What A Year . . .

We started 2017 trying to decide the best way to grow our new farm business. Now as we head into 2018 we’re looking back at what we accomplished, and more importantly, looking forward to new growth next year.

During the course of the last year, we were able to significantly increase the amount and variety of medicinal herbs we're planting, as well as diversify into other sustainable products for our farm. We finished our nursery and transplanted a variety of medicinal herbs into the beds. We started growing shiitake and red wine cap mushrooms. We planted nearly 100,000 ginseng seeds. And we added several varieties of garlic, so we now have a total of 6 varieties to choose from.

I like before-and-after photos. I think they're a great way to tell a story because you can see each step of the process, and you get a sense of watching something in-progress. Sadly, I usually forget to take those photos until it's too late and the project is pretty much finished. This year was different, though. We made a real effort to document our progress as we went along, so we could share with you all. So here it is - below is a series of galleries that highlight some of this year's projects.

Nursery

Our first big project was our plant nursery. Like so many things on our farm, the nursery looks a little different than a traditional nursery, but it still serves the same purpose. It gives us a protected spot where we can grow plants until they are mature enough to sell or plant out into permanent beds. We located our nursery just inside the edge of the woods so it takes advantage of natural forest soil and shade. But it's close enough to the house that plants won't be neglected, and water is nearby if needed. This fall we transplanted several hundred roots into the nursery beds, including Black Cohosh, Red Trillium, Blue Cohosh, Bloodroot and Goldenseal. Next year we plan to add Ginseng, False Unicorn, Pinkroot and Jack-In-The-Pulpit. In most cases, once plants mature, we will dig them and divide them to produce planting stock that we can plant out or sell.

First we cleared the area

We picked a spot on the edge of our woods that gets plenty of shade but is also close to water for irrigation. I went over everything with a weed-eater first, then covered the area in black plastic for a month to smother weeds.

Next we tilled the area deeply

We used a walk-behind root tiller and had to make several passes, each a little deeper than the last. The idea is to loosen the topsoil while incorporating lots of organic material.

We used string to layout our beds

Keeping all the beds the same width makes calculations (seed, fertilizer, water) a lot easier.

Next we formed the raised beds

We dug the topsoil out of the walkways and piled it onto the raised beds on either side. We used a rake to smooth the beds and tamp them down a little.

We mulched the pathways first

We laid cardboard or weed control fabric down on the bare dirt first, then piled 2-3 inches of wood chips on top.

Then we mulched the raised beds

We used leaf mold (shredded, decomposed leaves) as mulch on the raised beds. This mimics the natural leaf cover on the forest floor.

We put up a fence to deter critters

We didn't want to use treated lumber so we used heavy steel t-posts instead. We made a lower edge border out of galvanized stucco lathe and buried it about 6" below the soil line.

Pot-In-Pot Nursery Bed

In addition to the roots we planted into the natural soil of the nursery, we constructed a separate raised bed to hold about two-hundred 1-gallon pots planted with a variety of medicinal herbs including Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, Red Trillium and Bloodroot. These will be ready for sale as landscaping plants when they bloom in the spring.

After some research, we decided to use what's called the pot-in-pot system. First you bury an empty 'socket' pot up to about an inch below the rim. You then use an identical size pot filled with potting soil to transplant your dormant root into just like you normally would. Then you place the pot with the soil and plant into the empty socket pot in the ground.

Typically in the pot-in-pot system, a separate hole is dug for each socket pot, many times using an auger of some sort. In our case, we decided to build a raised bed, rather than dig holes into the natural soil. First, we wanted to keep the soil inside the bed isolated from the natural soil in order to reduce intrusion by weeds and pests. And of course, it also meant a lot less digging, which is never a bad thing.

The system has other advantages too: pots don't blow over - even in heavy wind; roots stay insulated from temperature extremes by the surrounding soil; there's less need for irrigation due to less evaporation loss; and plants are ready-to-go when they're needed, and any unused/unsold plants can simply be slipped back into their socket pot for later.

First we built a frame for the bed

We used 1x6 cedar boards anchored with 1x2 cedar stakes. Cedar is expensive but again, we won't use treated lumber near our plants.

Then we lined the bed

We lined the beds with weed-control fabric, making sure to overlap seams. We ran the fabric a few inches up the inside of the bed frame and stapled it in place.

Next we set out our pots

Each pot you see is actually two pots - a full pot inside of an empty pot. We set them out with about 1/4 inch space between them at the top edge. We left extra space around the edge of the bed for better insulation.

Then we filled the bed with potting soil

We filled the pots with organic potting soil before setting them out. The weight helps keep them from shifting around. We then shoveled the same organic potting soil into the beds, enough to completely fill all spaces around the edge and between the pots.

We tamped the soil firmly

We tamped the soil around the pots firmly to both maximize insulation, and to hold them firmly in place. We used a combination of our hands and small boards to get between the pots. We then added more soil to top it off and tamped again.

The bed gets covered in burlap

After everything was planted in the fall, we covered the whole bed in burlap to keep it free from debris.

