Winter officially has begun, sweeping in with a chilly rain, and the crops have slowed down significantly, making this a perfect week to begin sharing with the community the happenings on the young Burkett Farm. The farm, located in Cary, N.C., provides hungry people in the Triangle with sustainably grown produce. Our mission also includes educating the public on the importance of strengthening local food systems for the sake of our environment, health and economy. Burkett Farm will become a place of community gathering for people interested in volunteering or learning how to grow their own food.

So far we have transformed about .75 acres of fescue into four fields of vegetables and cover crops.

Our team includes 12 hens of about 5 months of age. Our first egg, a beautiful pale green-blue, appeared Friday! But the Americauna responsible most likely was ahead of the other girls, who should start laying closer to the New Year.

Meet Andriatta, the pluckiest of the group. She gave the cell phone a hard peck right after I snapped the photo.

As for the produce, here's how things have progressed:

In July we seeded our transplants in soil blocks in a greenhouse at Bland Landscaping Company, which partners with the landowners on the Burkett Farm project. Although it takes more time upfront, using the soil block method creates strong transplants that don't get root-bound. Then we began breaking ground with our BCS walk-behind tractor.

The side plow attachment busted through the fescue sod with ease (although some real wrangling on the humans' part was required). It overturned a wonderful sight - a silt loam that drains well but has some moisture-retaining clay, as well. We tilled in compost and used the BCS plow again to shape raised beds.

By late August the seedlings were ready to go in. But first we raked a little bloodmeal and feathermeal (nitrogen sources) and potassium, into the beds. (The state soil test results showed plenty of phosphorus).

We lucked out with a temperate late summer, and the crops grew rapidly without disease or much pest pressure.

As to be expected, the aphids did find the buffet, but they haven't caused much trouble. Our removal of an aphid-coated kale leaf here or there at the wash station just means a bucket of treats for the hens. Certainly the few lady beetles around helped, too. Our goal is attract tons of beneficial insects to the fields through plantings of pollinators' favorite flowers and shrubs.

Well, herein ends your rapid-fire update on our first season at Burkett Farm. In the next few posts we'll share information on the organizations that receive the produce, more details about our growing methods, which winter projects are under way (such as our shiitake and oyster mushroom logs) and introduce the members of our crew. Thanks for reading!