Unusual, Challenging Yes Farming is Complex

Unusual, Challenging Yes Farming is Complex
A boy and his dog.
Cooper and frank running through the just sprouted cover crop

If you’ve been keeping up with this newsletter, then you already know this has been a challenging year.  I saw a couple pictures of our farmers market display from a year ago, when it was beautiful and piled high with all kinds of vegetables.  It would be nice to think that our market booth gets more and more abundant and diverse each year, but that’s not always the case.

Some of the crops we are harvesting right now fall short our usual standard.  The carrots are a bit gnarly looking and turnip pests have been

Cooper and Grammy G out working in the field.
Cooper and Grammy G out working in the field.

nibbling both the roots and the greens of the hakurei turnips.  Hopefully, the second succession of carrots and turnips will both look better now that fall weather has arrived.  It is hard not to feel like a failure, even thought I know it is sometimes it is two steps forward, one step back.

The weather has been unusual, and the pest and weed pressure has been severe.  A major obstacle this year was getting beds made when we needed them.  We have had less produce in October because we didn’t have anywhere to plant our crops in August.  It is important to our weed control strategy that we prepare beds in advance.  Part of the reason we’ve had so much trouble with weeds is because we’ve been behind

schedule making beds.

I’ve already got ideas for next year of how we can grow more using fewer beds and protect our plants from pests even in record breaking heat.  And that is the beauty of it.  We don’t exactly have a clean slate every year, but we do get to try again.

Full Shares

  • Cauliflower* or Broccoli
  • Hakurei Turnips
  • Carrots
  • Green Tomatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Mustard Greens
  • Salanova Lettuce Mix with Mizuna

Small Shares

  • Napa Cabbage
  • Hakurei Turnips
  • Carrots
  • Green Tomatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Salanova Lettuce Mix with Mizuna

*Everyone will be getting cauliflower – but not everyone will be getting cauliflower this week.  Thank you for your patience as we wait for the cauliflower to mature on its own schedule.