This 50 Things idea has been kicking around for years now, started by me for fun. The numbering is random, there’s no particular order. The rough list has over 50 items at the moment. I’ll post more as I write ‘em up! Use at your own discretion… :)
- make a map
- measure, count,
- use lots of arithmetic
- taste everything, all the time
- eating dirt won’t kill you, or even make you sick (it may even do you good)
- row cover really works
- wheel hoes really work
- remain calm
- don’t walk/run/jump/drive on wet, waterlogged soil
- cool, cloudy fall days make the best fieldwork weather
- it’s all about the weather
- it’s all about people
- plants just want to grow
- it’s mostly all easy and common sense (so don’t overthink)
- tomatoes are a puzzle
- partnerships are tricky (probably, avoid)
- people like instructions with their food
- money isn’t everything
- don’t let bean-picking get you down
- eat local
- wear rubber boots often
- you don’t have to drive
- you don’t NEED to own land
- keep a blog
- rows don’t have to be straight (sometimes, though, that helps)
- it’s FUN
- garlic and olive oil are all you need (well, salt, pepper, and hot sauce, too)
- let people do their thing (as quickly as possible)
- CSA is a little miracle
- Buy two (or three)
- Plant often
- Spare parts are golden (buy 2, or 3)
- Borrow it, then buy it
- Keep a notebook (use sparingly)
- Use waterproof ink for when you accidently soak your notebook
- Seven words/five rules cover all of field production: Watch, Water, Weed, Don’t Wait, Clean Up
- Wear a watch and glance at the time (see also: measure, count)
- Use a pencil
- Live where you farm
- Stretch!
- Economy of motion: make your movements small
- Solid breakfast, light lunch, munch
- Plant often
- There’s always the perfect tool for the job, and not always the same tool for the similar job
- Make your own simple tools: it’s easy
- Take pictures
- Do your rounds: check everything out first thing every day
- Always put things away
- Take it slow (done well, it looks like lazy…but it’s not)
- Learn to thin
- Be a little ruthless with seedlings
- Become one with your seeder
- It’s ALL about timing
- Cooling is easy – refrigeration is about long hauls…
- Eat everything you grow, all the time
- Use weather radar (animated!)
- Tiny farming has its place – “There’s a world to feed…” and it takes a lot of farmers to feed it
- Everyone’s a farmer – some of my most useful and fun conversations with “home gardeners” who’ve been growing veggies for years
- “It’s not a lifestyle, it’s just something you do”
- Find the right old time saying for the job
- Visualize! (experience crosses over)
- Leave it and lose it (see also Put Away)
- Make lists (keep them practical: one item, one action)