway, but maybe they're wondering about the long-term effects of the rain on crops, or how to handle pests in different conditions. Also, the heavy rain affecting carrot harvesting. Suggestions: Maybe improving the timing of planting during rain, or alternative pest control methods if the rain is frequent. Also, maybe the intern is considering how to better manage the CSA schedule or the storage of harvested crops. Wait, the user also asked for any suggestions in the conversation. The intern mentions that when it's really raining, most seasonal stuff is harvesting, so maybe the suggestion is to adjust planting schedules to avoid rain. Also, the row cover method is a technique they use, so maybe that's a suggestion for future use. Need to make sure all parts are covered. Let me structure this step by step.

Main Themes

  1. Weather Impact on Farming: Rainy conditions limited planting activities but allowed harvesting.
  2. Planting and Pest Control: Planting lettuce and bok choy, using row cover to protect seedlings from pests.
  3. Harvesting and Sorting: Carrot harvesting, onion peeling/cutting, and potato sorting.
  4. CSA Management: Midway through the summer CSA session (week 9 of a 20-week CSA).
  5. Seasonal Crops: Focus on salad greens, potatoes, and onions for the CSA and fall crops.

Activities Performed by the Intern

  1. Planting:
    • Planted two rows of lettuce and bok choy for the second half of the CSA.
    • Used wire hoops and row cover to protect seedlings from pests (aphids, leafhoppers).
  2. Harvesting:
    • Harvested carrots, sorted them into blue bins, and prepared onions for immediate sale.
    • Peeled and cut onion tops for CSA sales.
  3. Sorting and Packaging:
    • Sorted and bagged potatoes (80–880 pounds) into compostable bags.
    • Packaged onions and carrots for the CSA.
  4. Nursery Work:
    • Seeded lettuce trays in the nursery greenhouse.
  5. Logistics:
    • Loaded the electric vehicle for the IPswitch market.

New Things Not Yet Encountered

  1. Row Cover Technique: Using wire hoops and row cover to seal against pests.
  2. Potato Sizes: Variability in potato sizes (tiny dots, fingerlings, regular).
  3. CSA Schedule: Midway through the summer CSA (week 9 of a 20-week session).
  4. Rain-Adjusted Farming: Adjusting planting/harvesting schedules to avoid rain.

Questions and Future Research Areas

  1. Pest Control in Rainy Seasons: How to manage pests (aphids, leafhoppers) when rain disrupts planting.
  2. Impact of Rain on Carrot Harvesting: How heavy rain affects carrot yield and quality.
  3. CSA Crop Timing: Will the rain affect the timing of fall crops (gourds, kales) in the future?
  4. Compostable Packaging: Are compostable bags (for potatoes) feasible for long-term use?
  5. Alternative Pest Management: Are there other methods to prevent insect infestation in seedlings?

Suggestions for Action

  1. Improve Rain-Resilient Planting: Develop a schedule for planting during dry spells to avoid rain interference.
  2. Enhance Row Cover Use: Expand the use of row cover to protect seedlings during rainy periods.
  3. Optimize Onion Harvesting: Adjust harvesting times to minimize damage from rain.
  4. Monitor CSA Crop Schedule: Track crop maturity to ensure timely harvesting and planting.
  5. Evaluate Compostable Bags: Test the durability and practicality of compostable bags for potato storage.

This analysis highlights the intern’s focus on adapting to weather challenges, managing CSA logistics, and implementing pest control strategies while preparing for future seasons.

[end of post]



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