March 28, 2022
Farm Staff Updates
by Farmer Dana

Many returning members will notice the absence of Pat McGowan on the farm. Pat worked with us for 5 demanding and rewarding years and we are so grateful for all he contributed to our community here. He has moved on to manage vegetable production just up the road at Stoney Lane Organic Farm and we are so very proud of and delighted for him. Though we will most certainly miss his happy face and positive energy here at Anchor Run, we're thrilled to see him grow in the sustainable agriculture realm and widen people's access to truly good food. Way to go, Pat!

Our brilliant Addie King, who pulled us through last year during the labor shortage, is also moving on to pursue a career in the environmental stewardship arena. We can't wait to find out what wonderful and necessary contributions she will make to the world. Thank you Addie!

We have a great group making up the Anchor Run staff this year and we will be introducing them in the next few newsletters. Craig and Sarah will be back for their 5th and 2nd seasons, respectively, while Gabby, Neil and Meghan will be joining us for the first time. Stay tuned to learn a little about our awesome crew.

Sarah stayed busy this winter while escaping the cold at a friend’s cut flower farm in Sonoma County, CA! The farm grows many varieties, most recently they planted and harvested spring gems such as Tulips, Ranunculus, Freesias, and Daffodils.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Farm-Staff-Updates-2765/

March 24, 2022
Harvest Season to Begin Sometime in May
by Farmer Dana

This space in the newsletter is dedicated to announcing what the harvest will be prior to each pick up week. It's not always 100% accurate but we try our best to predict what will be harvested and distributed when you come to the farm to pick up your share.

Harvest season should begin either the week of May 9, 16, or 23, depending on the weather between now and then. We will notify you of start dates in late April or early May. Until today it felt like a warmer and earlier spring!

The past few seasons the first couple of weeks of harvest looked something like this:

Harvest #1 (Week A) could include radishes, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, lettuce mix, green garlic (whole plant is edible at this stage!), bok choy, kale, swiss chard, escarole, endive, radicchio, dill, and cilantro. Some items may be a choice. U-pick should include a small handful of perennial herbs (catnip, oregano, lemon balm, bee balm, thyme, sage, mint, etc). Peas and strawberries tend to not be ready until the end of May or early June.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Harvest-Season-to-Begin-Sometime-in-May-2761/

March 24, 2022
Workshifts to (probably) Begin late-April
by Farmer Derek

This note is for you if you signed up for a share "with work discount". To qualify, over the course of the season, full shares complete 8 hours of work, medium shares 6, and half shares 4. Friends and family members can help. Three to five 2-hour workshifts are typically scheduled each week and are announced in newsletters or bulletins. If at the conclusion of the season you have not fulfilled the commitment you can simply pay for the balance of hours not worked to equal the regular cost of the share.

As soon as the workload eclipses our ability to keep up with it we'll begin scheduling workshifts, typically around sometime in late April. We'll announce with an e-mail.

If you want to familiarize yourself with the sign up system or work routine, please check out these useful links:

Please bring gloves, water, a hat, and sturdy shoes to work on the farm. We meet under the large red maple at the end of the barn by the pick up room.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/Workshifts-to-probably-Begin-lateApril-2762/

March 24, 2022
CSA Shares Are Almost Sold Out + Balance Due Date Reminder
by Farmer Dana

CSA shares are almost sold out for the 2022 Main Season! Follow this link to sign up for a share of the 2022 harvest before it's too late. A reminder that to complete the sign up process, you must mail or drop off payment after you select your share on our website.

If you have only submitted a $200 share deposit, balance is due 5/1/22. Log in to view your balance or e-mail us.

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/CSA-Shares-Are-Almost-Sold-Out-Balance-Due-Date-Reminder-2763/

March 24, 2022
2022 Growing Season Officially Underway
by Farmer Derek

Happy spring everybody! We hope this note finds you well and ready to embrace this round of our eight- or nine-month photosynthesizing tour around the sun. As daylight slowly increases, the soil warms and beckons our interaction, visible plant life wakes and excites our senses, we feel energized by the positive prospects of new beginnings and the blank canvas that is the farm every spring. Growing mostly annual crops, the farm gets a bit of a fresh start each spring, with a connection to the past that permeates the soil through our management.

Spring is a very, very busy part of the growing season. More than half of the crops that we'll harvest this year will be sown and planted and soil will need to be prepped to accept during this brief span of time. Throw in some challenging weather with wildly fluctuating temperatures and we're in for quite a ride. This is our 14th season here and we still feel excited, happy, nervous, thrilled, amazed, as well as a sense of awe. And honored and thankful for your support!

Seeding in the greenhouse began four weeks ago and will continue weekly through September. As of last week, the space is 100% full of crops. As soon we get past this current extreme cold we'll move seedlings to the hoop house to harden off. Preparing fields to accept those seedlings began last week when soil conditions became workable. I'm always super thankful and humbled when our heavy soil dries out just enough in mid-to-late March for tractor work. There may only be a two-day window to do initial soil preparations of 25,000 feet of beds for early April crops, but it somehow seems to always work out okay. Now we wait for the next round of dry ground to put finishing touches on those rough raised beds and as soon as the forecast looks temperate enough we'll begin planting outside. Peas, kale, kohlrabi, cabbage, turnips, radishes, bok choy, chard, beets, lettuce, romaine, lettuce mix, escarole, endive, radicchio, fennel, cilantro, parsley, dill, scallions, and onions will all be transplanted by hand during the first couple weeks of April. Carrot seeds will be sown directly into the soil with our antique human powered drill seeder and seed potatoes will be manually deposited in row and covered with soil by rakes and/or hoes.

Besides growing outdoors, we also have 4 tunnels that we'll be growing crops in during the spring and summer. Space in two of those is being manually readied for early greens.

With the harvest season a month and a half away and workshift opportunities right around the corner, you will begin to hear from us more frequently. We hope you had a nice and restful winter and are now ready for the bustle of springtime - see you soon!

Link: https://www.anchorrunfarm.com/blog/2022-Growing-Season-Officially-Underway-2764/