Dunton Family Farm News

Although the countdown to the Summer Solstice is literally down to hours, it still feels like spring here.  And that is actually a step up from it feeling like winter!  It was so cool and rainy on Saturday (two days ago) that we had to list a fire in the furnace.  Interestingly, one of the headlines in today’s paper read, “Oregon Endures Second-Wettest Spring in 117 years of Record Keeping.”  I for one am hoping and praying that the weather changes, we actually get a decent summer and growing season, and that it lasts well into October.

We have finally made a big dent in our planting.  Our potting shed and greenhouse are finally about empty of plants.  Tomato, pepper and tobacco plants are all in.  Corn, beans, squash, melons, etc., are sown.  At least the main production varieties.

We are now actively figuring out what small samples of rare seeds we have in the seed bank that need to be grown out for comparison to the historical record and then if accurate, scheduled for seed multiplication grow outs.  That process typically takes anywhere from 2 to 7 years from the time we receive a rare heirloom variety to when we have seed available for home gardeners.  This is also the whole foundation of our mission.

This is the biggest of our gardens this year. It is a little under one acre. You can see this view from our field camera, watch us work and watch the progress.

Speaking of mission, if you have recently discovered us and would like to learn more about what we do and why we are here, you can learn a lot by following the links below:

About Us

• About Our Company
  • Historical Company Timeline
• About Our Mission
• About Our Seeds
  • Our Position on GMOs / Safe Seed Pledge
• About the Farm
  • Virtual Farm Tour
• Customer Praises
• In The News
  • Information for Members of the Press
• Contact Information
  • Our Business Hours
  • Following Us On Twitter

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We went from cold, wet weather (that felt like winter) to Summer overnight here in the Northern Willamette Valley.  This happened on Friday and Saturday.  By yesterday (Sunday), the clouds started coming back in and it is considerably cooler today.  The nearly 90F temps on Saturday, combined with a breeze, allowed me to get the small tractor and tiller onto about 75% of the field yesterday afternoon.  And although there were serious thundershowers last night in our area, we were spared.  I will get the remainder of the field tilled today.  The rest of the week looks overcast with a chance of showers and highs in the mid-60s.  Frustrating for a farmer but nearly identical to the hand we were dealt last year.

Small orders are still trickling in (Thank you!!!) and we are able to get them quickly mailed out.  Typically we are sending them within one business day.  Folks here at the Victory Seed Company are taking advantage of this slow time for early vacations and catching up on home maintenance tasks.

Thursday we are moving our son back home from college for the summer and starting first thing Saturday morning, we plan to focus on planting.  So far the forecast looks promising.  The plants in the greenhouse are holding out but they are beginning to look a bit stressed and need to be out in the ground.

Not a lot else to report.  Blog posts may now start to be more sporadic than normal as I am required to spend less time in the office and more time out in the fields.

After a long day working outside, I packed up the family plus two workers who were here late, and we headed down the road to the local cafe for supper.  It was nice to unwind and visit as a family over a good meal . . . especially when there were no dishes to clean up afterward.

When we got back to the farm, the guys (son and both son-in-laws) headed to meet up with friends to play basketball.  I started to head out to the office to catch up on paperwork but it was so nice outside, and with rain forecast for tomorrow,  I grabbed the tractor key and a sweatshirt and hit the field.  I ended up tilling the gardens until 10:30 p.m. this evening.

Doing tractor work is one of those tasks that allows you to simultaneously work your mind.  It is kind of like time spent commuting.  And yes, I too once had a commute.  Commuting seemed like dead, wasted time.  But like this evening on the tractor, I always tried to make the time productive.

I started with going over the day’s accomplishments and what didn’t get done.  Then I started making a mental list of what I needed to get done this weekend and then I started thinking about the weather.  Then started watching the flock of birds that was following me around the field eating as I turned the soil.  Well you get the picture . . . my mind started to wander.  But that is o.k. once in a while.  It is like dreaming.  A necessary function.

And then, as I sat in the armchair that is my tractor seat, I looked up and took in the whole view as well as my situation.  And it was good.

My Office Window

It was like it just hit me.  After years working off-farm in a corporate, high tech career to pay the bills while we got the farm and the Victory Seed Company off the ground, I finally got my office with a view.  It is awesome and I am grateful and very appreciative for all of you that support our seed variety preservation work with your orders.  Your support directly allows me to work the soil, raise rare seeds and keep them available to gardeners.  I truly feel blessed and just want to sincerely thank you.

If you have never gardened or have never tried starting plants from seeds, here is a list, with links, to the ten easiest plants to grow from seed.   This list is not just our picks.  They are based on a poll of the membership of the Home Garden Seed Association.

All of these types of plants can be sown directly into the garden which means that you don’t have to take the extra step of starting them in pots indoors.  All germinate quickly and easily and most mature fast as well.

• Green Beans
• Cosmos
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Summer Squash
• Sunflowers
• Zinnia