Still taking orders for VeggieShares. Keep spreading the word. We’d love to sell the remaining shares.
Still taking orders for most other shares like fruits, cheese, ‘shrooms, coffee, eggs, flowers and winter share. Feel free to order as many as you’d like.
We’re still not sure when the harvest season will start but will be either the week of June 15th or 22nd. The lettuce look like it will be the 15th. The rest of the farm isn’t so sure. So maybe start the 15th with just lettuce? Stay tuned!
I’ll be sending out pick-up instructions in the next week or so (maybe next weekend).
Farm News
Seems like in the last many years we’ve completely sprung over Spring. From below freezing overnight temps to highs in the upper 80s. No nice cool days in the 60s and 70s anymore. Just cold then hot. Where is the Spring we all wait for during the cold winter months? Why live here if we don’t get Spring anymore? Spring is the Goldilocks of seasons — not too hot, not too cold. There is just no more happy Spring medium anymore.
Not only are the Spring temperatures gone but we also seem to jump right into the Summer drought. We’ve had very little rain this year. According to my records we’ve had two days of rain with a total of less than an inch. I shouldn’t complain too much about the lack of rain. It gives us more time to manage the weeds since the soil is not too wet to hoe and cultivate. But an inch of rain a week — preferably on a Friday isn’t too much to ask, is it?
The one Spring weather factor we haven’t lacked so far is wind. There has been plenty of wind this Spring. Not only wind, but a dry wind — which is a weather event that is detrimental to young, delicate transplants. So far most have survived successfully. We’ve really coddled them. Gave them a big drink of water before transplanting. Then another big drink of water in the transplant hole. Followed by another long soak with the drip tape to give them an extra boost as they start sending out roots. The only mass casualty event so far is our cucumber. In the greenhouse these plants tend to grow tall and lanky and have hollow stems (well, the hollow stems occur both inside the greenhouse and out). So when first transplanted if we get the hot, dry blustery days like we have this season their stems tend to break and the plants keel over. Never fear though. We have another planting of cucumbers to go so we will get our fill eventually.
So with this Summer weather we have fallen into a irrigation rhythm already. Everyday, from sunup to sundown something is being watered with drip tape. And at night we frequently run the overhead sprinklers on the crops where we don’t lay drip tape. In some ways it is easier having a schedule. You just have to follow the order of which crops are next in line. Never interrupted by rain. But in other ways rain would be helpful. Mostly because it seems to do a better job watering the plants. It also knocks off some of the insect pests. And finally, it gives us a day off from outdoor work so we can get inside and get the washing and packing areas setup for the harvest season. So bring on the rain — just not too much and for not too long.
Joke of the Week
A wind turbine met a solar panel at an energy convention. He introduced himself to the solar panel and said, “I’m a big fan!”
As always, do not hesitate to send in questions, comments, suggestions, orders or anything else you think would be interesting!
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