Ice and snow mean it is time to order seeds!

It snowed and iced last night, so that means it is time to order seeds! I am slowly getting my act together; I took stock of the seeds I still have from the last two seasons, the seeds I saved last year, and the seeds I was thrilled to get at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's Sustainable Agriculture Conference . Next year, the conference will be in Raleigh and I will be bringing seeds to share!

I have a lot of seeds; nevertheless, it might be impossible not to buy new seeds. Everything sounds amazing- every new seed is a chance for a miracle. Kind of like Seminole pumpkins. If I don't see another Seminole pumpkin miracle until July, that will be fine with me. We gave I don't know how many away and we are still eating them! So, despite the surfeit of seeds, I did in fact just place a $90 order with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Fully half of that cost went toward perennial onions, a new seed potato, and soft neck garlic; things that I will hopefully not have to buy again. And I didn't have to buy the potatoes, it just seemed like the right thing to give the amazing Carola some company. I am sure that I have mentioned this before, but I say it again. Potatoes are the best thing you can plant. Ever. I strongly recommend the Carola. SASE sells it. It is prolific, disease resistant, and has been pest free for two years here. Okay. Off my potato soap box.

The 2011 highlights are..... Baby corn! Lots of beans! And of course a reappearance of the never ending Seminole pumpkin. If you are hungry in September, please stop by and pick up three or four or ten of these prolific bastards. And (drumroll.......) BEES! Yes, we will be adding bees to the hive in March. I am very pleased and excited. Chickens may make their appearance in 2012.

Welcome to the Darko Urban Farm!

This is the inaugural post for the Darko Urban Farm blog. It seems strange to get started in the summer, but I have to start sometime. The purpose of this blog is to document when I plant things, how they grow, what we harvest, the various bug, weather and disease issues we have on the farm and anything else farm related that strikes my fancy.


The Darko Urban Farm is located in downtown Durham, NC. The farm got its start in February 2009. It was great fun but not a great success in its first year. The soil wasn't particularly wonderful but i planted anyway because I wanted to grow my own food. But in the winter I added chicken poop compost from the Rock Shop, put down some red clover seed from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and waited for spring.

This year the farm is producing like mad. Soil building and mulching are key.

The goals at the Darko Urban Farm are many:
To produce and store enough produce to avoid the grocery store most days and hit up the amazing Durham Farmers Market for meat and cheese.
To grow our own and get some exercise while doing it.
To keep the bunnies fed all year long.
To get rid of all the grass and have a food forest.
to get good enough at farming that I can do it as my job instead of as my hobby.
To occasionally be moved to tears by how amazing plants are and how beautiful hard work can look.