By Amy Peterson
Some of you may have met me at our
fall harvest party, but I’m sure many of you are wondering, “Who’s this writing
in my newsletter?” Please allow me to
introduce myself: my name is Amy, and I’m the newest member of the Harmony
Valley Farm crew and a first time Harmony Valley CSA member. I started working on the farm this past June
after moving from Denver, CO to Viroqua, WI.
This is my first foray into the world of commercial farming, although
I’ve been a long-time gardener and supporter of all things organic. The sheer scale of the operation here at
Harmony Valley has definitely taken some getting used to—I’ve learned so much
in these last 10 months, and there is still so much more to learn! My job here on the farm is officially called
“packing shed support”, and in practice this means I take care of many
behind-the-scenes tasks and also step in to help wherever I am needed. My job is filled with variety, and there are
many roles that I fulfill throughout the year.
However, my hands-down favorite role is "maven of the seeds." As spring unfolds all around us it seems very
appropriate to pay homage to these tiny but mighty building blocks of the farm—seeds!
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| Amy, "Maven of the Seeds" |
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| Our meticulously organized walk-in seed storage cooler |
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| Organized carrot seeds packed into one of our totes. |
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| The tedious job of counting out and labeling seeds for germination tests. |
Knowing how valuable these seeds
are gives me cause to be very careful while working with them. It has come in very handy that I have been
making beaded jewelry most of my life, because the same techniques that I use
for carefully handling my bead collection can be applied to handling seeds. I
pour and weigh my beads in the same way that I pour and weigh seed, so my past
mistakes that resulted in spilled beads can now be avoided when handling seed! Some
crops are prone to certain diseases and insects, so another way that I help
protect the seed collection is through seed sterilization. We have developed our own hot-water seed
treatment which is an organic method for mitigating these diseases and pests,
and this falls under my job description as well. Also, using proper storage
techniques and monitoring the cooler for proper temperature and humidity are
some other ways that I do my part to make sure this valuable investment remains
viable.
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| Planting peas for germination tests (left) and Beet seedlings ready to be counted (right) |
Keeping
this impressive seed collection in working order is a large part of my job
year-round. We keep a digital database
of our entire seed inventory which I update as new seeds arrive, as well as
when seeds go out for planting. This
database is a very important tool in determining which seeds will be planted at
which times, so it’s imperative that it is maintained accurately so that Andrea
and Richard can make the most well-informed decisions when it comes time for
purchasing seeds and planting them. Each
seed lot has a unique lot number and seed count per pound that is essentially
the fingerprint for that seed. The seed
count is also a valuable tool in determining how many seeds should be planted
per foot. Another important piece of
data recorded in the seed inventory is the germination rates for each
particular variety. It would be ideal if
every seed that we planted resulted in a corresponding plant, but unfortunately
nature is not perfect. Some especially
vivacious varieties of seed have close to a 100% germination rate, but the
majority of seed coming onto the farm have between 85% - 95% germination rate
as reported by the seed manufacturers.
This number is so important to making planting decisions that we conduct
our own germination tests before planting any crop for the year. As spring has crept in I have begun the
process of germ testing our seed collection.
To come up with a germination rate I plant a very specific number of
seeds for a certain seed lot (anywhere from 20 to 200 seeds, depending on the
variety), and then later I count how many of those seeds result in a
seedling. It’s an easy enough concept,
but it takes quite a bit of time to keep the seed organized, labeled and neatly
planted so that the information provided by these tests is accurate. Mixing up
a label during this germ testing phase could lead to a poor performing field
later in the season, so I do my best to be organized and accurate while
gathering this important data. It’s such
an uplifting sign of spring to see these trays of seed sprouting and declaring
their viability for all to see.
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| French Breakfast Radishes growing in the field |
Once
these seeds have left my care and are planted in the soil they will expand
exponentially. It boggles the mind to
think of how much growth potential is stored in each of those little seeds. The 10 pounds of radish seed that I send out
into the field will come back as thousands of bunches of beautiful red
radishes. A few pounds of turnip seed will come back from the field as literal
tons of delicious roots that will provide nutrition all winter long. Each one of the millions (maybe billions?) of
seeds in my care has the potential to become a nutritious and delicious organic
masterpiece. The seeds that I weigh out
in pounds will return to the packing shed in tons, which will then end their
journey on your tables all season long. To me this is nothing short of a
miracle of nature.
I don’t
think I will ever tire of handling the bountiful Harmony Valley seed
collection, and I hope these insights have passed along some of my enthusiasm
for these tiny powerhouses. As spring marches ever forwards, take a moment to appreciate
that the bounty which is just beginning to unfold all around us started with these
unique and amazing little packages we call seeds. And the next time you find yourself opening a
package of carrot seeds, take a little sniff for me—I promise you will not be
disappointed!
