Sam the loyal farm hound watching over a few thousand tomato plants being hardened off for planting out.
Eek! Our regular farmers market season begins next week!!
We just finished up planting the last of the spring crops at dawn this morning, then immediately turned around and started prepping fields for summer crops. Talk about a seasonal whiplash. We usually get at least a few weeks in between those two big blocks of planting to get ahead on the weeds, get the last of our supplies rounded up for the year, and just get our heads wrapped around the start of a new season before the biggest plantings of the year go out. Not this year.
We have some slightly insane goals for the week...to get all of our summer-crop plots fertilized and finely tilled up, laid out with irrigation and plastic mulch, and then there's row after row of stakes and fences that need pounding in for trellises on the possibly too-many rows of cucumbers and tomatoes we have planned before the first plant meets soil. The chicken coops need repairs and renovations before warmer weather settles in for good. Then there are thousands of plants to put in the ground (tomatoes, squash, cucumbers), along with still more direct-seeded crops (corn, beans). Summery temperatures and frequent spring showers should make for an excellent planting week!
We usually take the week prior to the start of the full market season off from deliveries, pick-up's, and markets. This year I think we especially need it. Spring didn't sprout up until a few weeks ago, and now it's already starting to feel like summer. No complaints about that, but it does leave us crunched for time. We also hope to find a few hours at some point for a little R&R; as it's likely our last chance until late fall, and we've been on a bit of a personal tilt-a-whirl the past few weeks. Sustainable farms need to be minded by sustained farmers, or they aren't sustainable at all.
Your vegetable starts are looking great, and I expect to have all available next week - go get your garden beds ready! We'll see you all next week with asparagus and arugula, radishes, turnips, carrots, and more sweet spring treats.
We just finished up planting the last of the spring crops at dawn this morning, then immediately turned around and started prepping fields for summer crops. Talk about a seasonal whiplash. We usually get at least a few weeks in between those two big blocks of planting to get ahead on the weeds, get the last of our supplies rounded up for the year, and just get our heads wrapped around the start of a new season before the biggest plantings of the year go out. Not this year.
We have some slightly insane goals for the week...to get all of our summer-crop plots fertilized and finely tilled up, laid out with irrigation and plastic mulch, and then there's row after row of stakes and fences that need pounding in for trellises on the possibly too-many rows of cucumbers and tomatoes we have planned before the first plant meets soil. The chicken coops need repairs and renovations before warmer weather settles in for good. Then there are thousands of plants to put in the ground (tomatoes, squash, cucumbers), along with still more direct-seeded crops (corn, beans). Summery temperatures and frequent spring showers should make for an excellent planting week!
We usually take the week prior to the start of the full market season off from deliveries, pick-up's, and markets. This year I think we especially need it. Spring didn't sprout up until a few weeks ago, and now it's already starting to feel like summer. No complaints about that, but it does leave us crunched for time. We also hope to find a few hours at some point for a little R&R; as it's likely our last chance until late fall, and we've been on a bit of a personal tilt-a-whirl the past few weeks. Sustainable farms need to be minded by sustained farmers, or they aren't sustainable at all.
Your vegetable starts are looking great, and I expect to have all available next week - go get your garden beds ready! We'll see you all next week with asparagus and arugula, radishes, turnips, carrots, and more sweet spring treats.
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