Author: Bryan Housel

Hi Folks,  we had our heaviest frost to date on Sunday night. It’s too early to know how much damage was done. Most of what remains in the fields is hardy, but I was hoping to get another week out of the beans, peppers, and summer squash. Cold nights were predicted for later this week and we were planning to cover these crops to protect them, but last night’s frost was unexpected and it may now be too late. We had a nice steady rain for about ten minutes on Saturday night, so we remain on the dry side. (more…)

Hi Folks!  Unbelievably, we are still on the dry side here at the farm. Last Monday’s storms brought only a half an inch of precipitation and 3 days of predicted rainy weather at the end of the week left the rain gauge empty. We will need to continue moving the sprinklers around the fields to ensure that broccoli and cauliflower produce large heads. We continue to enjoy mild temperatures with no frost in sight for at least another week. (more…)

Hi Folks, we received a small amount of rain over the weekend and are expecting more substantial precipitation on Monday.  We are scrambling to get the harvesting done ahead of what may be strong storms and heavy downpours. We have also been very busy bringing in an abundant winter squash crop before the groundhogs and wet conditions begin to take their toll. (more…)

Hi Everyone, Cool and dry about sums up the prevailing weather conditions here on the farm. We have already had 2 light frosts, but they were very light and spotty and haven’t done much damage. I am hopeful we will get a couple more weeks before a more damaging frost occurs. We are busy again moving the sprinklers around the fields beginning with the final plantings of herbs and spinach so they will germinate. (more…)

Hi Folks, we received almost an inch of rain overnight on Saturday, this time without any damaging winds! The fall crops are growing beautifully as the warm weather plants are slowing down their production. For now we still have a good supply of colored peppers, but eggplant will only be available as an extra going forward. Regrettably this will likely be the last week for tomatoes. (more…)

Hi Folks,
Well I can report that we received an inch of much needed precipitation last Thursday, but at quite a cost. The rain came in a torrential downpour mostly during a 15 minute period accompanied by fierce winds that toppled trees all over our area. We lost power for about 30 hours until midnight on Friday. I was returning from PA where I was picking up fertilizer and as I neared the farm I began to encounter branches in the roadway and the trees blocking one lane of the road. When I was 5 minutes from the farm I was stopped by a tree blocking the entire road. I finally arrived home about an hour later after repeated detours were also found to be impassable. (more…)

Hi Folks,
Fall is in the air! We’ve been waking up to some quite chilly mornings this past week. This cooler weather will make the lettuce and the mustard/brassica family happy, but production from the heat loving crops such as the tomatoes and peppers has begun to slow down. (more…)

Hi Folks,
Happy Labor Day! I hope you are all enjoying the picnics and family gatherings that are part of the holiday. And I hope you have been able to put to good use the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor in preparing dishes for your events. Here on the farm of course, we continue to labor because the veggies won’t wait! That’s not meant as a complaint, it’s just the reality of our business. There will be ample time to rest during the winter months. It does seem like an appropriate occasion to give praise and thanks to my crew. (more…)