Farming

Potatoes are one of those crops that feel deeply rooted in tradition—no pun intended. Every spring, when we start working our potato rows, I’m reminded of how satisfying it is to grow something so simple, so loved, and so dependable. But like most things on the farm, growing good potatoes takes intention, timing, and a bit of extra care along the way. Planting: Setting the Stage UndergroundWe start with seed potatoes, cutting them into chunks with one or two good eyes each. After giving them a little time to callus over, we plant them in rows,

Farming teaches you a lot about patience, humility, and trusting the long game. But every now and then, the weather delivers a reminder that no matter how carefully we plan, nature still has the final say. Earlier this year, a round of heavy wind and soaking rain swept through the farm, and like so many farmers know all too well, it left its mark. Wind can be especially tough on young plants. Tender stems bend or break, leaves tear, and seedlings that were standing proud the day before end up leaning sideways—or flattened completely. Rain brings

Every season brings its own set of small but important tasks—the little decisions that quietly shape how well a crop will grow. One of those tasks was getting the structure ready for our sweet peas. After the plants were set, Henry went out and installed metal posts with lines of string stretched between them. It might look simple from the outside, but for sweet peas, it’s absolutely essential. Why Support Matters for Sweet Peas Sweet peas are natural climbers. They want to reach upward, grabbing onto anything they can with their delicate tendrils. Without something

Wow, it feels like ages ago! The ryegrass really worked wonders for us at first, but unfortunately, it couldn’t handle the intense heat and drought we experienced. That’s when the weeds started to creep in. Still, I absolutely loved having it during those rainy early summer months—it kept things from getting muddy and helped control the weeds until the extreme heat set in and dried everything out. This year, we're changing things up a bit and won’t be growing as many vegetables as we did last year. If you’re curious about our farming journey and want

Hello, wonderful community! Today, we’re diving into a heartfelt recap of our experiences here at Full Circle Farms. As we’ve navigated this incredible journey, we’ve encountered both challenges and joys that have shaped our story—and we want to share it all with you. Let’s start with the *happy* moments. Working alongside our family has been a true blessing. Having our children and their spouses back to lend a hand in the market garden has filled our hearts with joy. Those long days spent planting and harvesting, even when the sun dipped below the horizon, were full

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to our Farm Journal! Today, we’re wrapping up our potato season here at Full Circle Farms in Waynesburg, and we have some exciting updates to share! As we dig up the last of our potatoes for the year, we’ve been really pleased with how our red losada potatoes performed. They thrived amidst the extreme wet conditions in early summer, followed by the dry spells that came later. It's amazing to see how resilient they can be! 🌧️☀️ On the flip side, our Keenbec white potatoes didn’t fare as well. Unfortunately, they

Today, we want to highlight our commitment to bringing the cleanest and freshest produce directly from our farm to your table. As produce farmers, we understand the importance of following food safety guidelines, and that’s why we invest time and resources into training and education. 🚜 Why Clean the Farm Cart? You might wonder why it’s necessary to maintain clean farm equipment. Simply put, after spending time in the fields with cattle and manure, we want to ensure that our produce isn’t exposed to any contaminants. Cleanliness is key to food safety! 📚 Food Safety

Every so often, we gather up old metal from around the farm—broken equipment, worn-out fencing, bits and pieces that have served their time—and haul it to the local recycling center. In the video below, you’ll see a quick look at that process: loading, delivering, and watching it all get weighed and sorted for a new life. For us, it’s more than just clearing space in the barn. It’s about stewardship—taking care of what we’ve been given and finding ways to make sure nothing goes to waste. Every load of scrap we recycle keeps good materials in

We've been slow to post videos, and part of the reason is that farming is hard work. We spent hours preparing the beds, invested a lot of money to fix them up, and then had to plant the carrots, which took considerable time and effort to cover properly. Unfortunately, just a day later, we received over four inches of heavy rain. While the carrot seeds survived, our careful planting strategy—spacing them evenly in specific areas—was compromised as the heavy rain washed the seeds together. Finding the right variety of carrots to grow in my area has

This was our first year using a mulch layer, and let me tell you, it was frustrating! We were excited to try out the biodegradable mulch, but the machine was a nightmare. It took forever to figure out, and we were constantly adjusting it. Driving the tractor straight was a challenge, and keeping the mulch from ripping or jumping off the wheel felt impossible. It required a minimum of three people just to get it somewhat operational! By the end of the season, we finally managed to run it without too much ripping or tearing,

Sometimes the best garden plans don’t unfold exactly as expected — and that’s okay! In this video, Michelle talks about how some of her ideas for the garden shifted as the season progressed. Flexibility is part of the gardening journey, and small adjustments often lead to big successes. After reworking the plan, we used the water wheel planter to get cabbage into the ground. This tool makes the process quick and efficient, ensuring even spacing and watering at the same time. It’s always rewarding to see neat rows of young plants settled in, ready to grow.