This week marks the first pick ups for 2009. We have been so busy the past few weeks that all I can manage to post are quick photos from the field while I walk to my next chore. Mom has been working as hard as she can (and that is pretty hard) to get everything planted in the fields between the rains. We did manage to get into our lettuce patch today to plant some in the field. Also we were finally able to plant our summer squash.
Even when it is raining, we are here doing farm work. Mom was working on transplanting lots of flowers and lettuce into larger cells. I was working on a new sign for the end of our lane, and the handbook for 2009 CSA members. The handbook should be finished for everyone next week. I usually have it ready long before the season starts, but this season we have initiated several things - the cheese CSA, a different traffic pattern through our neighbor's right of way, egg shares (they will start in July) and a earlier pick up time. These things have all taken more of my attention that I have first expected, and I am so sorry that I haven't been able to tie up all of the loose ends sooner.
Tonight they are calling for frost in the northern tier of the state and snow in NY. It is not helping us much. Though the average temperature for May was normal, the cold night time temperatures that keep coming at us are slowing the growth of our very leafy crops. The lettuce is staying lower to the ground that I wanted. It is very sweet though.
A new blog with recipes and information about the foods that we grow will be unveiled tomorrow eveining after I order milk. (If you want to have milk here for your next pick up, I need to have the order by sundown on Monday.) A link will be posted on the right of this page to take you there. The address is http://www.sharedearthfarmeats.blogspot.com. It will explain how to post your favorite recipes for others to try. You don't need to have any special ID to post things. If you aren't comfortable posting anything, please read the recipes and get ideas of what to make for dinner.
See you this week! I can't wait...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Mom and I finished planting the last eggplants just before sun set. Happy Memorial Day!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Kale
I just checked on the kale that we are growing under row cover. Row cover is a polyspun fabric that lets sunlight, rain, and air through. It keeps any frost and hungry bugs away. I was disappointed to find flea beatles there. We had covered the plants hoping that they would remain free of bug chew holes, but unfortunately those tiny black beatles beat us again. Above is a picture of the tender kale under the white row cover. We will have to mix up one of our favorite coctails of calcium, liquid fish, kelp, and Pyganic (an organic pesticide). That should lessen the damage.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
On Monday evening, after he got home from work, Andy was able to rototill some of the beds we will use for our tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil. On Tuesday, after planting 1,000 chard plants with Isaac (he volunteers here each morning), Shiela worked at laying the plastic that we will plant those crops into. We are trying a red plastic this year for our tomatoes. Research has shown that the red reflects the spectrums of light needed to ripen more fruits. So far we like the black plastic better. It is easier to lay. The red is thin and tears easily. We'll see what the tomatoes think.
Wednesday we finished up the plastic for tomatoes, and planted a bunch of them. Ethan even helped! We got about halfway through that when darkeness came and made us stop. The rains have kept us out of the field since then. I hope this pattern breaks soon. We have alot to plant in our fields, and I was hoping to get it all planted before the soil warms too much and the weeds really get growing.
Thursday Shiela seeded lettuces for the summer and transplanted a few straggler cabbages and kohlrabis, shile I ran to get some last minute supplies to prepare for our first pick ups of the season.
Today (because our fields are too wet and sticky to get into) we will work on the herb garden and transplant some of the perenials from what I thought would be a nice bed near our house. It is an overgrown grassy mess, and it gets worse every year. We are making a patch of flowers near our pick up area with landscape cloth that was left over from the floor of our greenhouse. I can't wait to have flowers that we can see!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day!
My everything is tired. It has been a busy week even with all the rain. For the first few days of the week, we were not able to plant crops in the field. Disturbing the soil when it is still wet will destroy the structure of the soil, making it tough for air and water to be exchanged. This leads to poor habitat for the microbes that support healthy roots and plant functions.
So we have taken the time away from our fields to really reorganize all of our supplies. We worked on making our pick up area more appealing. And we mowed our grass! Since the inception of our CSA our lawn has really faltered. Some day I hope to have a "regular" lawn again.
Today Shiela (mom) and I celebrated a few days of sunshine by spraying our bok choy with some Pyganic (an organically approved pesticide made from chhrysanthemums) and a bit of fish and kelp to try to knock down the flea beetle population. There is nothing like starting your Mother's Day with a nose full of fish. Then we planted 800 kohlrabis, 300 lettuces, and still had time for an early dinner. Great day.
We are still working on determining the best cell phone service for uploading photos to our blog. We are getting closer to selecting something. I can't wait until I can show you our flea beetles in real time.
So we have taken the time away from our fields to really reorganize all of our supplies. We worked on making our pick up area more appealing. And we mowed our grass! Since the inception of our CSA our lawn has really faltered. Some day I hope to have a "regular" lawn again.
Today Shiela (mom) and I celebrated a few days of sunshine by spraying our bok choy with some Pyganic (an organically approved pesticide made from chhrysanthemums) and a bit of fish and kelp to try to knock down the flea beetle population. There is nothing like starting your Mother's Day with a nose full of fish. Then we planted 800 kohlrabis, 300 lettuces, and still had time for an early dinner. Great day.
We are still working on determining the best cell phone service for uploading photos to our blog. We are getting closer to selecting something. I can't wait until I can show you our flea beetles in real time.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Short day today
Friday night we all did some fun non-farm stuff. This morning I was up early and on my way to State College for Farm Business training. Now that we have a good handle on what is involved in growing, it makes sense to be sure we aren't flubbing up the way we record all of our business. Boy do I have a lot more recording to do than I first thought.
Some great things came out of the 6 hour class. I learned that there is a way that I can upload photos to the blog from a cell phone. Now I am in the market for some sort of cell phone and plan. I will definitely keep you abreast of this story. I would love to post photos from the field as I work there. There is nothing like real time farm updates....
Some great things came out of the 6 hour class. I learned that there is a way that I can upload photos to the blog from a cell phone. Now I am in the market for some sort of cell phone and plan. I will definitely keep you abreast of this story. I would love to post photos from the field as I work there. There is nothing like real time farm updates....
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