Without a doubt it has been one of the coolest summers I can remember in some time. Nearly every morning has been damp and drizzly, and if the sun comes out at all it is only for a few hours in the afternoon. For some crops these conditions can be problematic—downy mildew has set in to some of our lettuce, cucumbers and basil crops. Other heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and squash just slow way down. There are, however, crops that love it cool and damp and of these, the broccoli and cauliflower in your boxes this week are fine examples. If conditions are too warm when broccoli is maturing, it tends to “button up” prematurely and form heads that are small and uneven. In cool weather like we have now they form larger, denser, dome-shaped heads with creamy, light green stalks. Cauliflower plants tend to remain closed with their inner leaves wrapped tightly around the developing heads keeping them white and dense rather than discolored and “ricey” when it is hot. Both crops develop more slowly under cool conditions which gives us a larger window to harvest them in.
One of the biggest benefits to these cool damp conditions, however, is in the area of pest control. There is a naturally occurring fungus called beauveria bassiana that exists in the soils around here. When conditions are just right—damp and drizzly—it infects certain insects and causes a disease called white muscardine which can wipe out an aphid infestation almost overnight. Compared to the various organic soaps that I have tried over the years, beauveria is much more effective—and it doesn’t cost a thing.
To help address the strawberry quality issue we’ve been having, we took out our half-acre of Sweet Anne strawberries. The Sweet Annes are really nice early in the spring, but they become too soft and watery in the summer and we switch to picking exclusively Albions. An untended field can become a breeding ground for pests, so we’re hopeful that discing in this field will knock back the spotted wing drosophila. We also made a single pass over the remaining berry fields with an organic microbial spray. Unlike conventional pesticides that can persist for weeks or are systemically absorbed by the plant, this spray breaks down quickly, and at the very small amount we applied–about 2 oz per acre–residues are not an issue. We are also adding supplemental calcium to the irrigation water. Calcium improves fruit quality and keeps the fruit from breaking down as fast. With these measures, we expect the strawberry quality to bounce back to normal. Apologies to those of you whose berries went off quicker than usual the last couple weeks.
Elsewhere on the farm, we have reached the point in the year when we mostly stop planting new starts for this season. We’ll start planting again for next season sometime in November. The pumpkins and hard squash are sizing up nicely in the field. In another few weeks we will cut off the water and let the plants dry down and the squash fully cure before cutting them off the vines and packing them in crates. We are making some of our last, large plantings of roots vegetables like beets, carrots and black radishes which will carry us deep into fall and winter.
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