The Barefoot Farmer (Jeff Poppen) uses his farm (Long Hungry Creek Farm) as an example in demonstrating good farming principles. The landscape and atmosphere of the 21st century is leaning away from a small farm economy, bucolic scenery, sustainable agriculture and homegrown meals. The health of ourselves and our environment can only be enhanced by a reliance on local small farms for our needs. To learn more about these principle join Jeff Poppen with his weekly column - Barefoot Farmer.To e-Mail Jeff - Click Here

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000002741 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000002705 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc Plowing and harrowing leaves the soil fully pulverized, soft and fluffy. Even after a rainstorm the tilthe will remain loose and mellow. If it gets hard, the organic matter is too low and there is nothing to fluff up. If the percentage of organic matter is high (4 to…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000002707 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000002671 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/OBITS/barefootfarmer.doc A harrow is the implement we use after plowing to break up clods, level the field and prepare a seedbed. There are several different kinds of harrows. Which one to use depends on the soil type, and the specific goal to be accomplished, and what you have.

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000003163 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000003127 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc Farmers gamble. I’ve known that one day the Long hungry would rise up into our lower garden. For 14 years we have been blessed. No, I wasn’t surprised, or even sad, when four feet of water rushed over the carrots and peas. It was beautiful, with class three rapids,…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000004203 StartFragment:0000002615 EndFragment:0000004167 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc Plowing is one of nature’s mysteries. I plow to fluff up the soil in the springs, but plowing destroys soil structure. This irony is hard to explain but easy to experience. I’ll try to explain my experience. Over the winter the ground gets packed down. A cover crop of…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000175 EndHTML:0000002938 StartFragment:0000002606 EndFragment:0000002902 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/barefootfarmer.doc April is the month of planting the spring garden. Onions go in first, and then potatoes. These are the two crops that the king’s deer don’t eat, so we don’t have to plant them inside the deer fence. All other vegetables and fruits can be destroyed if unprotected.

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000003031 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000002995 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/onits/barefootfarmer.doc “Composted” chicken litter is not compost or a fertilizer. It is a toxic waste product from a horrible industrial process known as commercial chicken houses. The small and poisons create ill feelings with neighbors and it pollutes the land and water, besides the air. The only place it should…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000191 EndHTML:0000003062 StartFragment:0000002372 EndFragment:0000003026 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/.Trash/obits%2011-06-54/barefootfarmer.doc The potatoes are tucked into the soft ground up on the Purcell Hill. We use potatoes to build better soil. This year we planted 1700 pounds of seed potatoes. The fields were well composted and turned last fall. The land was hard packed, it hadn’t been plowed in a…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000005355 StartFragment:0000002364 EndFragment:0000005319 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc Blueberries grow well in Tennessee. There is a big patch of Hwy 231 before the bridge over the Cumberland River, and one across from the winery in Macon County. We have a small patch for our own use, but just planted another row on the farm.                                                                                                                      A friend…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000003089 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000003053 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc I plated a valerian patch yesterday. It felt good to get my hands dirty, cleaning out the chickweed and dead nettle that sprouts up in late winter. I shook the soil off of their thick root systems and loosened the bed deeply with the digging fork. Sand and compost…

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000181 EndHTML:0000003163 StartFragment:0000002362 EndFragment:0000003127 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/computer/Desktop/obits/barefootfarmer.doc When spring fever hits, onions are the first thing on my mind. They can withstand temperatures down to 20°, and need to get well established before warmer weather sets in. we eat onions often, and assume our customers do, too. Onion varieties are classified according to the length of…