Farm Life by Anthony Rehbein
Over the past few weeks at our Riverview hydroponic farm near Elliott Heads, we’ve planted tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, and eggplant. Most of these crops will be ready by the end of June. Flowers have become a large part of our planting program. Snap Dragons, Stocks, Bachelor Buttons, Queen Anne Lace and Statice are just some of the flowers we are growing.
This week we are planting strawberries which should be ready by June and we’ll pick through till October. Life is full steam ahead on the farm.
As you can imagine 2020 has been a difficult year for most farmers. Working with staff who are highly anxious, in a market experiencing larger than normal ups and downs on both price and quality. We must not forget the recent fires and extreme weather conditions we had in February, this created supply issues for some produce lines.
Luckily farmers are very resilient, particularly as most of us employ backpackers. These kids are out in OZ for the trip of their lives, and as farmers, we become their surrogate parents and they become part of our family.
From our One Little Farm family to yours, may the cooler weather conditions be kind to you during this period. I know Kate and I have loved sitting on the grass over Easter and spending time with our three children.