Times change and in our quest to reconnect those who eat with those who grow, Fresh SPIN Farms is moving to Facebook.  www.facebook.com/freshspinfarms to be exact!

We have a Farm Stand on www.facebook.com/freshspinfarms that uses the national Payvment Mall app.  Just check on the left side of the page and you will find "Farm Stand - Buy Now where we can collect CSA payments and offer retail vegies at the click of a button.  We have a nice Welcome page and several other pages under construction to provide more information about CSA options, educational programing, and other opportunities to connect with Fresh SPIN Farms and our community.  By using Facebook, we are able to update more frequently, including directly from our farm smartphone to keep our content current and our customers up to date on new harvests, plantings, social issues, and other farm business and fun.

Stop by and like the page to get updates and join in the conversation.  It is a two way street and we want to hear from you every step of the way.  Post a question, add your favorite recipie, put up a picture of your Fresh SPIN Farms adventures, or post a link to your favorite places that use Fresh SPIN Farms produce.  We're looking for creative ways to recapture community lost to the hectic issues of our economy and share the joy of our work and mission with our freinds and neighbors.

Like all farms should be, Fresh SPIN Farms is a community resource.  Here is a sample of what people are saying about us:

"Fresh Spin Farms and the people behind it are treasures. We like the place, because it is like home and love the veggies because they are fresh, healthy and taste good.
dzotya (10.14.11)"

So hope on over to www.facebook.com/freshspinfarms and say hello so we can get to know you better.  Oh yes, be sure to update your bookmarks so you can find us easily as we transition to the new platform.

Thank you for your support and continued encouragement.

  Ed

Because this workshop is so important, we are opening up additional dates through the next two weeks in October.  Let us know when you have a couple of hours to learn how weed management can become a thing of joy instead of dread and we will do whatever we can to be accommodating.  We are making a lot of changes at Fresh SPIN Farms as we grow, including getting ready to launch a new website to better serve our customers.  You can check in at our Facebook page for the most up to date information and to "talk" with me or one of our 5 Fall Quarter interns from UCD and our newest managing farmer.  www.facebook.com/freshspinfarms

Thanks and let us know if you need a special date and time for the weed control workshop.

  Ed Garrett

  Fresh SPIN Farms

The second in the Managing Food Plots series, this workshop demonstrates and provides hands on practice preparing new planting areas in weedy ground.

The paper sheet mulch and compost method demonstrated by Fresh SPIN Farms through our summer growing season has been a fantastic success, allowing us to produce over 1# per square foot with virtually no weed management needs in planting areas through two months of late spring rain and summer overhead sprinkling for irrigation.  Transplants and direct seeded crops have been grown demonstrating versitility and crop rotation is now underway to show how the method improves transition from season to season or through crop rotation.

Multiple morning workshops through the week allow you to work around existing schedules.  You own it to yourself and your production area to carve out a couple of hours and attend one of these workshops.

Visit Eventbright for tickets http://freshspinfarms02.eventbrite.com

The second in the Managing Food Plots series, this workshop demonstrates and provides hands on practice preparing new planting areas in weedy ground.

The paper sheet mulch and compost method demonstrated by Fresh SPIN Farms through our summer growing season has been a fantastic success, allowing us to produce over 1# per square foot with virtually no weed management needs in planting areas through two months of late spring rain and summer overhead sprinkling for irrigation.  Transplants and direct seeded crops have been grown demonstrating versitility and crop rotation is now underway to show how the method improves transition from season to season or through crop rotation.

Multiple morning workshops through the week allow you to work around existing schedules.  You own it to yourself and your production area to carve out a couple of hours and attend one of these workshops.

Visit Eventbright for tickets http://freshspinfarms02.eventbrite.com

The paper sheet mulch and compost method demonstrated by Fresh SPIN Farms through our summer growing season has been a fantastic success, allowing us to produce over 1# per square foot with virtually no weed management needs in planting areas through two months of late spring rain and summer overhead sprinkling for irrigation.  Transplants and direct seeded crops have been grown demonstrating versitility and crop rotation is now underway to show how the method improves transition from season to season or through crop rotation.

