Updates from the interns a.k.a Transplanting Fools

The days are getting hotter, the harvests are getting bigger, the strawberries redder, the tomatoes plumper, and our fields are getting fuller each day. It’s June 1st and we are ready for summer. Today we planted cucumbers, zucchini and melons. We now have a full farm team so planting went faster than ever!

We used our transplanter (of which there is a video post earlier in the blog) to plant the cucumbers and melons. This was my second go on the transplanter and it was much smoother than my first attempt. You see, from an observer’s standpoint it would look like the tractor was hardly moving at all it goes so slowly; but for the poor intern who is riding behind and frantically trying to simultaneously pop a seedling out of its tray, pull a handle to release water into each hole the transplanter is making, put the seedling into the hole and neatly cover it up…it seems like the tractor could not go any faster.

My first experience on the transplanter went something like this: The first few plants went in just fine and in the time it took me to think to myself that this isn’t all that hard I missed a hole. I rushed and stretched back to fill it in. No problem. Then two holes were passing me! I quick grabbed two seedlings, threw one into the hole that was now too far away to reach and stretched back to only just manage to get the second seedling in. It continued in this fashion for the next several feet, until I was so behind I couldn’t even toss the seedlings near a missed hole in order to plant them afterwards. I was watching multiple holes pass me by, I was tossing seedlings, I was dropping seedlings, I was a mess. I felt like Lucy in the episode of I Love Lucy where she and Ethel work in the chocolate factory. And then it was all over. I think I had only planted about 50% of the seedlings, the other half were either still in their trays or sprawled out on the bed. It was quite the experience!

Having done it for a second time, it really isn’t all that bad. All the other interns seem to have the hang of it already too, so I think it safe to say that your transplanting is in good hands! Until next time…

Jackie