Finally, a thick layer of leaf mulch

The last step was to cover the bed in a layer of leaves about 4-5 inches thick to provide insulation through the winter. Early next spring, we'll rake off the leaves, pull back the burlap and be ready to go for the season.

Shiitake Logs

We didn't plan to start cultivating Shiitake mushrooms until next year, but a generous offer of free oak logs made us adjust our schedule to make time for the project. The process is simple, but labor intensive. Start with freshly cut logs that are 3-8 inches diameter and 3 feet long. Drill a series of shallow holes all around the log. The mushroom spawn comes mixed into moist sawdust that's formed into a block. You pack the spawn tightly into the holes. You then seal the holes with cheese wax to keep moisture in and wild fungus out. The logs then get stacked in the shade for 6-12 months until they start to produce mushrooms. More to come on that next spring...

First we gathered some logs

Oak logs are the best, sugar maple and beech are also considered good choices. Freshly cut logs between 3-8 inches diameter are ideal. We cut ours 3 feet long.

Then we inoculated the logs

Think of this as 'planting' the mushroom spawn into the log. First, drill rows of shallow holes, then fill each with mushroom spawn that comes mixed with moist sawdust. Then cover the holes with melted cheese wax to seal moisture in and contaminants out.

Then we wait

It takes time for the mushroom spawn to fully colonize the log. In our case, we expect 6-12 months. In the meantime log are stacked closely together to retain moisture. We covered our stack with a felt blanket for shade after the leaves fell off the trees.

New Garlic Beds

I might have mentioned before that we really love garlic. In the past we've grown it in our vegetable garden near the house. It worked out well - good soil and close at hand. But this year we decided to expand both the number of varieties and the amount of each variety, so we created a new area of beds just for garlic. We hope to build another similar sized plot each year until we have a total of four plots, so we can rotate our garlic crops each year, letting the soil rest between plantings. When the beds don't contain garlic, we plan to grow other medicinal herbs in them like calendula, clover and chamomile.

This year we planted five types of hardneck garlic, three of which are new to us. We now offer Spanish Roja, Russian Red, Music, Polish Hardneck and Penn Wonder. We also planted a large amount of Idaho Silver, our first softneck variety. Softneck garlics can be braided into amazing shapes, they have a bunch of small cloves instead of a few large cloves (which gives flexibility if you don't use a lot), and they store much longer than hardnecks, remaining tasty up to a year or longer, as opposed to 6-8 months for hardneck varieties. We started with new certified organic planting stock this year from Filaree Garlic Farm. We expect to harvest in July, and by August the bulbs should be cured and ready for sale.

This is the spot we started with

One of the few areas on our property that receives full sun most of the day.

We formed the raised beds

Just like in the nursery, we tilled the entire area, then dug the topsoil out of the walkways and piled it onto the beds. Here we've sprinkled a mixture of organic soil amendments on the beds.

We added organic material

In addition to the soil amendments, we also added organic matter in the form of dried grass clippings. We then tilled everything into the beds.

We mulched the pathways

Just like the nursery, we mulched the pathways by laying down weed control fabric then putting 2-3 inches of wood chips on top.

We covered the beds & let them rest

Once everything was put together we covered the whole area with black plastic to smother weeds. We then let the new beds 'rest' for a couple months (more would be even better). This allows some time for earthworms and micro-organisms to start reconstructing the soil.

We put up signs to mark varieties

Once everything was planted, Emma helped paint the signs to mark the different varieties of garlic.

Looking Ahead to 2018

As we catch our breath for the season, we're already looking ahead to next year. In many ways, 2018 looks a lot like 2017. We'll still be planting a lot of ginseng and other medicinal herbs. We plan to inoculate a few hundred more shiitake logs. We'll have ramps in early spring, and garlic later in the summer.

But 2018 will be a year for new growth too. We will be bringing our first products to market throughout the season - stay tuned as we should have more announcements on that soon. We will also continue to diversify our offerings, adding more varieties of mushrooms like oyster, reishi and lion's mane; adding False Unicorn, Pinkroot and Jack-In-The-Pulpit to our medicinal herb collection; and experimenting with new crops like elderberry, paw paw and maple syrup.

Also coming in 2018, we'll be focusing more on the 'business side' of our business. We will be partnering with Rural Action and United Plant Savers in a program funded by a USDA grant they were awarded to develop a long-term plan for our forest farm. They can help us estimate what we have growing now, and develop a plan for future planting and harvesting. They assist in matching industry buyers with growers like us, and help in establishing prices. And they can help us develop standardized planting and harvesting procedures tailored to industry needs. These are both great organizations and we're very excited to be able to participate in the program. We feel like it's the right help at the right time as we continue to grow.

Finally, as we wrap up the first year on our farm, we'd like to personally thank all of you for your kindness and encouragement. Your support means more than you know. We wish you all the best in the year to come.

Thanks Again,

The Felumlees

Mayapple Farms

The End Of A Busy Year