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Here We Go!
The herb garden misses Jeannine this year but with the help of CSA members I think she would approve. Here, chives and their blossoms await cutting and consuming.
Protected under floating row cover, these delicate spring greens will be harvested and distributed over the next few weeks. Flea beetles, which chew holes in anything in the brassica family, have been a big problem this spring because of the hot and dry weather.
News
Expected Harvest
The First Harvest!
By Derek McGeehan
Harvest #1 (Week A) should include arugula, broccoli raab, bok choy, greens mix, mini head lettuce, romaine lettuce, butterhead lettuce, endive, escarole, Italian dandelion, radishes, and turnips. Some items will be a choice. U-pick should include perennial herbs like thyme, oregano, rhubarb, chives, lemon balm, and mint.
Notes From The Field
An Unexpected Beginning
By Derek McGeehan
It wasn't until yesterday, Saturday, that we decided to start the harvest season this week. When I was on the tractor laying biodegradable mulch for our winter squash patch, which is 50 feet downhill from our early greens, I realized that it is probably better to give out these vegetables now while their quality is peaking rather than wait another week for a few other vegetables to catch up in size. Plus, farming lacks a certain amount of predictability and consistency at times; just look at the weather which controls much of our fate. A cold, wet March was followed by a cold, dry April, which was followed by a hot, dry May. Until yesterday we only received one rain event since we began farming this spring. That's just over a month and a half of planting and seeding outside weekly, probably enough to fill 4 acres with produce, with only 1.7 inches of rain received over two days in mid-April, much of which came down fast and heavy and was unabsorbed by the soil. Everything we planted in the 4-weeks after that did not receive a drop of rain. That has been unheard of in our 6 seasons prior. Which brings up an important insurance policy the farm has in place: irrigation.
Uphill, 4000 feet of winter squash beds await planting while rain appreciative garlic grows on.
Largely unappreciated the past few seasons, this spring highlighted the necessity of adding water not only so plants would grow but simply so they could survive. Three years ago we installed 3000 feet of 3 inch buried pipe around the farm to transport our well water more easily. Before that, we had to rely on above ground 2 inch tubes to take water around. Very easily damaged, cumbersome, and unsightly, that system was a big pain to set up and take care of. This was the first time we had to irrigate on a daily basis for almost 4 weeks using the new system and it was definitely a huge improvement and worthwhile investment. The prior two seasons we basically got away without irrigation because we had consistent rain. I was literally ready to never have to irrigate again, until this spring. Now, I am very thankful for the aquifer water coming out of our 300 feet deep well. The half inch of rain last night was a nice bonus, but also a lifesaver for the unirrigated potatoes and garlic as well as the trees and other plants around the farm.
Farm Information and Etiquette
You should have received your pick up information via e-mail yesterday. If you did not, log in to the website to view your information or e-mail us. On your pick up day you can retrieve your produce from the barn anytime between 1 and 8 PM. The u-pick component can be harvested between 8am and 8pm Monday through Sunday of your pick up week. Be sure to check the boards for appropriate amounts of produce. Parking is available in the big rear parking lot, not by the buildings unless you have a small sleeping child in the car or are handicapped. Also, the driveway speed limit is 10mph. Thank you for following these simple rules!