Here at my Bedford, New York farm, the outdoor grounds crew is busy "burlapping".
As many of you know, I am a big supporter of covering my boxwood with burlap for the winter. The burlap insulates the plantings and protects the tender branches from splaying and breaking from the weight of snow. It’s a practice I've followed for many years, and I think it also provides a cozy and pretty look to the winter landscape. There are several main areas that are covered, but the biggest "burlapping" project is down by the stable, at my long Boxwood Allee. The outdoor grounds crew tackled this first.
Enjoy these photos.
One of the first signs winter is just around the corner is the sight of stakes and burlap around various shrubs and hedges on the farm. Here at the Boxwood Allee, the first stake is put in the ground for this season’s burlap frame.
For the long Boxwood Allee, we start by positioning all the wooden stakes and metal supports that are needed to secure the burlap covers. These wooden stakes measure about one-and-a-half inches by one-and-a-half inches square and vary in height depending on the height of the plantings.
Phurba uses a steel post pounder to drive the vertical supports into the soil below. This takes a lot of elbow grease, but our outdoor grounds crew is very strong.
For this phase of the project, we also use landscaping twine, which is easy to see and comes in large rolls.
A length of twine is used to create a guide, so all the uprights are straight and level. These frames are built using eight to 10-foot tall wooden stakes planted securely into the ground. The uprights get taller as the years pass because of the growth of the boxwood.
Chhiring then screws in horizontal pieces of wood and metal across several uprights.
Constructing the frame for the burlap takes several days, but the process is well worth the effort during cold snaps, high winds and snow storms.
Here is a row of vertical stakes placed every few feet in between the shrubs and topped with the horizontal supports.
The allee is now all framed on both sides of the carriage road. Building the frame at least a foot taller than the boxwood protects any heavy snow from weighing down onto the tender foliage.
Meanwhile, Fernando pounds smaller stakes into the ground along the entire front of the boxwood rows.
These short wooden stakes provide points at which the burlap can be fastened.
Next, it’s time to drape the fabric over the boxwood. Whenever possible, we use burlap covers from previous years. On average, the burlap lasts us three seasons.
All the wooden stakes, strips and shims are milled at the farm and get reused from year to year. Even scraps of wood can be repurposed for various projects. The strips are about six to eight inches long – just long enough to accommodate two screws that will keep the burlap secure for the season.
To make it taut, the burlap is pulled down and attached to the ground stakes with wooden strips and screws.
The heavy burlap is placed by hand over the frames, one section at a time.
Sod staples are also used at certain points between the strips to keep the bottom of the burlap tight and close to the ground.
At the ends, any extra burlap is gathered, pulled taut, neatly tucked in at the bottom, sewn together and then secured with more stakes, and strips.
As with all the burlap projects on the farm, everything is sewn together with jute twine.
And all the sewing is done using five-inch long craft needles specifically made for working with jute – every member of the outdoor grounds crew has their own.
Because burlap deteriorates after time, every year we reuse a section, we also inspect the fabric for any holes or rips that need repair.
The other side of the burlap is also secured – these covers are done carefully, so it provides strong protection through the winter and until everything is removed again in spring.
The taller boxwood shrubs are wrapped differently, with additional burlap to cover the top, following the shape of the shrub.
When it isn’t possible to use older pieces, we create new covers. Because the burlap comes in 48-inch wide and 60-inch wide rolls, it’s necessary to sew lengths of burlap, so it is wide enough to cover the boxwood. Burlap is relatively inexpensive and available at garden centers.
Dawa rolls out sections of burlap to be sewn. The long pieces of burlap are measured to fit each section. After it is removed in spring, it will be labeled, folded and stored for use next year.
Chhewang sews the long sections together by hand.
Everyone on the crew has developed very good sewing skills.
Here, it is easy to see how the sections are connected to create very wide burlap covers.
Here’s Chhewang securing another end section – making it all tight and tidy as he sews.
Here is a finished section of the Boxwood Allee. The burlap still allows the boxwood to “breathe”, and get sunlight, which is important even during the colder months.
The last sections of the Boxwood Allee to be completed are the shorter sides facing the stable – here is one side.
Here is the other side. The crew has perfected our “burlapping process” – it looks great.
And here is the Allee all finished. I’ve been burlapping for many years and find that this is really the most reliable way to protect my hedges and shrubs. Covering this allee with burlap gives me comfort that all will survive the coming winter unscathed.
Here’s a view of the finished Boxwood Allee from above – taken with a drone.
And here is a view from my terrace parterre in front of my Winter house. These coverings are very functional but also very pretty when complete. How do you protect your precious outdoor boxwood shrubs and hedges? I love hearing from you, so please let me know in the comments section below.
If you're ever in the New York City area, please plan a visit to Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, about 45-minutes outside Manhattan - it is one of my favorite places.
