No offseason When fall and winter come, Salinas doesn’t go to sleep—it just cools off a bit. After the last lettuce and ro- maine harvest ends in September or October, Hart said, the fields will be planted to cool-season vegetables— mostly broccoli. “We can grow all year long with our cool-season vegetable program and scheduling varieties fitting the cool growing period,” Hart said.
Off to the desert While the cool-season veggies are growing up north, the Imperial Valley —spanning Riverside and Imperial counties, near the Mexican border— is busy keeping American refrigera- tors full of salad ingredients. But their time is nearly up: “Our late-season desert commodities are coming to an end and will completely transition to Salinas Valley” by spring, Hart said.
Down in the dirt Soil is critical to a farmer’s success, and Hart and his crew look after theirs by keeping things moving. “Crop rotation is key to a healthy soil,” Hart said, referring to the practice of moving crops around the farm. “We rotate accordingly and will implement the use of cover crops when needed to give back to our soil.” Cover crops are plants grown not for revenue but to give the soil a break from the previous year’s crops and replenish its nutrients; Hart uses rye, oats and legumes.
No rest for the weary On a farm, there’s no such thing as nothing to do. “I manage close to 2,000 acres of ground through the valley, from the equipment, ground prep, plants and people,” Hart said. “I work closely with our team to ensure we safely complete daily tasks for each individual ranch. Whether it is watering, fertilizing, equipment repairs, ground- work or ranch maintenance, we have work that needs to be done.”
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
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