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
So Andrew and I were on the farm mostly by ourselves for the past two months, except for the weekend visits by Andrea. I was working about 50 hours a week and Drew was working much more. And than all of a sudden in one week we have four more people on the farm. Andrea is back for good with our good friend Zoe, and our other good friend Cristen is working on the farm for a good portion of the summer. It is amazing how quickly things can change.
The farm is now filled with the vibrant energy of four more souls. It almost seems like I’m not even working anymore because we are working less and our time on the farm is more exciting. It is amazing how much you can get done with 5 people. Yesterday we worked about 5 hours in the morning, got a lot done, and then went to the river for a few hours. Than came back to the farm for another couple of hours to harvest for the next days market. It was one of the best days on the farm yet for productivity and fun.
The joys of working with your friends and producing food feels so good and right. If the rest of the summer turns out to be like this last week, I think I could be a farmer for a long time. It has also been exciting for me to share my experiences with our new help and I actually feel like a seasoned vet at farming, which is not the case. There is still so much to do on the farm, and there won’t be a loss of ideas for a while to come.
We still have more winter squash, corn, toms, cucs, zucs, and many more things to plant and the harvest is getting bigger and better. I am really excited about he rest of the season.
CHOW
They are turning the dirt and hoping to be successful enough to turn a profit, and to become a valuable part of their communities as suppliers of organically grown food.
Peaceful Valley is giving them a head start by offering them special pricing as part of this Freshman Farmer program.
| Freshman: | |
| New Farms Coming Soon! | |
| Sophomores: | |
![]() | Daily Grace Farms Crescent City, CA |
![]() | Freestone Family Farm Vernal, UT |
![]() | Wise Moon Farm Redding, CA |
| Graduates: | |
![]() | Coyote House Farm Palermo, CA |
![]() | DeepSeeded Community Farm Arcata, CA |
![]() | Driftwood Farm Fort Bragg, CA |
![]() | EarthDance Farm St. Louis, MO |
![]() | Ellwood Canyon Farms Goleta, CA |
![]() | Four Frog Farm Penn Valley, CA |
![]() | Hand Sown Homegrown Heritage Farm Poulsbo, WA |
![]() | Home Plate Organic Farm Orleans, CA |
![]() | Honey in the Heart Farm Nevada City, CA |
![]() | Willow Springs Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Coyote House Farm Palermo, CA |
| Daily Grace Farms Crescent City, CA |
| DeepSeeded Community Farm Arcata, CA |
| Driftwood Farm Fort Bragg, CA |
| EarthDance Farm St. Louis, MO |
| Ellwood Canyon Farms Goleta, CA |
| Four Frog Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Freestone Family Farm Vernal, UT |
| Hand Sown Homegrown Heritage Farm Poulsbo, WA |
| Home Plate Organic Farm Orleans, CA |
| Honey in the Heart Farm Nevada City, CA |
| Willow Springs Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Wise Moon Farm Redding, CA |