Multiple morning workshops through the week allow you to work around existing schedules.  You own it to yourself and your production area to carve out a couple of hours and attend one of these workshops.

Visit Eventbright for tickets http://freshspinfarms02.eventbrite.com

First in in the Managing Food Plots series from Fresh SPIN Farms, this event focuses Urban and Small Farmers on maximizing food value and productivity.

Held at Fresh SPIN Farms, next to the UC Davis campus, Ed Garrett leads a two hour seminar on intensive production techniques using demonstration areas on the farm to show layout and design of planting areas for maximum productivity, unique weed suppression techniques combined with organic production methods offering sustained yeilds over one pound per square foot, and includes discussion on crop and variety selection to promote program goals.

Who should attend?

• Managers of Community and Demonstration Gardens
• Food Bank managers and employees
• Farm to School coordinators
• Community Developers working on economic development and food security issues
• Food System Planners
• Urban Farmers
• Small Farmers
• Home  and Master Gardeners

We have priced this introductory seminar to allow maximum participation of NGOs, Educators, Food System workers, and Students.  While the information is geared towards production, project developers and managers will also benefit from discussion about theory behind production decissions and resolving conflicting demands placed on food plots in a local food chain.

Fresh SPIN Farms is an Urban Farm Training center being developed by long time area agriculturalist and graduate of the UC Davis International Agriculture Development program, Ed Garrett.  Fresh SPIN Farms seeks to recover individual access to food production and training through a variety of local and regional initiatives.

Visit Eventbrite to register: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2090890911

Afternoon Session -

First in in the Managing Food Plots series from Fresh SPIN Farms, this event focuses Urban and Small Farmers on maximizing food value and productivity.

Held at Fresh SPIN Farms, next to the UC Davis campus, Ed Garrett leads a two hour seminar on intensive production techniques using demonstration areas on the farm to show layout and design of planting areas for maximum productivity, unique weed suppression techniques combined with organic production methods offering sustained yeilds over one pound per square foot, and includes discussion on crop and variety selection to promote program goals.

Who should attend?

• Managers of Community and Demonstration Gardens
• Food Bank managers and employees
• Farm to School coordinators
• Community Developers working on economic development and food security issues
• Food System Planners
• Urban Farmers
• Small Farmers
• Home  and Master Gardeners

We have priced this introductory seminar to allow maximum participation of NGOs, Educators, Food System workers, and Students.  While the information is geared towards production, project developers and managers will also benefit from discussion about theory behind production decissions and resolving conflicting demands placed on food plots in a local food chain.

Fresh SPIN Farms is an Urban Farm Training center being developed by long time area agriculturalist and graduate of the UC Davis International Agriculture Development program, Ed Garrett.  Fresh SPIN Farms seeks to recover individual access to food production and training through a variety of local and regional initiatives.

Visit Eventbrite to register: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2091243967

Hi all,

Today we started harvesting Spinach and a combination of Rainbow and Neon Kale along with more baby leaf Arugula and Broccoli Greens.  Papaya Squash really loved the hot weather and are giving us more and more each day.  Eight Ball squash are still being harvested, man do they taste good sautéed with a light oil and pinch of salt and pepper.

Tomatoes and peppers are setting well and we could see harvest starting next week on these.  If the temperatures stay down, Arugula and Broccoli could last for a couple of weeks.  Oh yes, we also may get a few baby Pak Choi if the slugs don't eat all of it!

