First CSA share of 2013 Season

Broccoli

Some crops liked the unprecedented eight inches of rain in less than two weeks more than others.  Hence, it was demonstrated in what was included in this week's share: broccoli, kale, collards, chard, lettuce, escarole or dandelion greens and radishes. 

Picture inside the box.

More Planting Done and to Do

Upper field of greens, beets, carrots, herbs, onions, cukes and summer squash on June 3

Most of the planting for the upper field has been done.  Pumpkins and winter squash will fill out the field.

Finished planting pole beans, basil, carrots, salad greens, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and flowers with the implements of organic fertilizer, watering can, and a plastic tray.

 

planting hot peppers

Potatoes emerge after the recent rain.

Tomorrow with help, we tackle planting three varieties of eggplant (two lovely Italian types!) and four varieties of sweet peppers.

Been Pretty Busy on the Farm

Well, the seedling did well in the Community Gardens Greenhouse and we moved them to the farm.

Here's all that needs to go into the ground soon.

We had a rainy, unusually cold Memorial Day weekend and that gave me a chance to plant onions, leeks and shallots. 

Grass-like stalks are onions - started in the house under lights in mid-February.

While, this weekend offers mid-July weather, which has made the peas, spinach and broccoli raab rather unhappy. 

Peas under cover to protect from rabbits.  Now, the cover is off so they don't over heat. 

Aforementioned crops like the cooler days of spring and mid-90s will prove difficult. All the protective row cover had to come off.  I will hope the rabbits are not interested!  Meanwhile, the heat produced flowers on the spinach and that means it is ready to go to seed.

This week, we got squash, melons, cucumbers, sweet potatoes  planted and still working on planting the tomatoes.

Cucumbers about to go under cover to protect from the cucumber beetle

Sungold  cherry tomatoes planted!  Have to wait until mid-July to taste them.

Fingerling potatoes popping through and now it is getting time to weed.

Planting Chard, Carrots and Lettuce

I planted on a day when we expected rain. 

Well, the rain never arrived.  So today, I watered this first bed of 140 feet.  Last year this bed held potatoes, but in practicing crop rotation, I have put the potatoes far away in hopes of deterring pests and disease.

At the top of the bed, is lettuce mix under some shade that will be picked at the end of June.  While in the middle you will find carrots, they may be ready in the beginning of July.  The chard will be ready in late June or early July.  Most of my planting has been started in the greenhouse, more about that later. 

Planting Potatoes with Help from Family and Friends

Jude and Kamal planting French Fingerlings before the rain starts again.

In between the raindrops,we got most of the potatoes in the ground this weekend.  I still have some Russian Bananas to plant.

French Fingerling Smoked Paprika and Gouda frittata

  Above is lunch for Sunday's help.  Luckily for us, some of the fingerlings did not sprout (hence not good seed) so we ate them. 

Five double rows completed.

The field is still wet so we could not use the rototiller.  All was done by human power.  I was dreaming of a draft horse or an ox to help us with this. 

Growing Seedlings Makes the Local Paper

I started the summer crops in the Community Gardens Greenhouse in Lowell.  Working with a team of volunteers and our park liaison, Deb, this will be our last year to use the site.  We were featured in the Lowell Sun today: newspaper article

Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes still flowering on day of harvest

Well, it was a beautiful weekend with great days to harvest sweet potatoes.  They look good-- many gigantic!  Even more pleasing is the pest that plagued the fingerling potatoes is less evident on the sweet potatoes. 

Kamal holding a group of sweet potatoes

 Saturday's work was harvesting 1/2 the bed.  Now onto Sunday's work to finish up. 

Uncovering the sweet potatoes is half the battle, as it were

Sweet potatoes like sandy soil.  Thank goodness for me that they grew well in compacted soil.  In growing guides, it was suggested to play with the spacing of the plants.  Those that I spaced closer together went deeper. 

Might look like this.

All and all growing these was a delightful surprise.