ountry C Friday, August 20, 2021
cres A Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 28
Growers of
vegetables
Vegetable p of Willmar. lots grow July 30 on th PHOTO tunnel gree In the background is e Larry and Mary Larso S BY DIANE LEUKA K M nhouse. the couple’s n home as w farm southeast ell as the h igh
Larsons’ labor of love in 40th year
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Larry Larson holds an ear of sweet corn July 30 on the farm southeast of Willmar, where he and his wife, Mary, are in their 40th year growing a variety of vegetables and selling them at the local farmers market.
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
This month in the
ILLMAR – Just southeast of Willmar, Larry and Mary Larson farm 700 acres of mostly corn and soybeans. Entering the farm on the long driveway with neatly mowed ditches and tall corn growing on each side, one might think those crops would be enough to keep them busy. In fact, that’s barely the beginning. What has occupied most of their time these last four decades are vegetables. “This has become one of those things that it’s who you are: We grow vegetables,” Larry said July 30 while giving a tour of the farm. The Larsons grow pretty much every major vegetable that farmers markets have, such as onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, carrots, beets, zucchini and squash. They plant all their own seed, starting them in a greenhouse in March. “We don’t bring any plants in b e cause we don’t want diseases and things, so we grow all our vegeta bles from seed,” Larry said. They can describe every type of plant and its characteristics, from Red Mountain tomatoes t o tomato #589, which they consider to have the true flavor of good tomatoes. Their expertise comes from years of experience, along with constant collaboration and research. “I’m a research guy and I always have something going on,” Larry said. “We also belong to the
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Sept. 3
BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER
5
Egg pickin’ at The Plaid Chicken Hillman
7
Getting farmed out Diane Leukam column
10 A marriage promise: Through sickness, in health Brandon
Minnesota Vegetable Growers Association and we get ideas there and through practical experience.” Experience helps a lot. “You get a little smarter every year,” Mary said. Vegetables are grown on several plots, along with high tunnels, a tomato greenhouse and even a wind garden, where vegetables that are more susceptible to wind damage are protected inside a fenced area lined with a woven screening material. Mary showed how well the pickling cucumbers grow on rows of high trellises, also allowing for easier harvesting. That comes in handy, as 15 gallons are often harvested in one picking. Inside the large high tunnel structure, vegetables grow in a controlled environment, protecting them from pests and wind while allowing the temperature to be regulated in very hot or cold weather. Everything is screened so no aphids or other insects can get in, cutting down on disease issues and damage to vegetables. “Everything is grown in the ground like a regular garden, except you have the plastic enclosure and you can control the environment in here,” Larry said. “There is a heater because we plant the first part of April, so we use heat at night.” High-producing Roma types of tomatoes grow huge, and large slicing cucumbers grow on arched trellises in the sunshine, ready to be picked the following day. When harvesting, the Larsons start from the bottom and go up, around and back down on the other side.
12 The salsa and sauerkraut guy Holdingford 16 In search of cross rocks Bowlus 20 Fair crush forever Sauk Centre
Larson page 2 21 Country cooking 23 Corn, the American crop Herman Lensing column 24 Animals we love 26 What’s this? 26 FFA student
