Last week we finished our
prairie project by putting in roughly 20,000
cup plants!
Agrecol brought out a tractor, the planter, and a truck-full of plugs.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJkk1GahzSQ5qi-JB9IgaLPLgvtgVtyVlKcPCjMN5zekc9cWU1cq7535QBhIWrU0CQMot3hhwhfDJDlXVHxMyFfPJ5siGtMWByPA2A9z9ey-UqrNrcr4g_H3xm4aDHfCUADbymkKSFhkc/s400/Agrecol4.jpg) |
These plugs started as seeds at an Agrecol green house. |
It is a good thing we had a whole crew lined up to help - all of those hands were needed! Six people sat on the planter and fed plugs. Another 6-10 were needed to walk behind the planter to ensure it was calibrated correctly, make sure the plugs were going in okay, and quickly break up any clogs in the planter.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOI6OC6r80OVspBVgSkgk79fM_HC2j1P8pAoODEoUhmIz0ZXwuNWYfLJfh0cW6al6E3_4deRCwvqrR9d1xMLdcATXrZoM4C4PlAq_bnSEoRQk9U5YU6JRxQaPxIvD_7R03yXEjbHk9Xr9/s400/Agrecol9.jpg) |
Getting the planter loaded with cup plant. |
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Part of the work crew in front of the fully loaded planter. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVxUVLvgZyC11F-QyBu6mNFaCDWV44fNJ411VqKa4DQjqHx_XRpNAq55LtJ3lXXXyngdHl2OJ0A76ZocLjjZrDiO-ufBoD_hEvjs535EFdbztvphQVbQ-S-aJpDznZIZ2KsFZgaiXq0Q_/s400/Agrecol10.jpg) |
Each plug traveled down a chute and into a newly-dug, water-filled trench.
This planter was quite the machine! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiI85TgUSR8zId2XSsqVU6RMXGNuf2aDgzjLM9r-KbxXwLtkfQtzJEcYneEEPjVxMj7EcST42aP2tTgnp95M_t7fMl59qSRQcVSFhTx_DmuR2VgCHAPhh-9o3I5qHVaY2gm0sRcHnwjM2/s400/Agrecol7.jpg) |
Orchestrated chaos! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgDkacE3NbBIhA4C0WU3TbINbnNv_ZiNn0HtDiv8RFy-YBmk8j_K3LEGeI8d8YPPODVYq-MljTFHq20_Per4sZxhvfc9sGOlECDJlfRWFmvSsrfB2UfSOf9vFL7UKABO4R0BIx_TbMkI8/s400/Agrecol11.jpg) |
Most of the grandkids were too little to get in on the action -
but not too little to get a ride on the planter! |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe7ujT64SGYo1aL7g2TwMN2OTJfD45mAQS-FEu9CQ3kyY1S-cX8RZhi9o835bnd2gGJjeFNpK5-b0ZjounNDiidg2h_HZHYgWRS_ATyO8qVH8bmQow7MhriI2yf9CHmLiG6-KuBjjtA4G/s400/Agrecol12.jpg) |
A solid day's work. |
The cup plant is perennial and will continue to grow for the next 7-10 years. We're not expecting too much out of the plants this year in terms of a harvest, but in the coming years the flower's seeds will be harvested and sold back to Agrecol.
Arik is working on an update on the Black-eyed susans - coming soon!
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