EOSF -Part 2

So the two or three months before we take possession of our farm we go into a frenzy of research to try and figure out what we need to do when. Part of our Purchase & Sale Agreement was a "Berry Course" where The Seller/Farmer Guy walked us through the farm and instructed us. It became quite clear on that day that our idea of a Berry Course and his idea of a Berry Course were completely different. He told us about strawberries but neglected the gooseberries, currants and raspberries (we figured out after we took possession.) Doh! He didn't give me as much full in depth info as I wanted and craved. We had provincial agriculture berry publications by then and were more aware of the general schedule. But he was very vague and nonchalant almost. I think he expected us to fail. Farmer Guy must have just been shaking his head at us when we were looking at the farm implements. Seriously, we'd point at a cultivator and ask "What is this? What do you do with it? When do you do it?" and then move on to the next implement. I can still picture the giggle forming on his face and he was a very serious old country dutch farmer. I don't know what hubby was thinking but I guess I knew he'd be able to figure it all out. I mean really PTO on a tractor - no problem! (Power take off, very important part of a tractor and implements it uses.....very dangerous and well, I had NO IDEA what a PTO was!) We had to BUY a tractor and implements as we were moving from Hong Kong and taking over a strawberry farm, with an 8 month old, a 2 year old and a 4 year old....... WERE WE BLOODY NUTS????? (Remember - Strawberry Farming is EASY!!!) Near the end of our "Berry Course" Farmer guy told hubby that there was a pest in the strawberries but it was under control and he would tell us exactly what we needed to do to control it ourselves. This became a pivotal moment in our strawberry farm odyssey and we didn't even know it.