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BW
climber
Bishop, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 17, 2011 - 12:19am PT
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Seen a few occupational threads now and again, but wondering if there are any farmers out there in ST land/earth/soil. Just started up a pretty large market garden enterprise with a fellow climber here in Bishop and we aren't doing much climbing anymore. It is planting season after all. But farming in the Owens Valley is pretty interesting, especially with all this peaks shadowing your rows. Anyone else out there doing the same? Be cool to compare notes, ideas, etc.
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bob
climber
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May 17, 2011 - 12:24pm PT
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I've been farming or involved with it for the last 6 years, but my friend Sean Kriletich is the guy that started it for me and has impressed me the most with his involvement. The website is: www.palomapollinators.org We met on TM SAR in 2000 and have been tight ever since. He's done so much climbing in the Meadows with me. Any of my burliest adventures involved us as a team. Many climbers in Yosemite have had the benefit of Manzanita Ridge veggies. Some have even worked/lived there including myself. Jake Whittaker has done a bunch of time living and helping there as well. Its why he sends so much.
So check out the site. Maybe you want some salve?!??!!?
Farmers feed us and keep us going. Farming does the same.
Roots and berries look good right about now!
Bob Jensen
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JakeW
Big Wall climber
CA
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May 17, 2011 - 01:27pm PT
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No wonder I'm not sending anymore...better get back to The Ridge soon!
Kriletich is the man. At the end of one glorious season of gardening he loaded up his bike with a bunch of his own food, rode to Yosemite, free soloed the East Butt of El Cap(after not climbing all summer)...then continued cruising down through Bishop to Joshua Tree. I think he was going to keep going south, all the way, until his bike got smooshed by a car about 1cm. in front of him while he took a smoke break.
The year I lived with him I managed to go climbing a few times and even did the Nose/Half Dome in a day...fueled almost entirely by our garden food and some local wheat berries we ground up.
Sigh...but its hard to both climb and garden since they're both so obsessive, or maybe I'm too obsessive.
Anyhoo, glad you're going for it over there on the Eastside!
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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May 17, 2011 - 01:30pm PT
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not anymore.
my buddy, in town from the alps, still farms part-time.
terrible spring on the west side. produce looked like hell at the farmer's market last weekend.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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May 17, 2011 - 01:50pm PT
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I farmed 140 acres of cherries ( a somewhat experimental crop this far south) and 80 acres of citrus until about 2005. What I learned won't do you much good, I'm afraid. Where do you desert farmers get your water?
John
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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May 17, 2011 - 10:07pm PT
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I grow Corn, Sunflowers, Cattle Trees, and wildlife. Also mine and drill, trust me we do it right.
Just found two of the most crittically endangered species in N.A. in our watershead!!! And they are healthy and the last viable populations of both species.
We just got some rain! Been needing it for some crops we just put in. All is well out my way, 4th generation farmer/timber/miner, and proud of it.
If your ever in east TN let me know and have at the climbing or exploring!
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OR
Trad climber
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May 17, 2011 - 10:27pm PT
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Cool post! It is my wife Ali's dream to farm on our little farmette in vt but we are not there yet. We do have a great veggie garden in 5 large raised beds and chickens are on the way. Good luck and please keep us up on your progress.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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May 17, 2011 - 10:46pm PT
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Haven't done much farming lately but am Moving to Montana soon...gonna be a mental floss tycoon..Waxin em up....Waxin em down...in a ittle white box i bought up town..
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Robb
Social climber
The other "Magic City on the Plains"
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May 17, 2011 - 10:51pm PT
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RJ, don't forget your pigme pony.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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May 17, 2011 - 10:54pm PT
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Sorry....Just me and the pygmy pony over by the roudebaga plant...
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WBraun
climber
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May 17, 2011 - 10:58pm PT
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Walt Shipley had a friend who was a farmer and he'd do El Cap with him.
Then he asked Walt to run the tractor and make the rows in the field to plant the crops.
LOL .... Walt thought it was brutally hard to make straight rows and make/keep a square field.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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May 17, 2011 - 10:59pm PT
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Thanks to a dimming sun my winter crops froze, no broccoli or cauliflower, but the cabbages survived and are filling out a couple of months late.
You can't kill beets, plenty of them.
The cool spring has produced a bumper crop of asparagus and artichokes to the point of, "not again tonight!"
Looks like we are going to have a bumper year for boysenberries and raspberries as well. Should end up with north of ten gallons, maybe fifteen. Everyone is getting jam for Christmas!
Corn is about 2 ft high, the beans are starting to climb, and the tomatoes are coming along. I have some volunteer red spuds too that even cooperated by growing in a properly spaced row. Don't have a clue how that happened. This spring is cold enough they may do OK.
The squash has just started, but I put it in late.
An experiment this year holds some promise. The local Mexican (owned by an Indian) market had shallots, past their prime, real cheap last fall so I planted a bunch of the cloves. I can see why they are expensive, they take forever! to mature, but they produce a tall elegant plant.
I think I'm going to try some from the seed. Never seen it in seed catalogs.
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john hansen
climber
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May 17, 2011 - 11:08pm PT
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We need some photo's TGT..
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