So, for the last time, I think we’ve turned the corner into frost-free weather…now?

Who knows.

I sure don’t.  We had another frost…a hard frost - 34 degrees on Tuesday night.  The forecast called for 40 degrees.

What a surprise.  Nothing was covered.  Not the tomatoes, not the peppers, not the eggplant, nor zucchini, cucumbers, more tomatoes.  So, to summarize, we didn’t lose anything!!!

My heart was in a ball as I got out to the farm a little before 7am.  By the good grace, it was all good.  I still really don’t know how.  But, life is FULL of mysteries.  This is just another.  The neighbor lost her peppers, melons, and summer squash.  Wildgrace Farm has some wild grace.

I didn’t/don’t take that blessing for granted.  It could have been gone.  So, the next night, although it was forecasted for 40, I covered most things anyway with Agribon hoophouses.  It was a gesture of gratitude on my part.

I am so happy the warm-weather veggies have made it through April.  The tomatoes are setting green little fruit - getting nearly knee high.

The CSA is starting next week…there’s still room if you’ve been on the fence and want to join (hint hint…a little shameless advertising).

As a final note…in the ensuing years as a farmer, I will never:

1. Plant melon transplants in March
2. leave the agribon off the tomatoes/peppers/eggplant until April passes and WARM May weather arrives
3. get apprehensive about starting the CSA and if I can do it or not
4. believe the weather on the internet

I am going to start signing off from now on.

Much love,

Andrew

Well, after the freeze, we haven’t looked back.  We’ve been planting out peppers, eggplant - we even put out zucchini and cucumbers today. We’ve direct-seeded beans, planted out basil.  We’ve just gone to town with the summer stuff, and the cool weather stuff is just maturing. I am pushing the season.  I’m sure this is a classic first-year, wet-behind-the-ears mistake, but it is working so far The tomatoes are growing like gang-busters (assuming “gang-busters”… Read the rest of this article »

Andrew labels varieties of tomatoes I haven’t been to the farm yet this morn.  It got cold last night, even colder than Saturday night.  We lost a few tomatoes to the frost on Saturday night, but not many.  We had them covered with Agribon, and last night we put a double layer over every row.  It seems like that was prudent.  I don’t know the temp, but it feels like it got below 32 degrees. I have a couple of friends with me this week, so that eases the work load. … Read the rest of this article »

Andrew hauls out more Agribon to cover young tomatoes We’re not out of the woods yet, according to the forecast. Temperatures will drop to the low thirties for Saturday and Sunday.  I have to make sure the hatches are batted on the tomato hoophouses.  I knew the low temperatures were coming, thanks to a little thing I like to call “the internet”.  I don’t know how farmers used to do it, but thanks to weather.com I now know that after Sunday I am pretty much… Read the rest of this article »

Today was just one of those days where I looked at the field and all of the transplants that are strong and healthy, and I thought: “Man, this is awesome.”  Today was the romance version of farming. And how could it not be romantic when you’re doing exactly what you love?  It doesn’t matter that my wage per hour would probably qualify me for a host of government programs (alas, no subsidies for the vegetables I grow - does that make any sense!).  This is the only job I’ve… Read the rest of this article »