Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Week 4 Update
Boy, have we been busy! The weeds are trying to take over, but we have managed to keep them more under control that in the recent past. If you would like to help us to get them wiped out during an upcoming Saturday morning, let us know. We would be happy to have some more of you knock out your working hours.
Our green house is still has our fall crops that are ready to plant in the fields. We always run out of plowed fields at this time of year. Happily, this year's experiment of growing in this lower land has increased our production almost twofold. We have more of some crops than we need in order to supply you with plenty of veggies. We are planning to pull out some of the kale and maybe chard that we planted so we can make room for some of the fall crops. If you would like to help with this, let us know. We are here working every day until about 5:30. We would love to have you help us.
This past week we had prepared to be a vendor at the Mechanicsburg farmer's market. WE had planned last winter to grow a bit extra for sale at a market. A little extra income is something we do need. I had harvested some greens, flowers, onions, and bunched them nicely. I spent hours making signs to label everything. It took almost all morning. Then the admistrator of the market called to ensure that I was going to be there, because there were no other vendors. I was so disappointed. One vendor is not a market. I declined her invitation. After brainstorming a while, we decided to sell our surplus items during our pick up times. Members who want to preserve things like green beans or chard and kale can do so. We will also begin to sell flowers from our garden. I'm not sure if we will sell bouquets or single stems. Last year we sold single stems that we harvested from the cut your own garden, and were surprised at the success. We will have the free cut your own garden ready in a few weeks, but for now we will only have stems to purchase.
Bug Report: The cabbage moths have been busy forming a strong population in our cabbage fields. We will spray them with BT, a bacteria found in the soil that kills the caterpillar when it comes in contact with them. It does not affect humans. The Friday shares are advised to wash their kale well. Cucumber beetles are showing up in droves now. They don't actually harm the plants, but they carry a disease called Bacterial Wilt that kills cucumbers plants. We will spray them this week too. Japanese beetles are all over everything.
Disease Report: Late blight has been reported in Western PA and Maryland. Our potatoes and tomatoes look pretty strong now. Cross your fingers. In addition, Ethan and I have that joyous head cold that has been going around. I am ready for us all to be healthy again.
Wildlife Report: Northern Mockingbirds and Grey Catbirds are doing a lot of singing. It seems as though a pair of Eastern Kingbirds has made its home in our neighbor's apple tree. The only butterflies that I saw this week were a Question Mark and a few Pearl Crescents. The groundhogs are very prevalent. There are several groups of babies who have moved into our three car garage and around some of other outbuildings. We have begun trapping for them. There has been a chipmunk or a groundhog who is eating some of the seedlings in the greenhouse. We have a trap set in there too.
This coming week we hope to plant sweet potatoes, plant Tuscan kale, and remove the first planting of peas. If things go really well replant that area with cauliflower and fall cabbages.
Our green house is still has our fall crops that are ready to plant in the fields. We always run out of plowed fields at this time of year. Happily, this year's experiment of growing in this lower land has increased our production almost twofold. We have more of some crops than we need in order to supply you with plenty of veggies. We are planning to pull out some of the kale and maybe chard that we planted so we can make room for some of the fall crops. If you would like to help with this, let us know. We are here working every day until about 5:30. We would love to have you help us.
This past week we had prepared to be a vendor at the Mechanicsburg farmer's market. WE had planned last winter to grow a bit extra for sale at a market. A little extra income is something we do need. I had harvested some greens, flowers, onions, and bunched them nicely. I spent hours making signs to label everything. It took almost all morning. Then the admistrator of the market called to ensure that I was going to be there, because there were no other vendors. I was so disappointed. One vendor is not a market. I declined her invitation. After brainstorming a while, we decided to sell our surplus items during our pick up times. Members who want to preserve things like green beans or chard and kale can do so. We will also begin to sell flowers from our garden. I'm not sure if we will sell bouquets or single stems. Last year we sold single stems that we harvested from the cut your own garden, and were surprised at the success. We will have the free cut your own garden ready in a few weeks, but for now we will only have stems to purchase.
We could use some rain too. Everyone, do your rain dances. Our corn is really struggling to overcome the dry soil. We have it set up to get sprinkled, but that is not nearly as good as rain.
