Danny Percich raises vegetables at Full Plate Farm in Ridgefield, Washington, for a ninety-member winter-only CSA. With three acres of mostly-outdoors production, Danny has decided to focus on an underserved niche in the market place, enabling him to make a living on a small acreage.
We get muddy discussing the challenges of winter production in a climate where it rains all winter. Danny gives us the low-down on how they manage deer predation and vole populations, as well as how he dresses to stay warm and dry no matter the weather.
Danny also provides insights into how he has minimized capital and labor inputs on his farm, and how that influences his farming schedule, as well as his cropping and production strategies.
We get muddy discussing the challenges of winter production in a climate where it rains all winter. Danny gives us the low-down on how they manage deer predation and vole populations, as well as how he dresses to stay warm and dry no matter the weather.
Danny also provides insights into how he has minimized capital and labor inputs on his farm, and how that influences his farming schedule, as well as his cropping and production strategies.
Sponsors
Vermont Compost Company: Founded by organic crop growing professionals committed to meeting the need for high-quality composts and compost-based, living soil mixes for certified organic plant production.
BCS America: BCS two-wheel tractors are versatile, maneuverable in tight spaces, light-weight for less compaction, and easy to maintain and repair on farm. Gear-driven and built to last for decades of dependable service on your farm or market garden.
Farmers Web: Making it simple for farms, farm cooperatives, and local food artisans to streamline working with wholesale buyers. Lessening the administrative work that comes with each order helps producers create a more successful relationship with their buyers and can help them work with more buyers overall.
BCS America: BCS two-wheel tractors are versatile, maneuverable in tight spaces, light-weight for less compaction, and easy to maintain and repair on farm. Gear-driven and built to last for decades of dependable service on your farm or market garden.
Farmers Web: Making it simple for farms, farm cooperatives, and local food artisans to streamline working with wholesale buyers. Lessening the administrative work that comes with each order helps producers create a more successful relationship with their buyers and can help them work with more buyers overall.
Quotes from the Show
I found that going off of our harvest schedule and delivery schedule can really mess things up because if you go off once, then you’re trying to make up, but then the weather gets crazy again, and it’s just a big old mess trying to mess around.
There’s such amazing flavor that you can get in the winter with the roots when you’re pulling them right out of the ground and letting them freeze and thaw.
One great thing [about not planting for summer harvest] is we have less weed pressure in general when we’re planting. We don’t have the slow spring slog of the slow-growing weeds and chick weed getting in everything and all that.
I love long days, but once we had a family, I’ve really come to appreciate having time for them.
There’s such amazing flavor that you can get in the winter with the roots when you’re pulling them right out of the ground and letting them freeze and thaw.
One great thing [about not planting for summer harvest] is we have less weed pressure in general when we’re planting. We don’t have the slow spring slog of the slow-growing weeds and chick weed getting in everything and all that.
I love long days, but once we had a family, I’ve really come to appreciate having time for them.
Show Links
Wild Garden Seeds, Adaptive Seeds, Uprising Seeds, and Siskiyou Seeds are seed companies Danny relies on – all are located in the Pacific Northwest, and have developed and sourced varieties suited to the climate.
Danny asked me about what worked for deer control on my farm – I told him about the 3D Scented 3-strand deer fence we used at Rock Spring Farm. We also talked about thewonderful scent caps we used to encourage the deer to slow down and get a nice taste of the electric fence wire!
We discussed Danny’s Eliot-Coleman-inspired vole boxes – the mousetraps can be found here.
Danny asked me about what worked for deer control on my farm – I told him about the 3D Scented 3-strand deer fence we used at Rock Spring Farm. We also talked about thewonderful scent caps we used to encourage the deer to slow down and get a nice taste of the electric fence wire!
We discussed Danny’s Eliot-Coleman-inspired vole boxes – the mousetraps can be found here.
Transcript
The transcript for this episode is brought to you byEarth Tools, offering the most complete selection of walk-behind farming equipment and high-quality garden tools in North America; and byRock Dust Local, the first company in North America specializing in local sourcing and delivery of the BEST rock dusts and biochar for organic farming. Additional funding for transcripts provided byNorth Central SARE, providing grants and education to advance innovations in Sustainable Agriculture.
