Author: Bryan Housel

Hello Everyone!  The weather continues to be excellent for growing and for living. We are a little on the dry side but are hoping to catch some rain in the next couple of days. I am in the process of sowing many crops for the fall harvest, so I count on some precipitation to germinate the seeds. (more…)

Hello Everyone, We had 2 rain events this past week; the first dropped .7 of an inch and the second .3”, so we received the 1 inch per week that is ideal.  Both came just as I was about to head out on my seeding tractor to do some planting, so the timing was less than perfect, but hey, we need the rain. The second storm came with a gorgeous double rainbow, so that was adequate compensation for my frustration with not being able to seed.  The heat wave will break soon, so all in all the weather continues to be copacetic. (more…)

Hi Folks, Hot, hot, hot! – that’s all I have to say about the weather for this week. Good for the melons and the solaneceous crops (tomato, pepper, eggplant) but tough on the humans. We have been harvesting a few tomatoes this past week; they should start ripening more prolifically by next week. The ground cherries or goldenberries, as I now like to call them, have begun to fall. We may have enough to offer to a few groups as a choice with cherry tomatoes for this week and for others next week. (more…)

Hi Folks, So it looks like summer has arrived, with the scorching heat and oppressive humidity that we have come to expect here in New Jersey in July. We have been blessed with mild temps thus far this season and it seems that the temperature will moderate soon. The heat is good for the peppers, tomatoes and melons. We will have the first few peppers for you this week; tomatoes and melons very soon. You may be seeing red this week when you pick-up your share- red lettuce, red cabbage, red onions, beets and a few of you may even get some red beans. (more…)

We will once again offer a fruit share for the 2015 season!

The share will consist of 2 types of tree fruit each week with an average of 5-7 lbs. total weight.  We will begin the season with blueberries, peaches, plums, and nectarines. During those weeks when we send blueberries and kiwi the total weight will be less as these are high priced items.

The fall fruit shares will be comprised of different varieties of apples and pears each week and hopefully some organic hardy kiwi from PA at the end of September.  The season will run for 14 weeks beginning the week of July 19 and ending in October. We may skip one week at the end of August.

The cost of the fruit share will be $15 per week which equals $210 for the season.
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Hello Everyone, so I thought I would try something novel in this week’s episode — praise the weather!

We have had 4 glorious days now without rain, with abundant sunshine and no unbearable heat. The soil is moist but not saturated thanks to our well drained sandy soils.  The long term forecast looks outstanding, with occasional thunderstorms and no extreme heat. I know that some of you probably think I am never happy, since I complain when it rains and complain when it’s dry; but it’s all about balance and moderation. Thank you, Mother Nature! (more…)

Hi Folks, “If it keeps on raining the levees gonna break”. Yes, I know we don’t have levees here in New Jersey but …. After last week’s rain I was excited to see a forecast for an entire week of dry weather but that quickly changed as rain rolled in on Saturday and dropped half an inch on us. We continue to struggle to get caught up on our planting schedule. The rain has been great for the brassica crops which like it cool and wet. We have the most beautiful summer broccoli ever! (more…)

Hi Folks,

So I’ve heard of racing against the sun but out here on the farm we’ve been racing against the rain. The ground barely dries out enough to work when in rolls the next storm. On Saturday we started earlier than usual and were able to get an acre field ready for planting winter squash and pumpkins. A steady drizzle began and by the time I rode out on my seeding tractor it was too muddy to plant. We received a little more than an inch and a half of precipitation over the weekend and if it doesn’t rain on Tuesday we will be able to plant by Wednesday. (more…)