Welcome to your good news newsletter

Those big leaves that look like collards?  That’s senposai.  Senposai is a new green are trying out this year.  Originating in Japan, it is a cross between Komatsuna and regular cabbage.  I’d be interested to know what you think!  You can use it like you would use mustard, kale, spinach or chard. We had some with dinner tonight, delicious. Cooked with olive oil in a pan, lid on till tender, 5-7 minutes.

When I sit down to write the newsletter and reflect on the week, my mind immediately goes to what’s going wrong.  Rain has delayed bed making by more

than a week and ruined a whole bunch of strawberries, which do not like being wet.  Cucumber beetles destroyed the first planting of zucchini.  It makes sense that the bad news is front and center in my mind.  The problem areas are where I need to focus my attention and energy.  But I try to take a breath and think about everything that is going right.  Because who wants a whiny newsletter full of bad news?

Welcome to your good news newsletter.  The spring garden is looking great.  The hail we got last week punched a few holes in the tender greens but didn’t actually do much damage.  That’s really good news, because hail can be absolutely devastating.  Cabbages will be ready to harvest next week.  I am predicting two weeks to carrots.  And there are so many carrots!  I planted more carrots this spring than I ever have before.  Last year we got a bed lifter, which makes digging carrots a breeze.

After we all but lost our potato crop last year I am willing to say with cautious optimism that the potatoes are looking good.  I just sprayed them with a stinky mix of neem oil, karanja oil, foliar fertilizer, and garlic oil.  Honestly it didn’t smell that bad – the pleasant garlic smell was so potent that it overwhelmed the fishy smell of the fertilizer.  This concoction will hopefully help keep pests and diseases at bay.  We are going to try the same witch’s brew on the tomato plants, too.

Even though the strawberry crop is waning and the rain hasn’t helped, I am ready to proclaim the strawberry experiment a success.   Strawberries are a new crop for us and we will definitely be doing them again.  Only next time we will do them even better based on what we learned this year.

Small Shares

• Strawberries
• Head Lettuce
• Kale
• Senposai
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes

Full Shares

• Salad mix
• Head Lettuce
• Kale
• Senposai
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes
• Hakurei Turnips