Part 1: High Tunnel Preparation
The Winston County Self Help Cooperative (WCSHC) begins preparing the high tunnel and field plots for fall planting around this time every year. Allen McReynolds and Alonzo Miller spearheaded this task with elbow grease and enormous determination. Allen initiated the process at the break of daylight on Monday, August 1, 2024, at the Co-op’s demonstration farm at 2948 Highpoint-Weir Rd, Louisville, MS. This task involved using a bush hog and a weed eater to clear the tough weeds and grasses. Sharonne Cooper and other WCSHC team members took care of mowing the lawn at the Co-op’s monthly meeting.
Allen McReynolds resumed tilling the soil in the high tunnel at the demonstration farm on Monday, August 5, 2024. The next day, Rickey Stone removed the plastic tubing and large clumps of dirt. During the preparation, the Co-op received an order from renowned vegetable farmer Warner Hall, who requested our 2024 strawberry transplants.
On August 21, 2024, Allen McReynolds and John L. Hawthorne worked on tilling the soil inside the high tunnel. Allen indicated that more work was required before transplanting strawberries and tomatoes. “We should expect to receive the strawberry plants in mid-October. Andrew Williams will be shipping 1,000 collard plants by mid-October.” Allen stressed the importance of rain in replenishing the soil with moisture. We will till the soil again before transplanting.
Read on for Part II.
Part II: In-ground Preparation
WCSHC’s fall crop is coming to fruition under the stewardship leaders Allen McReynolds and Alonzo Miller. This duo continued to prep the soil with a second tilling on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Allen said, “We are preparing to plant mustard, turnip greens, and transplant collards after September 17, 2024. We need sixty days for the collards to be ready for harvest. Also, we are prepping the high tunnel here at the demonstration farm to transplant strawberries in late October.” Alonzo recapped today’s process as another step forward to feed families and eliminate food insecurity in rural Mississippi.