Bug Report: The cabbage moths have been busy forming a strong population in our cabbage fields. We will spray them with BT, a bacteria found in the soil that kills the caterpillar when it comes in contact with them. It does not affect humans. The Friday shares are advised to wash their kale well. Cucumber beetles are showing up in droves now. They don't actually harm the plants, but they carry a disease called Bacterial Wilt that kills cucumbers plants. We will spray them this week too. Japanese beetles are all over everything.
Disease Report: Late blight has been reported in Western PA and Maryland. Our potatoes and tomatoes look pretty strong now. Cross your fingers. In addition, Ethan and I have that joyous head cold that has been going around. I am ready for us all to be healthy again.
Wildlife Report: Northern Mockingbirds and Grey Catbirds are doing a lot of singing. It seems as though a pair of Eastern Kingbirds has made its home in our neighbor's apple tree. The only butterflies that I saw this week were a Question Mark and a few Pearl Crescents. The groundhogs are very prevalent. There are several groups of babies who have moved into our three car garage and around some of other outbuildings. We have begun trapping for them. There has been a chipmunk or a groundhog who is eating some of the seedlings in the greenhouse. We have a trap set in there too.
This coming week we hope to plant sweet potatoes, plant Tuscan kale, and remove the first planting of peas. If things go really well replant that area with cauliflower and fall cabbages.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Dippy inspects the sweet potato plants that we brought home. Our egg producer, Chris, started them for us.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Week 2 Update
Congratulations! We all made it through the first week of pick ups. We were happy to see so many familiar faces again, and pleased to meet new members, many of whom were eager to try meats, eggs, and cheeses from other local producers. We have been so focused on growing veggies here (in addition we had a family member in the hospital last week), that we haven't made our usual late spring contacts with other local farmers. I intend to make as many contacts on Monday as I can, and will fill in with others as soon as possible. I will update you all each week about what is available.
This week during your pickups, we will have samples of lemonade, green tea, and black tea lemonade for you to try from Apple Valley Creamery. If you are interested in purchasing their products, you must contact me, Amy, by sundown Monday. Browse their website to see if there is anything you would like to try. They offer milk, cream, and butter from their pastured cows; grain-fed beef; raw milk cheeses from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus; lemonade and teas; plus things from producers near them. I usually mark their items up to the nearest dime or quarter to avoid the nuisance of pennies.
Bug Report: Shiela saw the first Japanese Beetle of the season yesterday. Last year we had very few Japenese Beetles, and hope that this year is a light one as well. They always eat our early corn silks and ruin our first few pickings. A couple of Squash bugs are in the greenhouse on the squash seedlings, but we have been able to squish them before they lay any eggs. The population of Colorado Potato Beetles are increasing, but we are still below the threshold to apply a pesticide to save the crop. Cabbage moths have been busy laying eggs on the cabbage, broccoli, and kale. Now those eggs are hatching and the tiny caterpillars are beginning to feed on the leaves. Once this pattern of rainy muggy weather passes, we will spray them with a bacteria called Bacillus Thuringiensis.
Disease Report: Late Blight has been reported in Maryland already, and after the devestation that it caused last year that we are watching closely for any signs. The wet weather patterns that we are having is ideal for culturing the spores and spreading the disease. We are keeping up to date on the status of it in Central Pennsylvania. If it gets closer to us, we may consider applying a fungicide. If it comes to this, we will ask what you all prefer before taking any actions.
Wildlife Report: The deer are still making tracks through our fields. They seem to stay away from electric fencing, so we are learning how to setup in electric system that we can run around the perimeter of our fields. We think that will help them to stay away from things like lettuce, fennel, and green beans. As far as the bird spottings go we have seen: Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows buzzed us while we were mowing the grass, a Barn Owl called as it flew away from our property, Indigo Buntings are calling from the tops of brush and weeds. Groundhog babies are out and about. This past week we saw a few butterflies: Black Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, and Silvery Blue were spotted in passing. I tried to identify a skipper of some sort and I suspect it was a Least Skipper. Red Admirals keep turning up in the greenhouse. We aren't sure yet why they seem to like it in there.
