Field Notes: Fall 2008

Mike Appel and Emily Oakley of Three Springs Farm.

Get Growin' This Fall!

With years of studying and teaching sustainable agriculture under their belts, Mike Appel and Emily Oakley of Three Springs Farm are educators as well as farmers, frequently sharing their strategy for staying both small and economically viable (see Field Notes, Summer 2007).

The couple will continue that work at the Growing for Local Markets horticulture workshop on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Connors State College in Warner.

From 9-12, Appel and Oakley will describe the “Nuts and Bolts of Market Farming.”

The afternoon will feature a selection of hands-on, basic skills classes on growing transplants, drip irrigation, cover crops, and hoop houses for season extension. Each participant will be able to attend two of the four options. Oakley and Appel operate a 5-acre, certified organic, two-person farm in Cherokee County.

“We will cover the history of our farm's development from the start-up phase, to leasing, to finally owning our own land,” Oakley says. “We will present the practical ways in which we strive to balance environmental, economic, and social sustainability.”

Their specific topics include soil fertility; weed management; pests and diseases; greenhouse production; crops, varieties, and succession planting; irrigation; tools and equipment; marketing outlets; and record-keeping.

“We will discuss all aspects of our production practices for fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs through direct marketing with CSAs and farmers’ markets,” says Oakley.

After lunch, Chris Kirby will speak on the Oklahoma Farm-to-School Program and local market venues. Kirby administers the program at the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Following Kirby’s talk, a variety of other Oklahoma experts on market farming will lead the hands-on, mini-workshops.