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Hello everyone! First, as always, the weather report. We had ¾” of rain last week. It was not nearly what we were hoping for, but enough to keep us from total despair. The mild temperatures and abundant sunshine are certainly a worthy consolation, and a great benefit to the crops and those who tend them. (more…)
Hi Folks! The beautiful weather continues, so long as you are not a duck or a farmer. We have a chance at some precipitation around mid-week, keep your fingers crossed! I will do my version of a rain dance – head out into the field with my little seeding tractor (Allis Chalmers G) to try to do some planting. If there is any moisture up there in the clouds, that is usually a sure-fired way to coax it down. In the meantime, the sprinklers are spinning, and the pumps are humming. (more…)
Hello Everyone! So, the drought conditions continue, with no relief in sight. We continue to deal with this challenge as best we can. We are in the process of planting winter cover crops on many acres where crops have been harvested, which creates additional complications. First, we must turn under the plant residue from the crop and any weeds that have grown, so that it can begin to rot and break down. Unfortunately, without moisture the decomposition process comes to a halt because the microbes that do the work need water. When the soil is mere powder on the surface, dragging the disc harrow across the fields raises clouds of dust, and we watch the best part of our soil (the fines) blow away. (more…)
Hello Folks! We received slightly more than an inch of rain from the storms that came through the area late last week. What fell from the sky certainly was heaven-sent (pun intended). Unfortunately, the storms that came through on Saturday night into Sunday did not drop any precipitation on the farm, only soaking both of our Sunday markets and resulting in thousands of dollars of lost income. I guess I am still complaining about the weather, lol. (more…)
Hello Folks! We received ¾” of rain last week – enough to help some seeds to germinate, but not enough to supply large, rapidly growing plants with the water that they need. There is not much precipitation forecast, so we continue to move the sprinklers around the fields. The mild temperatures are certainly a blessing that minimizes the stress on the crops and my crew alike. (more…)
Hello All! We are still badly in need of rain, as last week’s brief storms dropped a meagre eighth of an inch. We have a reasonable chance (80%) of some precipitation on Wednesday, keep your fingers crossed. In the meantime, we do our best to keep the crops alive and growing. (more…)
Hey Folks! So the beautiful weather continues… if you are not a farmer. Down here on the farm it is starting to get ugly. There is still no rain in sight, and it has me very worried. We are using all the tricks that I know and all the pumping capacity that we have, but it is hard to give all the crops the water that they need to grow. We have five acres of winter squash and pumpkins that we will never be able to irrigate. We are in between plantings on the string beans. We hope to have enough for all groups, but if we come up short, we will make it up next week. (more…)
Hi Everyone! The second half of last week brought a welcome respite from the scorching heat, with the Thursday storms dropping a half inch of rain on us. It was not as much as desired, nor as much as other areas received, but we were spared the damaging winds. There is not much in the way of precipitation forecast for the next ten days, so the well pumps will be running day and night, and we will be moving the sprinklers around the fields. (more…)
Hello All, It rained! A bit too much all at once, but we take what we can get. We are back in business again – the business of putting seeds in the ground. The sweet corn, carrots, and our fall brassica transplants received a good soaking, and we get a respite from constantly moving irrigation around the fields. There was some wind, which broke a few of our pepper plants, but nothing too terrible. I have one more round of beans and carrots to sow and it is time to start planting greens like arugula and spinach again for the fall crop. (more…)