This coming Saturday we will host a working Saturday and our annual potluck will follow it around 10:30. Come join us around 8 to pull some weeds, and bring a dish to share during the potluck brunch. Our farm will supply the drinks, plates, cups, and cutlery. Let us know if you will come, so we can be sure to have enough seating for everyone.
This week during your pickups, we will have samples of lemonade, green tea, and black tea lemonade for you to try from Apple Valley Creamery. If you are interested in purchasing their products, you must contact me, Amy, by sundown Monday. Browse their website to see if there is anything you would like to try. They offer milk, cream, and butter from their pastured cows; grain-fed beef; raw milk cheeses from Whispering Brook Cheese Haus; lemonade and teas; plus things from producers near them. I usually mark their items up to the nearest dime or quarter to avoid the nuisance of pennies.
Bug Report: Shiela saw the first Japanese Beetle of the season yesterday. Last year we had very few Japenese Beetles, and hope that this year is a light one as well. They always eat our early corn silks and ruin our first few pickings. A couple of Squash bugs are in the greenhouse on the squash seedlings, but we have been able to squish them before they lay any eggs. The population of Colorado Potato Beetles are increasing, but we are still below the threshold to apply a pesticide to save the crop. Cabbage moths have been busy laying eggs on the cabbage, broccoli, and kale. Now those eggs are hatching and the tiny caterpillars are beginning to feed on the leaves. Once this pattern of rainy muggy weather passes, we will spray them with a bacteria called Bacillus Thuringiensis.
Disease Report: Late Blight has been reported in Maryland already, and after the devestation that it caused last year that we are watching closely for any signs. The wet weather patterns that we are having is ideal for culturing the spores and spreading the disease. We are keeping up to date on the status of it in Central Pennsylvania. If it gets closer to us, we may consider applying a fungicide. If it comes to this, we will ask what you all prefer before taking any actions.
Wildlife Report: The deer are still making tracks through our fields. They seem to stay away from electric fencing, so we are learning how to setup in electric system that we can run around the perimeter of our fields. We think that will help them to stay away from things like lettuce, fennel, and green beans. As far as the bird spottings go we have seen: Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows buzzed us while we were mowing the grass, a Barn Owl called as it flew away from our property, Indigo Buntings are calling from the tops of brush and weeds. Groundhog babies are out and about. This past week we saw a few butterflies: Black Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, and Silvery Blue were spotted in passing. I tried to identify a skipper of some sort and I suspect it was a Least Skipper. Red Admirals keep turning up in the greenhouse. We aren't sure yet why they seem to like it in there.
This coming Saturday we will host a working Saturday and our annual potluck will follow it around 10:30. Come join us around 8 to pull some weeds, and bring a dish to share during the potluck brunch. Our farm will supply the drinks, plates, cups, and cutlery. Let us know if you will come, so we can be sure to have enough seating for everyone.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Week 1 Update
We hope you all had a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. We did lots of farm work and had a quick picnic with our family. It was a relaxing time.
Earlier in the week, we were beginning to worry about the dry spell that we were having. We had been running our sprinkler on the corn to try to get it to germinate well. We havent used a sprinkler in the past, so it has been somewhat experimental. It seems very effective, though it doesn't conserve as much moisture as using drip irrigation. We often have trouble with keeping the drip irrigation in place until the crop that we are watering emerges from the soil enough to keep the tapes in place. So we sprinkled and hoped for rain. And did we ever get it. Thursday evening we got 2.5" of rain and then Friday night we got another 1.25" along with pea sized hail. It has drizzled on and off throughout the weekend so far, which is just keeping it wet enough that we can't really get in the fields to pull weeds. We feel like we are getting behind on planting some of the late summer crops like spaghetti squash and watermelons. We are finishing the tomato planting today.
One bad thing happened last week. We discovered that the housing develpment being built adjacent to us has increased the deer pressure on our crops. Sunday night they mowed down 400 feet of freshly planted lettuce, one being a variety of enormous oakleaf and the other was our virgin attempt at a red leaf type that is amazingly pink and green instead of the usually ruddy bronze. We will definitely try that one again. They didn't disturb some of the other varieties that we had planted. We covered the older rows with deer fencing and that seems to be preventing further damage. We are investigating methods of erecting simple deer fencing that will protect our entire garden. The deer are sampling some of the crops that we haven't covered.
