It looks like things will be dry enough here at our home farm by the end of the week for us to get back in with the tractors and continue to work up more ground to plant into. Before the last series of storms we had mowed and incorporated the cover crop on most of the fields and in the intervening weeks the residue has broken down to the point that we should be able to start planting into it in a week or so. My aim every year is to plant our large blocks of hard squash no later than May 1st, and it looks like we are on track to meet that goal.
Your box this week is a mix of the “old” and the “new” as it were. The leeks, favas, and strawberries were planted late last year and matured over winter. Everything else was planted at the beginning of this season. A lot of the crops with longer maturity times– like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and fennel—are right on the cusp of being ready, so expect to start seeing them in your boxes soon.
The strawberry crop is on track to be one of our best ever. At planting time last fall we pulled out all of the stops—applying heavy amounts of compost, gypsum, and mustard seed meal, as well as using a microbial stimulant as a root dip at planting time. The plants are a shiny, deep green color and full of vigor. Now that the rains appear to have stopped, we can afford to let the fruit ripen more on the plant, and it will be cleaner as well.
Our Spring Farm Tour is this Saturday, April 12th, at 10 AM, at our home farm. Come out and see where your food is being grown! We’ll tour the blueberry patch, orchards, greenhouses, and row crops, and show you the unique features of this property and the sustainability and restoration practices we have undertaken here. Kids are non-CSA members are welcome. The weather is supposed to be mostly sunny in the high 60s. Please wear long pants and closed shoes that can get dirty.
Note: We apologize if we worried some of you with the comment about someone “breaking into our computer system” in our April Fools Day newsletter. That was just part of the joke. Your personal information is all safe and sound.
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