The spice of life

It’s nice to grow different varieties of crops for many reasons.  Some are practical (disease/pest resistance, maturing at different times to ensure constant harvest), some aesthetic (who wants to look at the same things all summer?) – and some are apparently conversation starters at the Farmers Market.  I’m in love with the savoyed (curly) leaves of Bloomsdale spinach, and the rich hue and crunch of the red romaine we’re growing.  Market shoppers often stop to comment on these varieties.  Their relative fragility would make them impossible to find in the supermarket - I have a hard time bunching the spinach without breaking leaves and snapping stems. 

We were really heartened by the number of “die hard” Farmers Market shoppers who came out this week despite the sideways rain and thunderstorms – yes, thunder and lightning!

On a slightly related issue - we are now true believers in soil blocks.  The weather here – particularly the amount of sun and warmth – are so unpredictable, even into summer, that having the option of keeping starts in the greenhouse or in a protected area for longer has made a huge difference in our ability to grow a somewhat consistent amount of produce each week.  We grow nearly everything from starts, and soil blocks allow us to start crops that are traditionally direct-seeded (such as spinach and arugula) in the greenhouse.  This is more labor-intensive, but it has helped prevent what I think would have been some crop failures.  Cool weather and hard rain can stunt seeds, or even pop the germinating plants out of the ground.  So, it’s a little more work, but a lot more security.