Bug Report: We have seen a decrease in the flea beetle population. We still have our cole crops covered tight, and the heat doesn't seem to be overtaking anything yet. Once the flea beetle pressure subsides we will remove the covers and let the plants get more energy from the sun. The Colorado Potato Bugs are increasing in numbers in our potato field, and we will keep watching them closely. Once they are a problem we will spray them with an organically approved pesticide.
Disease Report: so far so good as far as the plants go. Shiela mostly kicked her cold, and is getting back into the swing of things.
Wildlife Report: We have already mentioned the deer. We have seen some Chimney Swifts flying about in the evenings. A Baltimore Oriole has been dining on mulberries near our shed. It seems as though a Killdeer might be nesting near our fields. We always seem to disturb them when we go out to our farthest field. Killdeer nested on our farm when I was a little girl, and we hadn't seen them in many years. It is nice to have them back. Eastern Kingbirds have made a few brief appearances. They usually sit on the posts of the tomato fence, so I anticipate their return once we get the posts pounded in. They are excellent at catching flying insects. Groundhog babies have been spotted a few times. Hopefully they will stay away from our sweet corn. We might put up an electric fence to deter both deer and groundhogs.
This week it is our goal to weed the kohlrabi and the flowers, plant lima beans, more flowers, and some of our dahlias. We will also seed a few more fall cabbages.
Earlier in the week, we were beginning to worry about the dry spell that we were having. We had been running our sprinkler on the corn to try to get it to germinate well. We havent used a sprinkler in the past, so it has been somewhat experimental. It seems very effective, though it doesn't conserve as much moisture as using drip irrigation. We often have trouble with keeping the drip irrigation in place until the crop that we are watering emerges from the soil enough to keep the tapes in place. So we sprinkled and hoped for rain. And did we ever get it. Thursday evening we got 2.5" of rain and then Friday night we got another 1.25" along with pea sized hail. It has drizzled on and off throughout the weekend so far, which is just keeping it wet enough that we can't really get in the fields to pull weeds. We feel like we are getting behind on planting some of the late summer crops like spaghetti squash and watermelons. We are finishing the tomato planting today.
One bad thing happened last week. We discovered that the housing develpment being built adjacent to us has increased the deer pressure on our crops. Sunday night they mowed down 400 feet of freshly planted lettuce, one being a variety of enormous oakleaf and the other was our virgin attempt at a red leaf type that is amazingly pink and green instead of the usually ruddy bronze. We will definitely try that one again. They didn't disturb some of the other varieties that we had planted. We covered the older rows with deer fencing and that seems to be preventing further damage. We are investigating methods of erecting simple deer fencing that will protect our entire garden. The deer are sampling some of the crops that we haven't covered.
Bug Report: We have seen a decrease in the flea beetle population. We still have our cole crops covered tight, and the heat doesn't seem to be overtaking anything yet. Once the flea beetle pressure subsides we will remove the covers and let the plants get more energy from the sun. The Colorado Potato Bugs are increasing in numbers in our potato field, and we will keep watching them closely. Once they are a problem we will spray them with an organically approved pesticide.
Disease Report: so far so good as far as the plants go. Shiela mostly kicked her cold, and is getting back into the swing of things.
Wildlife Report: We have already mentioned the deer. We have seen some Chimney Swifts flying about in the evenings. A Baltimore Oriole has been dining on mulberries near our shed. It seems as though a Killdeer might be nesting near our fields. We always seem to disturb them when we go out to our farthest field. Killdeer nested on our farm when I was a little girl, and we hadn't seen them in many years. It is nice to have them back. Eastern Kingbirds have made a few brief appearances. They usually sit on the posts of the tomato fence, so I anticipate their return once we get the posts pounded in. They are excellent at catching flying insects. Groundhog babies have been spotted a few times. Hopefully they will stay away from our sweet corn. We might put up an electric fence to deter both deer and groundhogs.
This week it is our goal to weed the kohlrabi and the flowers, plant lima beans, more flowers, and some of our dahlias. We will also seed a few more fall cabbages.
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