The Wild Weather of Spring

Last fall a wise farmer warned me that the steep learning curve of our first year wasn’t going to level out any time soon.  I didn’t believe him.  It had been less of a curve and more of a vertical face as we learned about our soil, our equipment, our pests.  This spring we jumped into the ring with all of our lessons from last year and promptly had the crap beaten out of us again.  How do I feel about that?  I feel great.
 
I realize that wise farmer (Frank Hart of True Vine Farm) was right about how much we have left to learn.  This year is full of new and unanticipated challenges.  The buzzword now is resiliency.  We need to be ready for torrents of rain or no rain, record highs or record lows, and each and every pest and disease that might show up and we have to be ready for these things all at the same time.  I am working on my personal resiliency, too.  How do I feel about the fact that the cold wet weather paved the way for a fungus to eat away the roots of the melons?  Disappointed, but not devastated.  We can plant more.   There is plenty of summer ahead.
 
The fact is, as wild as the weather has been this spring, I’m taking my victories where I can.  After all, what we CSA farmers are trying to do is crazy.  We are growing about 35 different crops complete with different planting schedules, different nutrient needs, and different pest problems.  As soon as I think I am getting a handle on spinach, the peas throw a curve ball.  And we are growing them in such a way that we have a continuous supply of produce from April through November.  
 
Zucchinis coming soonWe have been busy bees in our finally-dry fields finishing up the big planting rush of spring.  All the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are in.  The sweet corn has been (re)seeded.  Most of the cucurbits have been replanted.  [It’s attempt #3 on the cucumbers, but the way.  The first round got zapped by the frost.  The second round fell to fungus.  Third time’s a charm!]  Now that it is drier Randy has been hoeing up a storm keeping weeds at bay in the just sprouted okra, the ripening strawberries, and the many, many, beds of carrots.  New veggies are appearing in the boxes soon, including kohlrabi and strawberries in some shares this week, and beets and zucchini likely next week.
 
Some old friends and some new friends joined us Saturday for our Open House and we had a great time.  The kids enjoyed feeding the chickens and collecting eggs, and finding the first ripe strawberries of the year.  We enjoyed walking people around the farm and watching some hard work clearing brush go up in smoke when we lit the bonfire.  Don’t worry if you missed it – we welcome our members to visit the farm anytime, just give us a call and let us know when you would like to come.  We are also planning the BIG DIG Potato Party in late June when the potatoes are ready.