The week has started off with some chilly nights but blue sky breezy days. Perfect for helping dry out the soil so we can shape beds and start getting our warm season crops in the ground. The tomatoes and eggplant in the greenhouse are past ready to be planted out! We just started squash and zucchini seeds as well, a week later than normal since the wet weather has us a little behind schedule. Audacious as it is to even have a schedule when working with nature. It’s more of a suggested timeline.
The turnips might be the prettiest we’ve ever grown, but the bok choy does have some pest nibbling. We hope you don’t mind. I don’t like to use pesticides for cosmetic damage if I can avoid it. Speaking of pests, the Colorado potato beetles have appeared. It is amazing to me that they are so good at finding the potatoes. They don’t fly, they walk. The adults overwinter in the ground or under debris. When they weather warms they emerge and SMELL their way to the potatoes. Or, more accurately, they use their antennae to detect the volatile compounds given off by the potato foliage. Then they crawl on their little legs all the way across our fields to find their way to the new potato crop. I am equally impressed and annoyed. We’ve been picking the adults off by hand, but I’m sure we will be seeing larva soon. They can eat up to a third of the potato foliage without having a negative impact on the potato harvest. Unfortunately we have a robust population of CPB so control measures are necessary.
Potato beetles aside, the wonders of spring are emerging all around us. Last week we saw our first hummingbird (though I’m pretty sure I heard two buzzing by the week before). Suddenly there are dragonflies everywhere. The snakes are becoming more active, I went for a peek around the pond and found two cottonmouths. I expect there are many more I did not see. The turtles are sunning themselves on the down tree branches. The indigo buntings are back, and other birds I cannot identify. It is a glorious time of year to be working outdoors and we are trying to soak it all up because we know summer is coming.
Small Shares
- Turnips
- Radishes
- Bok Choy
- Red Russian Kale
- Arugula
- Strawberries
Full Shares
- Turnips
- Radishes
- Bok Choy
- Red Russian Kale
- Arugula
- Strawberries
- Mustard Greens
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