In mid-November, her farm’s CSA season over for the year, Carly McAndrews still had more greens and root veggies growing than she knew what to do with.
“We are constantly surprised when we go out in the field,” she said.
McAndrews and her partner, Bryant Mann, were wrapping up their second season at Trowel & Error Farm, a 2-acre “market garden” at the Johnson County Poor Farm. After years of working on others’ farms, they are thrilled to have their own operation and pleased with their early success.
McAndrews attributed their unexpected late-season abundance to efforts to “push season extension without increasing fossil fuel use.” With a master’s degree in sustainable agriculture from Iowa State University, she is committed to growing food in a way that is good for the earth.
Among the simplest of season extension methods they use are “quick hoops,” 3-foot movable structures, like mini hoop houses or “caterpillar tunnels” that can be easily moved from patch, providing warmth and protection from pests.
“That’s what allows us to grow something like bok choy right now,” she added.
One of the less common crops they planted, Trowel & Error’s November bok choy has continued growing rapidly in cold weather. She and Mann planted a 200-foot bed with 2-and-a-half rows. They believe their use of floating row covers, recommended by a mentor at Echollective Farm, has kept beetles at bay and created a favorable “microclimate” for the Chinese cabbage variety.
As successful as they’ve been, the Trowel & Error farmers aren’t quite satisfied yet. They are forward to continuing to grow in future, expanding their CSA, building more infrastructure, and hopefully one day getting their own land.
McAndrews said it was “serendipitous” that they acquired land for rent through an access program at the poor farm, but finding an affordable plot of land is the primary challenge for young and beginning farmers nationwide. She and Mann hope one day be able to live where they work, eliminating their daily commute and immersing themselves fully in farm life.
“This is the most fun job I’ve ever had,” McAndrews said. “It’s really hard, grimy work, but it’s also so joyful.”
Keep up with Trowel & Error Farm on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TrowelandErrorFarm.