When it all comes down to it, it’s all about the seeds baby.
At the farm we are seeding constantly from the end of July through April. Since we want to ensure we grow healthy, organic produce all of our crops are grown with organic seed that is non-GMO and untreated. As it truly is where it all starts we only purchase our seed from reputable organic seed growers. If you’re interested in getting organic seed stop by the Sunday Market to check out Two Seeds in A Pod and Willow LaMonte’s seed selections.
Over the course of a season, we grow about 100 different varieties of crops from seed. The majority of these seeds will be planted into trays to first be put in our greenhouse and then later be transplanted into the fields. Some crops, like radishes, turnips, carrots, and beets, we seed directly into the fields without transplanting.
This week our farm team seeded various cabbage, cauliflower, ridicchio, and lettuce varieties. These vegetables dig the cool Florida winter weather and soil temperatures. In fact, crops like lettuce need a specific temperature range in order to germinate. Lettuce seeds will not germinate in soil above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the optimal temperate for them successfully germinate is 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit.
The various crops we grow can take anywhere from 20-120 days to mature to be harvested from seed. The amount of time it takes a crop to be ready for harvest is determined by its type, hours of sunlight each day, and soil quality. The crops we planted this week will take about 75 days to mature based on the type of crops they are and the fact that we receiving less and less hours of daylight as we near the winter solstice.
And that’s how it grows.