August 14th, 2016. The day I bought my 1986 Jeep Cherokee. The day before I was born again. Jesus take the wheel. My sister Lydia took the picture without me even knowing about it. A great way to remember one of the most important days of my life, thanks Lyd.
It was May 2023. Was just about to be homeless. Getting pretty worried. Ended up on my bosses farm. Immediately the wheels started turning. I just knew I had to plant this year, a year earlier than I had planned. I guess it was all part of God’s plan. Gooooooo…. JESUS.
In the morning, before going to work that day, I showed my brother Clark a picture of a Ford 8N on craigslist. Thinking if I want to start farming, Im gonna need to buy a tractor. After work that same day, our boss Pete, rode up to the farm on it, after having just purchased it. Clark took this picture, seconds after I started it and drove it for the first time, the same day it arrived.
More pictures Clark took that same day. I’m bit overweight, and got a funny look on my face, but it makes me laugh, so up it goes.
That night, after the tractor showed up, I figured next I will need a plow. So I looked online and found a CountyLine plow, yellow frame, silver blade. The next day, Pete’s cousin dropped off this plow on the farm.
The field before and after plowing six rows.
About 750 pounds of composted manure. Mixed in with hand tools.
The night after I finished planting all 842 potatoes, and got them covered up. Everything besides the initial plowing of the rows was done with hand tools only.
One of the first potato plants to sprout.
Was one of the driest summers ever, plants were just begging for water. Never irrigated, fed by prayer and rain from above.
The first big rain, they needed it so bad. A week after this they started popping up non-stop. Could count multiple new plants every day. At the peak, almost 100 plants sprouted in a single day.
Rows starting to form.
The weeds and grass kept coming. Pulled the weeds by hand. Cut the grass with Grandpa Ralph’s old weed whip. Towards the end, the grass got wild so I got a heavier duty version of Grandpa’s weed whip, a weed cutter, from Blain’s Farm and Fleet.
The first four plants I harvested. Harvested on 8-15-23, seven years to the day that I was born again. Sure I picked that day, but I only realized it was a perfect seven years about a week before I was planning on pulling a few anyways.
Harvesting the first quarter of the field.
Washing and drying the first batch of taters.
One of the biggest ones I grew. There were around 10 others about this same size.
Me and my potato fork. A picture my parents took, when they came out to help harvest the middle half of the field.
Michigan is just so beautiful in the fall. God’s country.
Me and Clark harvesting the last quarter of the field.
First farmer’s market. Rained all day. I love the rain.