Stone Barns Center is a four-season farm and educational facility whose mission is to celebrate year-round farm-to-table agriculture and to promote the connection between farming and eating. Stone Barns is open to the public all year long, so visitors can learn about the innovative gardening and farming techniques they practice. Recently, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, attended a wonderful lecture and seminar hosted by organic farming expert, Eliot Coleman. It was part of the Center’s Young Farmers Conference that's held every year to provide guidance and support to those who want to engage with industry masters committed to a more just and sustainable food system. It was a great opportunity to learn from such inspiring leaders, and to tour the Center's beautiful grounds.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is a laboratory dedicated to improving and spreading resilient and sustainable farming practices.
The Center was originally created on 80-acres of property, but also incorporates more than 300 additional acres for livestock grazing, thanks to a bequest from the late David Rockefeller to expand the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.
The Center was established as a non-profit organization in 2004. David Rockefeller and his daughter, Peggy Dulany, donated the land for the farm and a complex of historic dairy barns built in the early 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr.
The main entrance leads to a common courtyard square and group of beautifully converted barns and outbuildings.
The 35,000-square foot assemblage of buildings include offices, a market, restaurant, a farm store, as well as ample spaces for informal lectures and other group activities.
Eliot Coleman and Fred Kirschenmann spoke to a full room during their session at the 11th annual Young Farmers Conference. The two are leading experts in organic agriculture and discussed the role healthy soil should play in organic standards and labels. It was just one of the many seminars offered during the three-day conference. I wish I was able to attend – it was a very informative discussion.
The farm at Stone Barns Center is a four-season operation with approximately six-acres used for vegetable production. It features a half-acre four-season greenhouse as well as a terraced winter garden with unheated movable greenhouses.
The greenhouse is soil-based, meaning plants can access the natural soil of the farm. New seedlings are covered by Reemay cloth to protect them from birds that sometimes find their way inside.
The minimally heated greenhouse is also home to many unique or experimental varieties of vegetables such as purple Tsai-Tsai, WaWa GaiChoi, and Indira yellow turmeric.
The Asian green, purple Tsai-Tsai, on the right, has been cultivated at Stone Barns for several seasons. Its unique coloring makes it a delicious and unique variety that is always popular.
Here is a closer look at the leaves of purple Tsai-Tsai. It has dark green leaves with purple veins and a flavor very similar to broccoli rabe, but not as strong.
And here is the WaWa GaiChoi. GaiChoi, also known as Chinese mustard greens, has large dark yellowish-green leaves that are often ruffled. It has a wonderful taste with a bit of a mustardy, spicy “bite” to it.
‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard is a hardy green that can be grown almost year-round. I love Swiss chard and grow a lot of it at my farm. It grows well in both the outdoor and indoor gardens.
By offering maximum protection from snow, wind and frost, the Stone Barns greenhouse serves to extend the growing season of many varieties even though the air temperature in the house remains in the low to mid 30s during winter months. Indira yellow turmeric is usually grown in more tropical climates but is able to thrive at the Center.
Not only are a wide number of different vegetables grown at Stone Barns, but many different varieties of each vegetable are grown. Varieties are evaluated based on many factors such as taste, texture, color, yield, pest resistance, and many more.
Here is another view of the expansive greenhouse – it is so well maintained.
Here is a look at the many varieties of lettuces currently being grown.
These crops are also grown in succession, so there is always something to harvest in the greenhouse. We practice succession planting at my farm as well – I am so happy to share all my fresh vegetables with my family all year long.
Tools for small- to medium-sized farms are often difficult to find. Most research and development for farm tools is focused on industrial-scale equipment. Stone Barns is at the forefront of the Slow Tools movement, which aims to connect farmers with engineers and manufacturers to create new tools for small farmers. Stone Barns will be hosting a Slow Tools conference in 2019 to bring this network of design thinkers together to advance the movement. This is a BCS walk-behind tractor, which is designed for small spaces.
The greenhouses are equipped with state-of-the-art mechanical systems. The roof opens and closes as needed to regulate temperature and overhead sprinkler systems can be programmed to water the crops.
The propagation room is adjacent to the large greenhouse. It is where many of the crops are started from seed.
In the winter, the seedlings are kept warm by a tabletop heating system powered by hot water.
The Center also has a section dedicated to honeybees.
The farm grows 200-varieties of produce year-round, both indoors and in the outdoor fields and gardens. Much of the outdoor growing space is covered for the winter to restore nutrients back into the soil and prevent erosion. However, certain varieties of spinach, kale, parsnips and more can be grown outdoors during the cold months. In fact, the cold actually causes the plants to convert starches to sugars to help them fend off the freezing temperatures, so crops grown in the winter can be sweeter than their fair-weather counterparts.
The gardens and fields stretch far and wide. The cattle, ducks, sheep, goats and turkeys are raised on pastures kept healthy and productive through carefully managed rotational grazing. Strategies for maintaining the pastures include intensive paddock management so the grazed area has ample time to recover and provide a natural refuge for birds and other wildlife.
