Three rules govern all farm work

Gene Logsdon says that three rules govern all farm work.  The first rule is: don’t do any work that nature will do for you.  Second: do work at the right time.  Third: keep things small.  And I would add a fourth I call the “Rule of Small Steps.”  I apply of of these tenets to my farm.

As described above, I give may plants very compact quarters.  Growing so closely together, they shade the soil.  This self-generated canopy accomplishes two important results.  First, it conserve moisture.  Secondly, it discourages weeds.  Close planting is a fine example of working with nature to accomplish a mutually agreeable result.  

Learning ways to apply lessons of timeliness has proven extremely helpful.  I first heard of the concept at a Farmers’ Conference sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.  One lecturer, an artisan-farmer from up-state New York, said his farm had no problems with weeds.  No problem with weeds! I had to learn his secret.

“We don’t let weeds set seed.  In other words, pull them out before they reproduce.  Voila, no weeds next season.”  I was intrigued.  Can a correctly timed activity truly lead to a weed-free future?  Indeed, it can.

This is only my first lesson in timeliness.  I have found that, on the farm, there is always an optimum time and method to perform each task.  Annual weeds must be pulled before they set seed.  Perennial weeds must be pulled to lift the whole plant.  Use a Yankee weeded to tunnel beside the long taproot of a dandelion and nudge it from the soil.  Never gather the notched leaves that spread out from the base and pull.  The pant will willingly sacrifice its leaves for the sake of the root below.  Remember: this plant is driven by nature to populate the earth.  If you do not want this dandelion back, remove it entirely. 

Here are other examples of timeliness.  As an early spring chore, cut unwanted trees and cut, split and stack the wood. It will be ready for next year’s fires. Remove all fallen branches from the lawn. If you wait, grass will grow through the tangle and pickup will take twice as long.  Prepare planting beds in the fall. Winter’s free-thaw cycle will break down less-than-perfect compost.  Besides, there is no time to prepare beds during May.  By June, it will be too late.