Challenges

In Agriculture there are always challenges, especially when you are practicing organic methods of farming.

With no modern pesticides, commercial fertilizers, hybrid seeds or herbicides to rely on, our farming practices are much the same as those of our ancestors. At Blackberry farmstead, we rely on the large compost pile for our fertilizer for the fields, and our seeds come mainly from farmers in the East Tennessee region who have maintained seeds which were handed down to them from generations past.

When faced with insect invasions, we rely on organic spray or some concoctions of our own, such as cayenne hot pepper and garlic spray. With no “round-up” in our arsenal we must rely on alternative methods for weed control.

One of our best methods of control relies on crop rotation and cover crops to inhibit the growth of weeds. Even with these methods, weeds remain a constant challenge each day of the year. During the summer, it is a challenge to stay ahead of weed invasions, and much of the work is with a good sharp hoe around the plants followed up by tilling between the rows. We are always challenged to stay ahead of weeds before they go to seed. One old saying states “one year of seeds and seven years of weeds.” Weed seeds, however, can last for seventy to eighty years in the ground and then germinate when the conditions are favorable.

Maintaining a seed collection of more than 500 varieties requires year round attention. And such a vast collection has many requirements, such as insuring that each variety is grown in a manner that insures that it remains pure and does not cross with a like variety. None of the seeds from my collection are commercially available so there is the constant challenge to insure that none of the varieties in the collection reach a dangerously low level of seed quantity.

For me personally, my greatest challenge is working with our numerous guests who visit our farmstead gardens every year. To me, each guest is my personal responsibility, and my challenge is to make sure that each person who visits the garden leaves with having had a meaningful and inspirational learning experience.

Our challenges at Blackberry Farm are never ending and that is one of the factors that challenges each one of us to excel in our areas of expertise, and know that at the end of the day you have given your very best to each guest you have invested time with.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener

In Agriculture there are always challenges, especially when you are practicing organic methods of farming.

With no modern pesticides, commercial fertilizers, hybrid seeds or herbicides to rely on, our farming practices are much the same as those of our ancestors. At Blackberry farmstead, we rely on the large compost pile for our fertilizer for the fields, and our seeds come mainly from farmers in the East Tennessee region who have maintained seeds which were handed down to them from generations past.

When faced with insect invasions, we rely on organic spray or some concoctions of our own, such as cayenne hot pepper and garlic spray. With no “round-up” in our arsenal we must rely on alternative methods for weed control.

One of our best methods of control relies on crop rotation and cover crops to inhibit the growth of weeds. Even with these methods, weeds remain a constant challenge each day of the year. During the summer, it is a challenge to stay ahead of weed invasions, and much of the work is with a good sharp hoe around the plants followed up by tilling between the rows. We are always challenged to stay ahead of weeds before they go to seed. One old saying states “one year of seeds and seven years of weeds.” Weed seeds, however, can last for seventy to eighty years in the ground and then germinate when the conditions are favorable.

Maintaining a seed collection of more than 500 varieties requires year round attention. And such a vast collection has many requirements, such as insuring that each variety is grown in a manner that insures that it remains pure and does not cross with a like variety. None of the seeds from my collection are commercially available so there is the constant challenge to insure that none of the varieties in the collection reach a dangerously low level of seed quantity.

For me personally, my greatest challenge is working with our numerous guests who visit our farmstead gardens every year. To me, each guest is my personal responsibility, and my challenge is to make sure that each person who visits the garden leaves with having had a meaningful and inspirational learning experience.

Our challenges at Blackberry Farm are never ending and that is one of the factors that challenges each one of us to excel in our areas of expertise, and know that at the end of the day you have given your very best to each guest you have invested time with.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener

In Agriculture there are always challenges, especially when you are practicing organic methods of farming.

With no modern pesticides, commercial fertilizers, hybrid seeds or herbicides to rely on, our farming practices are much the same as those of our ancestors. At Blackberry farmstead, we rely on the large compost pile for our fertilizer for the fields, and our seeds come mainly from farmers in the East Tennessee region who have maintained seeds which were handed down to them from generations past.

When faced with insect invasions, we rely on organic spray or some concoctions of our own, such as cayenne hot pepper and garlic spray. With no “round-up” in our arsenal we must rely on alternative methods for weed control.

One of our best methods of control relies on crop rotation and cover crops to inhibit the growth of weeds. Even with these methods, weeds remain a constant challenge each day of the year. During the summer, it is a challenge to stay ahead of weed invasions, and much of the work is with a good sharp hoe around the plants followed up by tilling between the rows. We are always challenged to stay ahead of weeds before they go to seed. One old saying states “one year of seeds and seven years of weeds.” Weed seeds, however, can last for seventy to eighty years in the ground and then germinate when the conditions are favorable.

Maintaining a seed collection of more than 500 varieties requires year round attention. And such a vast collection has many requirements, such as insuring that each variety is grown in a manner that insures that it remains pure and does not cross with a like variety. None of the seeds from my collection are commercially available so there is the constant challenge to insure that none of the varieties in the collection reach a dangerously low level of seed quantity.

For me personally, my greatest challenge is working with our numerous guests who visit our farmstead gardens every year. To me, each guest is my personal responsibility, and my challenge is to make sure that each person who visits the garden leaves with having had a meaningful and inspirational learning experience.

Our challenges at Blackberry Farm are never ending and that is one of the factors that challenges each one of us to excel in our areas of expertise, and know that at the end of the day you have given your very best to each guest you have invested time with.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener