Posts Tagged ‘bulbing fennel’

Farm Update

Now we have completed week nine of the CSA.  This week we offered: tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, squash, carrots, lettuce mix, turnips, garlic, sweet corn!, kale and bulbing fennel.

It was a good week, and next week is looking great also, with potatoes and leeks on the menu.  It seems a little out of season to have potatoes and leeks, because I love potato-leek soup a lot, but, hey, those will be ready.

Out at the farm, the tomatoes are really productive, yet could be looking better.  We have side-dressed this week with bone meal and feather meal, because it seems like, in this situation, that is what they need.  We’ll see.  The peppers are looking nice, and we are going to stop picking off their flowers because the plants are quite large by now.  The first patch of corn was delicious and I look forward to the next patch in a couple of weeks.

The cucumbers are fruiting really strong now, with the armenian cucumbers giving the best cucumbers out of anyone.

Squash is doing great, except 1/2 row of yellow zucchini (about 50 ft) has become stunted and I don’t know why.  We have lots of squash for our needs - about 500 row feet - so no worries.

The first bean planting, in the greenhouse, has been prolific and continues to produce, even after 5 weeks, and now the temps are consistently 120 degrees in there.  The second planting was good, but the growth was a little weak, so it hasn’t lasted that long—only a couple of weeks.  The third planting is coming on and looks great - just in time also, because it looks like the third planting is leaving us soon.

We have good carrots now!  That is exciting because they took so long.  I planted the first patch on March 1st, and we have had small harvests from it, but now it is looking really nice.

Eggplant is fruiting really well.  The winter squash (kabocha, acorn, delicata) looks healthier than any winter squash patch I have ever seen - it looks alien - it is humming with energy.

So, many, many success stories.  And also, I need to learn to grow better tomatos.  I need to help build up the soil fertility and create a great soil for them to grow in.  I really want to grow excellent heirloom tomatoes.  Brandywines like John Drew’s at Backbreakin’ Acres is my goal.  This is the beginning of a long journey.  It’s nice to have a goal.

much love,

Andrew