Crop Journal: April 2018

It's finally Spring!

It was a rough start, with the coldest March I can ever remember, but the weather finally broke, giving us the green light to get our transplants into the field at last. It's always a risk trying to get a jump on the growing season. You never can tell what the season will bring. And with unseasonably cold temperatures delaying our first plantings, we were growing concerned for our first run of plants. But with all the organic fertility we have built up in these beds we know soil and sun are all they will need to grow healthy, strong and sweet. We got our window of opportunity, got the field plowed and the beds made, and managed to plant our beets, chard, kale, cabbage, broccoli, onions, kohlrabi and shelling peas. Planting our crops by the hundreds all by hand is quite a feat to pull off in just a few days with a 3 person crew, but we pulled it together and got it done before the soaking rain hit us again.

In the meantime, we have had a selection of lettuces and salad greens growing in our high tunnels. Nutrient-dense and DELICIOUS! (Just ask the rascally rabbit that snuck in to sample some for himself!) They have had a few weeks in there already and are very close to harvest. We will have a variety of salad mixes available for sale very soon. Stay tuned!

In other news, while we waited out the thaw for a few days, it was time to pot up all of our tomato and pepper plants. We have scaled up production tremendously this season, with almost 400 peppers and just under 1000 tomatoes. This step will allow our plants to continue to expand their root mass while we wait for safe overnight temperatures for them in our unheated greenhouse. With our own blend of potting mix, rich compost, soil, microbes, organic fertilizers and minerals, we know we can expect vigorous growth from these babies. In fact, they're taking off already! Whatever doesn't get planted in our greenhouse or the field will be available for sale at our farm stand and our market stand in Saratoga Springs. More on this soon!

On a final note, I want to let you know that we still have a few shares available for our Summer CSA. But don't delay, there are only a few short weeks left to claim your spot! If you are interested in what our CSA membership has to offer, click here to learn more.

That's all for now. Enjoy the beautiful weather we're expecting, and I hope to see you at one of our stands when we start to harvest!

-Nic Fera