Irrigation
Name That Crop
Red Fern Farm
Washing, Packing, & Post-Harvest Management
Miscellaneous
100

Name the two types of irrigation we use on the farm.

Overhead sprinklers and drip line irrigation

100

Which crop forms a spherical head and stores in the cold room?

Cabbage

100

Chestnuts like what kind of PH in the soil?

Acidic

100

What is the ideal temperature we try to keep our cold cooler around?

Between 33 and 40 degrees

100

Why do we use shade cloth on the lettuce tunnels?

The shade from the cloth helps reduce ambient temperatures inside of the tunnel which slows down evaporation and discourages bolting that can occur from high temperatures

200

Explain what DU is and why it's important for high production.

Distribution Uniformity is a quantitative metric to describe how evenly water is distributed within a given area ranging from 0 to 1. It's important to be high (close to 1) in order to minimize over/under watering in the field.

200

A popular vegetable crop. We eat a swollen underground root.


Carrot

200

In ideal conditions, how many years does it take for chestnut trees to produce fruits?

6 years

200

What is the ideal temperature we try to keep our warm cooler around?

Between 55 and 60 degrees
200

Name the baby greens we grow in caterpillar tunnels. What quantity do we put in the bags and how much does one sell for?

arugula, mesculin, baby chard, baby kale: 4 oz, $2.5

baby lettuce: 4 oz, $3.0

300

How many inches per week of precipitation do we aim to apply to the fields?

2 inches.

300

Proper spacing in the cat tunnels is important for this head forming crop.


Lettuce

300

How high do tree tubes need to be to protect trees from predation?

5 foot tall

300

Name the 2 ways we harvest and package carrots.

In bunches with their tops for immediate sale, or in bulk with the tops cut off to be stored in the storage cooler for long periods of time. 

300

Why do we have a sizing guide for harvesting zucchinis?

To prevent giant fruits from going to market and to encourage the plant to produce more fruits.

400

How long would it take 3 sprinklers (each emitting 6 gpm) to apply 1.5 inches to a 30' x 50' area?    

t = V/Q

V = 187.5 cu ft

Q = 2.41 cu ft/min

t = 77.8 min = 1.3 hrs

400

What crop do we save time harvesting and transplanting by planting multiple seeds per cell?

Scallions

400

What breed of sheep does Tom use and why?

What is a Katadin- Hair sheep that self shed & wild breed origin
400

When a plant is bolting, what is it doing?

Flower, produce seed, reproduce

400

Why is it important to pasteurize straw before inoculating with mushroom spawn?

To eliminate potential contaminants from competing with the mycelium.

500

How many inches would be applied in a plot (40' x 100') if two lines of wobblers (5 gpm each) ran for 2 hours? How much would this cost if water cost $0.0486/cu ft?  

d = Q/A * t

Q = 6.68 cu ft

A = 4,000 sq ft

t = 120 min

d = 2.4 in

$ = V * 0.0486 = $38.88

500

This herb is stoloniferous, aromatic, and has a square stem.

What is Mint

500

What spacing does Tom plant his chestnuts at planting, at 10 years, at 20 years, at 50 years, at 100 years, at 1000 years

What is 20 ft., 40 ft., 60 ft., 100 ft., 1000 ft.... =)

500

Why is it difficult for a small carrot grower to compete with grocery store carrots based on price?

Hand harvest is labor-intensive and mechanical harvesters are very expensive.

500

Name 3 factors we use to determine which vegetables are supplied to our CSA each week.

Current availability, how often it has been supplied, when it will be available again, quality, desires of the CSA customers