June 2, 2021- summer Season begins
When the squash arrives on our farm, it really feels like summer has arrived! Last week it arrived in huge quantities as the temperatures rose fast. We get a head start on a lot of crops with our heated and unheated greenhouses so things like tomatoes and cucumbers and basil come earlier than they would if we planted exclusively outside. Squash is too much of a space hog so we can’t justify it in the greenhouses so it marks the start of the warm season for us.
The farm is humming along at a very brisk pace. We are almost through May which I always say is the busiest month of the year but that doesn’t mean it slows down much as we move into June- the main difference is that we have a few less plantings to juggle getting into the ground in between the huge harvests, and all the tomato, pepper and cucumber trellising work. Lots has been planted but we have the sweet potatoes and sunchokes to get in this week. After that it is mostly second or third successions of crops.
A market farm like ours that specializes in filling our customers refrigerators each week plants constantly. Things like lettuce and arugula are planted every single week; tomatoes and cucumbers are planted 6 times; squash is planted 3 times; beans are planted 5 times and on and on and on. The diversity we grow can be overwhelming to some growers but it has been the key to our success. In an organic system, we are used to losing a crop here and there or having lower yields due to a pest or disease outbreak but by having so many different crops, we have a bit of a safety net. Fortunately, I enjoy the constant pressure to multitask as we juggle care for all these different crops and I especially love seeing the diverse bounty when we fill your bags each week or set up our market stand on Saturdays. Sometimes however, I feel like I never become an expert in any one crop. That is why I rely so much on my farm team. While I walk the whole farm once a week to look closely at our crops , I then tend to focus on the ones I am responsible to harvest (lettuce) and sort (tomatoes). The field crew moves around the farm harvesting and trellising all week long and have learned to alert me to problems that may be arising like the arrival of a new pest or a crop that is germinating poorly. This assistance is invaluable to me and I’m so appreciative of their experience.
The strawberry season is coming to a close and blueberries are on the horizon, another important marking of the change in seasons from spring to summer! I am sorry that I did not organize a farm open house during strawberry season which I have historically liked to do in years past but I think we are still reeling from the crazy year we have just lived through. I will try to do an open house in the fall so that you can have the opportunity to walk around and see where your food comes from. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming summer bounty. Celia