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FROM THE FARMSTEAD<br />
inventory of the seed stash in my freezer<br />
and trying to decide if I will want to start<br />
my own tomatoes, cabbage, and peppers,<br />
or buy plants.<br />
Some years, if I think I’ll have time to<br />
take care of them, I’ll grow my own starts<br />
in the house. Other years, I buy them<br />
ready to plant.<br />
Planting will begin in April for cabbage,<br />
carrots, and beets. Everything else<br />
will go into the ground in May, followed<br />
by a couple months of tilling and weeding.<br />
When harvest begins in late July, the<br />
weeds start getting a free pass, but by<br />
then, my plants have a good head start.<br />
That’s also when the real work begins.<br />
From then on, until archery season for<br />
deer begins in October, at least one day<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTOS / TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
most weekends will be dedicated to one<br />
of the soup vegetables, canning as many<br />
of them as we can manage on a Saturday<br />
or Sunday.<br />
Sometimes my day will start sitting<br />
on a stool picking green beans until I<br />
have enough for about three canners,<br />
which is equal to 21 quarts. Before this<br />
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eifarmer.com SPRING 2024 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 115
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