First Week of the Fall CSA
Welcome to the first week of the Fall CSA! Yes, we know its not really fall for a couple of weeks yet. But already the days are getting dramatically shorter. I still get up and hurry out the door at 5:30 AM only to find…
Author: Josephine Alexander
Final Summer Share of the year
I first learned about eating sweet potato greens many years ago when I worked for GrowMemphis. One of the community gardens I worked with grew sweet potatoes. Several of the gardeners were originally from West Africa. The potatoes themselves were less important, what the community…
It’s been one soggy August.
It rained today. And it rained yesterday. And it rained the day before yesterday. It’s been one soggy August. Cloudy, rainy and damp weather is good for transplanting seedlings. Today Skylar and I finished tucking in the first succession of cabbage and are nearly halfway…
The Late Summer Squeeze
The Late Summer Squeeze One of the most difficult aspects of CSA farming is keeping a consistent level of production throughout the CSA season. Late August and early September is always the leanest portion of our growing season. We plan hard for this time of…
It’s Melon Time
It’s melon time! I started picking cantaloupes today. The cantaloupe we grow is Athena. It’s a reliable producer with a strong rind and great flavor. I haven’t found a smaller melon that I like as much. And some of the Athena are real whoppers! But…
Vegetative vs. Generative Growth
Ready to get nerdy with me? Let’s talk about vegetative vs. generative growth. Far from abstract, these principals are playing out in the garden right now and impacting our harvests. During vegetative growth, plants grow big and bushy. They are busily conducting photosynthesis, growing leaves,…
The fall garden is a fresh start
We are getting ready for fall. The greenhouse is filling up with seed trays for the fall garden. Little sprouts of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kohlrabi are popping up. It can be hard to germinate cool season crops in such warm weather, so…
It’s put your head down and power through season
It’s “put your head down and power through” season. I have caught a little time to reflect on the week but I find myself stuck on the minutia. Big picture perspective is too much to ask right now. My brain is completely occupied by the…