Coming Down the Home Stretch

Coming Down the Home Stretch

Our high tunnel is going up!  That’s the big news this week.  The team from Tubular Structures arrived Monday morning to start construction on the 30 foot by 72 foot structure.  We have spinach sprouting in the greenhouse that will be transplanted as soon as it is complete, as well as some assorted lettuces and red and yellow chard.  We will be able to use the tunnel to grow crops longer into the fall and have veggies earlier in the spring, and perhaps even have more to harvest in the dead of winter.  Most of the cost of the high tunnel itself will be reimbursed to us by the NRCS EQIP program.  Although it was a significant extra expense to have the team install it for us, we are grateful not to have a major construction project added to our to-do list right now!
 
Did you know your farmers are famous?  There is a short video of us filmed in April of last year on the Farm Again website.  Farm Again provides education and technical assistance to promote independence for members of the agricultural community who have disabilities. Here is a direct link to the video.
 
Fall is a lovely time of year.  Most of the field is being put to bed for the winter.  I had the exceptionally gratifying experience of bush-hogging down the corn, the old tomato patch, and most of the okra so that is can be turned in and the winter cover crop planted.  Besides the satisfaction of making the field tidier, there is also the joy of knowing I won’t have to pick that okra again!  Good riddance you lousy caterpillar infested stand of sweet corn!  It is time for the garden to rest, and almost time for the farmers to rest, too.