***we know online ordering is hard ... feel free to call or email for anything you want > 530-753-6004 or sales@freshspinfarm.com

Thank you and enjoy the cool down ;-)

  Ed

Our lovely cool and wet spring weather has allowed us to fully demonstrate the effectiveness of both plant through and grow through paper mulch systems.  With the cool weather, we've been busy planting SPIN beds to greens in between more traditional Sacramento Valley late spring crops like tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers.  The picture set here shows the effectiveness of one of our Urban Farm Demonstration areas:

Raised beds on the right are already transplanted with squash and peppers.  Tomato planting area in centeris being prepared by rolling paper out over existing weeds.  Here we pushed down weeds with the bucket on a front end loader to get a flat surface since some dry coarse weeds stems remained from last year.  Primary weed at preparation time was annual ryegrass.

The photo above shows a second area north of raised beds with compost spread, ready for planting.

Here planting lines have been drawn for SPIN beds with the back of a pitchfork.  Limas have been laid out ready to be dibbled in.

Dibbling in takes a little practice, but the technique used here is to simply poke a hole underneath a seed on the surface so the seed falls down into the hole.  Limas were soaked in water to speed germination so should not be planted with a mechanical seeder.  Dibble sticks are available commercially, but the soft texture of the compost here made the trusty old finger more precise and reliable.  Use a slight angle to poke from the side and under seed.  If seed is still visible, pinch soil over seed to cover.  Making the holes encourages water from sprinklers (or this spring, rain) to collect around seed so young roots have ample moisture.

With longer term crops planted including Snow Peas, Limas, Okra, Green Bush and Pole Beans, Tomatoes, and Eggplant, what to do with the ground in between?  SPIN beds of short season crops can be seen here.  Plantings are staggered to provide a constant harvest.  Greens are already being harvested from Raised Beds.  Arugula left of Tomatoes is nearly ready with lettuce between Tomato rows about a week further back.  Broccoli and more Arugula are broadcast planted between rows of Bush Lake Green Beans.  Row length was planned for harvest so regrowth could be harvested again.  Shorter rows running across the planting area allows easy access to SPIN beds of greens while Tomatoes and eventually Beans provide shade and evaporative cooling to extend the greens season.

A birds eye view of this Urban Farm Demonstration Area shows ongoing harvest rotation.  Chard and Spinach are planted between rows of Peas with Okra and Limas planted on one side.  Spinach will be first to harvest followed by Peas and Chard with Limas and Okra coming in season as Peas die back.

One raised bed is producing Squash while Peppers mature while the other two have multiple varieties of Radish being harvested, samples of Greens harvested and growing back, mini heads of Butter Lettuce, and the first sets of Green Onions nearing harvest.  Multiplier onions are also planted in the Squash and Pepper beds for integrated pest management (IPM).

Top center shows Tomatoes ready to be trellised.  Determinate varieties are in one row with Indeterminate varieties in the other.  Arugula and Pak Choi are on the far side of the Tomatoes to be harvested from the edge of the bed.  Mixed green and red Leaf Lettuce is broadcast planted between Tomato rows.  Parsley and Cilantro are planted for harvest from the pathway on the right side of the Tomatoes.

Broccoli and Arugula SPIN beds are filling nicely between rows of Bush Beans.  With the return of hot weather, additional plantings of SPIN beds to greens was stopped.  Rows of Pole Beans and Cucumbers can be seen on the left.  These will be trellised to provide shade and cooling for summer greens.  In Davis, we have temperatures over 100 degrees for several days at a time from June through September with some hot days as early as April and as late as the end of October, so laying out rows to provide shade and cooling can radically increase planting area by extending seasons for different varieties of vegetables.

This compact Urban Farm Demonstration Area shows what can be accomplished in just a couple of months.

This morning shot of Red and Green Leaf Lettuce between Tomatoes shows the impact of filtered sunlight and cooling from taller green plants.  At the same time, Paper Sheet Mulch and the surface Compost layer are keeping Tomato roots moist while reducing swings in soil moisture.

Interplanting with SPIN beds of greens reduces weed growth and pulling weeds between rows of Tomatoes is actually picking weed from high value salad greens.  Tall and short stature plants work together to enhance each other's environments.

Visit our storefront to enjoy this delicious synergy.

  Ed