Question from JD: Can I till in the mud?

Answer from Coastalfields: Yes, you can - and sometimes have to. You should till all year long. The benefits of tillage include trimming plant roots (cutting the roots allows the plants to eat better by producing new, small roots that can then easily penetrate into the soft soil), and a fertilization of the ground. By aerating the ground, you encourage the microorganisms that add nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrients to the soil. These microorganisms also increase the insulative properties of the soil, allowing your soil to be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, wetter during drought and dryer during floods.

Tilling in the mud will compact the soil if you do it wrong. Make sure to step only where you have not yet tilled. Be careful, too, that your machines or draft animals do not get stuck in the mud. Shoveling backwards is a good way to till in the mud.

Make sure to retill the soil before planting to make a good seed bed. You can refer to our articles on tillage or contact us for more information or if you have questions.

Question from AM: What do you use to protect yourself against mosquitoes?

Answer from Coastalfields: We use no insecticides (we don't even swat mosquitoes) and no insect repellant: all insects (even mosquitoes) are important to the farm and ecology. Mosquitoes are some of the most important pollinators!

Mosquitoes are very dangerous animals, though: they can give you many diseases. To protect ourselves, we use the bug baffler. It's a shirt and hood made from mosquito net and works perfectly.

Question from HP: Why does whole wheat flour bake differently from white flour?

Answer from Coastalfields: Whole wheat flour shouldn't cook any differently, but your problems may arise from your whole wheat flour being "coarse ground." The larger pieces of flour will take longer to cook. If you are not going to grind your own flour (easy to do with a blender!) we recommend King Arthur brand's whole grain flour: they grind their whole grains very fine. With very finely ground flours, the difference when using whole wheat will be only in flavor and nutrition: whole wheat flours have a richer flavor, and much higher nutrition than white flour.