We are falling behind on our recruiting for 2026. Please spread the word and buy a few more shares!
While you are at it feel free to add some of the other options like Fruits, Eggs, Cheese, Flowers, ‘Shrooms Coffee, Etc. We are almost out of etc. so better buy it soon. This is a great way to support local, small, and/or organic businesses!
Our Eagan drop site location is taking the season off this year so we are looking for a new drop site. If you live in the Eagan area and can provide a space for other members to pick-up their produce please let me know. It is a pretty easy assignment. I can fill you in on the full details. Let me know if you can help!
We are planning to have our annual Potato Planting Party on Saturday, May 2nd. This is a great opportunity to see the farm, meet the farmer, get a bit of sun and a bit of exercise. There are plenty of jobs involving sharp knives and riding on moving farm equipment. How exciting! If the weather is wet or has been wet and the ground is not sufficiently dry we will reschedule to another day. Let me know if you can make it.
If you haven’t sent in your final payment and you aren’t on a payment plan, please send it in at your earliest convenience. Let me know if you have any questions.
Finally, be sure to read the whole newsletter. There are four Jokes of the Week this week!
Non-Farm News
I was contacted by Washington County asking if I can spread the word about their Food Scraps Pick-up Program. We’ve been using it for more than a year and find it works quite well. Sure, we could take our food scraps down to the big giant compost pile we have for farm scraps but the Food Scraps Program is so much more convenient in the winter! Plus not all of you have a big giant farm scrap compost pile. Here is a quick overview of the service and where they currently operate.
Ramsey and Washington counties are working together to bring residents a new way to recycle food scraps from home—the Food Scraps Pickup Program! Food scraps such as fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells and coffee grounds make up 20% of trash. Recycling food scraps helps turn them into soil rather than waste. The program is rolling out over multiple years and will eventually be available to all residents of Ramsey and Washington counties. Learn more about the program availability.
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If you’re in an eligible community, get started today by visiting FoodScrapsPickup.com or calling 651-661-9393 to sign up and order your free food scrap bags.
Farm News
One thing I do every newsletter is ask our readers to send in questions, comments, etc. I do this for one reason: I need topics to talk about. After writing a newsletter for more than 20 years I find coming up with new ideas increasingly more challenging. Sure I can rehash old topics. I’ve even been known to suggest people read back issues when I can’t think of anything new to write about. Since every year is exactly like the prior years (we call that alternative facts) reading a newsletter from the same week but from a past season works out quite well! But I can only do that so many times before people demand a refund on their newsletter subscription fee. People want exciting, new content in their newsletters so let this be a loud request. Send in your questions! Otherwise I’m going to talk about politics. And you don’t want to get me started on politics.
One project we will undertake soon is the installation of the replacement plastic on our hoop house. Two years ago we had a bad storm with high winds that tore open our hoop house. We were planning on replacing the plastic last season but something must have come up. This year we have the plastic we just need to find a time to replace it. The most important factor regarding plastic installation is that we need a wind-free and rain-free day (snow-free too I suppose). The sheet of plastic we put on is 100 feet by 42 feet. That is quite the sail! Any small breeze can be problematic. We have installation scheduled for Monday morning April 20th. If anyone wants to lend a hand please let me know. We have tasks for ground based workers as well as aerial workers. If the weather isn’t cooperative that day we will reschedule to the next, then the next, then the next until we finally get a day that works. And most importantly, the installation of the plastic will give us something to talk about in a future newsletter.
Other than waiting for the right weather for plastic installation we are still planting in the greenhouse. We have started transitioning some crops into our cold frame. This is an unheated structure we use to acclimate plants to the more harsh conditions found out in the real world. It’s kind of like college for plants. Sure you are now “living on your own” but you still have people supporting you.
You’d think looking at the weather and the recent temperatures that we should be able to start planting into the ground but one thing we’ve learned over the years is that April and May are quite fickle. One day we’ll have 70 degree temps and the next it will be below freezing. Planting too early just subjects the plants to unnecessary stress — something we are all being exposed to these days.
So we wait until late April before deciding when to finally put plants in the ground. We’ve also learned that even with early warm temps the plants don’t necessarily get off to an early start if we plant them out early. Many times they’ll just sit around and do nothing. It is almost like they know it isn’t time to grow. Yet if we leave them in the greenhouse where it is nice and cozy warm they continue to grow. Plus, some plants like cauliflower will “button” — grow a small, immature head — when exposed to too much cold weather. So we are better off keeping them inside for a few weeks than we are putting them into the ground early.
That’s pretty much it for now. Back to watering plants in the greenhouse. As always, do not hesitate to send in questions, comments, suggestions, share orders, etc. And don’t forget to spread the word!
Jokes of the Week
In honor of Tax season, here are some vegetable jokes.
Why did the IRS audit the farmer?
His celery was suspect.
Why did the farmer not owe money to the IRS?
His income wasn’t worth a hill of beans.
How much did the farmer owe the IRS on his investment.
Nothing. It was only 20 carrots.
Why did the IRS sue the farmer?
His payment was small potatoes.