It’s high time for planting here at JBG. We are up before the sun daily, readying for the full schedule ahead. Our peak planting occurs twice a year - now and in February. While we are consumed with planting for the next two months, planting crew will be absolutely integral to farm operations. Currently, we are shorthanded and are in dire need of farm-loving folk to help us out. Interested? Check out this breakdown below for a day in the life.

Working with transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Starting around 15 minutes before daybreak, the planting crew grabs flats of transplants from the greenhouse, puts them on a trailer, and begins the process of loosening the baby plants from the flats together.

Movine the transplants out of the greenhouse. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Loosening the transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Fun farm fact - we have two different kinds of crops grown at the farm: direct seeded and transplants. Direct seeded means the seeds are put directly into the ground (root crops like carrots and beets); whereas, transplants are cultivated in the greenhouse until they reach a certain maturity (crops like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and parsley to name a few).

Loosening the baby crops makes the transplanting process faster and easier when they are on the transplanter. Once all the plants are loosened, the crew heads out to the fields slated for planting that day, and the transplanting begins! The transplanter only holds two people on the back at once, so folks pair up and hop on! The transplanter pokes measured holes in the ground, squirts water into said holes, and the planting crew puts the crops in each hole.

On the transplanter. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

On the transplanter! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Since the dog days of summer are upon us, oftentimes some transplants won’t survive the heat; thus, the planting crew has to revisit the fields and check on the progress. If transplants have perished, they replace them with new transplants manually. If weeds emerge on a freshly planted bed, the crew removes them, too. Despite planting being the main responsibility of the planting crew, these folks are immersed in all aspects of farm production depending on what the day holds. Folks might be asked to clear a field of drip tape before a plower comes through in preparation for a new crop. If it’s a rainy day, planting crew might help in the greenhouse with random tasks or seeding. If Montana needs help direct seeding, the planting crew supports him in that endeavor, too! The diversity of this job is the perfect way to learn a lot about farm production.

Planting manually. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Freshly planted success. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

If this sounds like a blast, visit our jobs page for more details, or email us at jobs@jbgorganic.com. If you already have a job you love, but you still want to come out and get your hands dirty at the farm… check out this letter from our head farmer, Brenton, about an upcoming CSA work day!

Brenton and Roxy in cooler jacket weather. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

If you have been a CSA Member for a long time, or perhaps a market customer, you'll know that there are some serious ebbs and flows to farming in Central Texas. While most farms have their big push in the Spring, for us farmers in the Southern latitudes, fall is an equally busy time. In the late summer, we're in our peak planting season which should set us on track for a bountiful fall harvest.

With Austin's booming economy, finding labor to help us at the farm is an increasingly harder and harder task. We urgently need a big push to get us caught up for the fall, and need your help to do it. Join us for our Community Work Day next Saturday, September 1st from 7:30 am-Noon!

Whether you enjoy our produce at markets, at local restaurants, or have been a long time CSA Member, we would seriously appreciate your helping hands next Saturday. Feel free to bring your friends and family (kids welcome), but please leave the dogs at home. Depending on the turnout, we've got several tasks that we need help with... there is no shortage of work to be done at the farm right now! We're hoping that with your help, the farm will have a bountiful fall harvest.

A huge thank you in advance to those of you who are able to make it. We sincerely appreciate the time and energy you will put into the farm. If you've been a JBG customer for a while but have never been out to the farm, we urge you to come! We think you'll leave with a truer appreciation for the work that goes into producing the veggies you love.

Please reach out to the office if you have any questions.

Sincerely, Brenton Johnson

P.S. Save the date! Our Annual Fall Open House is happening on Saturday, October 27th. We promise we won't make you pull any weeds then.

‘Til next time, farm friends!