First week of Summer CSA

Welcome to the first week of our Summer CSA!  Although we know summer doesn’t really start until the solstice in late June, the beginning of the month usually marks a distinct change in the garden.  The squash has started to produce fruit, the onions are coming in, and soon it will be time to dig carrots and potatoes.  This is good news, because most of the spring crops are done.  Any lettuce left in the field is bolting, the black rot has set into the kale, and the turnips have succumbed to yellow margined leaf beetles.  But by the end of the month we will be picking tomatoes and eggplant.  Summer will also bring peppers, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe.

You say “Potato” I say “Yum!”

The potatoes in particular are looking beautiful.  I am hoping they look as good underground as they do above.  The Colorado Potato Beetles have been getting steadily worse over the past few years.  Earlier in the season the potatoes were just covered in larva that seemed to appear overnight!  We used to be able to control them with hand picking but that would have been impossible.  I was surprised and pleased that one application of AzaGaurd, an organic insecticide, as able to keep them in check.  The active ingredient, Azadirachtin, is found in the seeds of the neem tree.  I am hoping that next year I will able to control potato beetles with preventative applications of neem oil.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Mower blades and Disk Axles and Flat Tires, oh my!

Sometimes it seems like it takes a whole lot of work just to keep things rolling along.  We finally got the right replacement blades for the bush hog and a new axle for the disk harrow.  Both implements are now reassembled and have been put to work!  Randy was mowing when he got a flat tire.  Thankfully we have two tractors now because we cannot afford to lose any field time.  We are trying to get the soil prepared and beds for sweet potatoes made before rain on Thursday.  The tire shop was able to fix the tire but in all honesty the whole set needs to be replaced.

We are juggling a lot to make beds tomorrow.  There is more prep to do this evening, then tomorrow while I am doing deliveries in Memphis and Melea and Connie are at the opening day of the Benton County Farmers Market, Randy can make beds and wrap them in bioplastic with Skylar and Robin.  I’m exhausted just thinking about it!

Small Shares
Red cabbage
Beets
Celery
Onion
Turnips
Squash

Full Shares
Green cabbage
Beets
Celery
Onion
Turnips
Squash
Fennel