Back in the Center’s main courtyard, a farm store is open for visitors.
It offers books on organic cooking, and a variety of kitchen and gardening supplies.
It also offers fresh produce grown right here at the farm.
The Center is also home to Dan Barber’s world-renowned restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns – a restaurant that serves contemporary cuisine using local ingredients, with an emphasis on produce from the Center’s farm. Farmers and chefs work together to demonstrate innovative farm-driven cuisine and show how a dialogue between producers and eaters can help advance the goal to change the way America eats and farms.
During the closing ceremony for the Young Farmers Conference, attendees from across the US gathered in the courtyard to sing work songs while threshing dried Panther edamame. The seeds extracted are saved and planted for next year’s crop. What a fun and informative gathering for our country’s young farmers. For more information on this amazing facility, please go to the Stone Barns web site. https://www.stonebarnscenter.org/
Autumn chores continue around my Bedford, New York farm. If you’re thinking of moving any bushes or shrubs, late fall to early spring is the best time - when the plants are dormant.
Not long ago, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, and I decided to make a few changes to the bed in front of my main greenhouse. The area was planted with a number currant bushes - black, white, pink and red. I wanted to move them to a different area and create another colorful and vibrant cutting garden in its place. This project took several days - the outdoor grounds crew worked hard to prepare the beds, rototill the soil and then carefully transplant each and every currant bush.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
I am always looking for ways to improve the gardens around my farm. These garden beds are already established, and had been cleared of a few filbert trees and blackberry bushes. The first step was to amend the soil, adding a fresh layer of composted manure to what was already there.
Chhewang spreads the compost evenly over the bed. I am so proud of the compost we make here at the farm – it is filled with so many great nutrients.
These three long beds are now ready for planting. The two outer beds will be used for the currant bushes.
If you follow this blog regularly, you know my currant bushes are very prolific. This photo was taken in June, when the currants were filled with fragrant, colorful fruits.
I grow all the currant colors – black, white, pink and red. Black currants are the most nutrient-rich of the currants. They are high in vitamins A, C, B1, B5, B6, phyto-chemicals and antioxidants. White currants are the sweetest – sweet, and tart with floral undertones. Pink currants are most often harvested for jams, jellies, and pies. Red currants can range from deep red to pink and are best picked when they are firm and juicy.
These currant bushes are very dependable and vigorous as growers. They all yield copious clusters of berries every summer.
Ryan sprinkles fertilizer along the entire length of the beds. We use M-Roots with mycorrhizal fungi, which helps transplant survival and increases water and nutrient absorption.
Then, Chhewang begins to rototill the soil. The machine is set to till the soil at about six to eight inches deep. Because everything was already removed from the beds, tilling this area goes quickly and nothing is caught in the machine’s tines.
The best time to rototill is when the ground is moist, but not wet – the soil should still crumble when picked up. Also, pick a day with little or no wind, which could slow down the process.
It looks great after a first pass with the rototiller. Chhewang will go over the area one more time.
Here is Carlos raking the tilled soil, so it looks tidy.
Here are the currants now – just bare branches. In gardening, the term “dormancy” refers to a perennial plant’s state of temporary metabolic inactivity or minimal activity. During this time, these bushes stop growing and conserve energy until spring.
Carlos carefully removes the bushes one by one from this area.
While Chhewang digs a hole for it in the new bed.
These bushes have also been pruned. Currants need pruning so the plant forms evenly spaced branches that allow air and sunlight into the center, but are also nice and strong for fruit production.
Chhewang and Carlos slowly place the bush into the hole, which should be twice the size of the root ball. A plant’s roots grow out more easily into loosened, enriched soil. It should also be planted to the same depth as it was in its previous home.
Chhewang steps back and assesses its positioning – it should be straight from all angles.
Once it is correctly placed, Carlos and Chhewang carefully backfill with soil and composted manure.
I wanted the bushes planted in a zigzag pattern, to ensure each bush has ample room to grow. A well established currant bush can produce up to 10-pounds of berries per-year.
Planting in a zigzag also gives the bed a more interesting look. Currants can grow well on sandy or heavy and loamy soil as long as their nutrient requirements are met. They prefer damp, fertile ground, but not waterlogged.
The bushes are placed strategically along the bed, keeping in mind the size, and growth pattern of each one.
I have so many healthy and productive currant bushes that a few were also transplanted near the blueberry patch and behind my vegetable greenhouse.
This middle bed is earmarked for the gooseberry bushes which will be moved next from a bed outside the head house.
Currants are well-loved in many other countries, and here in the US, they are slowly gaining popularity, especially because of the high antioxidant content. They are now more prevalent at local farms and home gardens. I think the currant bushes will thrive here, and produce many more fruits in the years to come.
And now the area in front of my greenhouse is ready for planting in the spring – oh, I can’t wait.
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