I failed to post pictures of our CSA shares along the way, so here they are in one mouth watering post. I always feel a little funny about posting pics of our produce, but there is a part of me that hopes sharing will help inspire folks to go all i
I know what you’re thinking… there is no way this will work. Only time will tell how these bulbs will grow, but the transplanting went really well. A 100 foot bed planted in less than 45 minutes, which is pretty incredible. I love a good
Swallowtail caterpillars, a rove beetle eating a winter cut worm, and a Northwestern salamander hanging out in a crimped bed of oat/pea mulch are the icing on the cake of what has been a phenomenal farm season. These are beautiful reminders of just
Found this gorgeous yellow garden spider while harvesting basil yesterday. It’s web spans across 6 basil plants- none of which I dare disturb. Beautiful. #spider #pnwfarm #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #farmlife #farmcritters #n
While my mood is pretty somber these days, this week’s CSA share has some of my farm favorites and put a smile on my face : Fava beans, garlic scapes, summer squash, heirloom zucchini, tendersweet cabbage, cauliflower, peas, salad mix, lacinato
Ever wonder if your purchase of live beneficials is legit? I was super curious, so I popped a sample of the beneficial nematodes I purchased under the microscope. I was thrilled to see these amazing microbes alive and well. While we have seen drasti
Crimped oats, peas, and triticale. Slated for kale and collards next month. We used the two farmers and a t-post method, which seems to work really well. Very little pop up and am hoping to not have to tarp, so the soil can dry out a bit after all of
CSA Week 3: Staved back some tears this week as it was a “pick one, toss one” situation due to slug pressure. I’ve never seen anything like it!! I am so thankful for all of this rain, but it sure has made for a difficult growing sea
CSA week 2: ‘galisse’ head lettuce, kale, broccoli, bok choi, choi sum, purple tatsoi, sugar snap peas, radishes, and oregano. #csa #notill #notillfarming #pnwfarm #soilhealth #soil #soilbiology #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarm
CSA Week 1: Red Ursa kale, bok choi, peas, salad mix, panisse head lettuce, hakurei turnips and flowering chives. 
Feeling so much gratitude for the resilience of our plants and soil through such a challenging spring and for the community that has he
No till cover cropping seems to be the Achilles heel in the PNW due to our very wet winter/ spring weather, mild winter temperatures, and our short growing season. I am excited about this oat, pea, triticale cover crop trial. All three beds were see
This spring has been ROUGH in the PNW. While farmers are so grateful for the rain, it has made it tough to get plants in the ground. Furthermore, the lack of sun and heat put a serious damper on plant growth. My first few years transitioning into h
Freshly crimped crimson clover. The soil is gorgeous underneath! These beds will transition into dry farmed popcorn after tarping for 2 weeks. #soilhealth #notillfarming #notill #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #microbes #soilbiology #c
I love these guys so much, that we were almost Rove Beetle Farm. Rove beetles are voracious soil predators that consume root maggots, slugs, slug eggs, and even symphylans! The rove beetle is one of the initial reasons I transitioned to a no till s
This comprehensive and inspiring workshop will provide participants an opportunity to further their understanding of the vast world of soil biology. Come see first hand how rethinking your soil management practices reduces weed, disease, and pest pre
I am often asked how we flip beds with minimal tillage at Blue Raven. I am terrible at answering this question, since it depends what crop, what season, what is going in next, etc. Here is how we flip beds using the BCS mounted flail mower: 1/1) O
Found this salamander under one of our tarped beds last week! A healthy soil ecosystem is teaming with life- visible as well as microscopic. Our goal at Blue Raven these past six years has been to disturb the soil as little as possible to help fost
Brrr… 18 degrees INSIDE the propagation house this morning. I tucked our most delicate seedlings back into the germination chamber last night, but all of our onions had to tough it out on heat mats. Everything survived, which always amazes me.