Farm Update

Hi Everyone,


Get ready for my very first weather complaint of the season. This will be followed, most assuredly, by many more. I'll give you a perfect example of how far behind everything is, so far, this year. I take Vicky's father Jack to opening day every year. Last year we sent him home with a nice bunch of asparagus, this year they have barely broken through the ground. I know in our last update I said that the asparagus had started, well it had and promptly was wiped out by a 22 degree night. We will have it, but it's going to be weeks behind last year. We had 2 clear days in March and the temps were way below normal for much of the month and it seems like it's been raining every other day. It's tough to get things in the ground when it's still so wet. Here's what's in so far:

Sugar Snap and Snow Peas
Turnips
Carrots
Spinach
Kale
Iceberg Lettuce
Red and White Potatoes

We have all sorts of transplants that are ready to go in the ground, but we need a few nice days first so they won't be shocked out of their leaves. With the CSA we have to time things a bit as well...for instance, we haven't planted radishes yet because they only take thirty days to mature and the CSA first pick up day is May 25. Your radishes would be the size of baseballs if they were in the ground right now. They will go in in a couple of weeks along with all the lettuces, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, etc.

SPEAKING OF PLANTING!!!!

We just got word today that the 6000 onion plants will be here tomorrow. We will start planting them this week end. So if any of you would like to come over Saturday or Sunday and help plant for any amount of time, we will supply the food (homemade soups and sandwiches) to keep you going. Yes the onion planting party is suddenly this weekend. Anytime Saturday or Sunday will work, and if you do plan to come, just know that, you, your clothes and your shoes will get dirty. Not that kids are particularly helpful planting little onion plants, but just in case you just want to stop by with the kids, we will have 100 brand new chicks this weekend.

We also have been working on getting our two new off farm planting areas ready. Both are raw land that have not had any sprays or chemical fertilizers on them ever. We will be planting our melons and winter squash on the Baldwin plot and our organic sweet corn on the Monkton plot. The people in Monkton have dogs that roam around the farm that supposedly keep the deer away, a very big consideration when you're planting sweet corn.

Hope to see some of you this weekend!

Steve and Vicky

PS If it's raining we won't be planting, but I will be complaining.