Farm News – October 5, 2020
Hello everyone, so after three weeks without rain we received a little over three inches last week. We have gone from bone-dry to muddy conditions, but at least we have a respite from moving the sprinklers around. Nighttime temperatures have been dropping, but we have not had any more frosts. At this point we are covering anything tender and worth saving anytime the forecast calls for temps in the thirties. We have a large planting of beans which have been flowering profusely and are loaded with small pods. They are growing very slowly with the shorter days and cool nights, but we hope to have beans for next week.
Unfortunately, the peppers have not fared so well, between the frosts and the ravaging of the deer. I have added peppers to the list of crops which the deer never bothered before but for which they have now developed an appetite. We will be investing another twenty grand in deer fence for next season. The good news is that the sweet corn has managed to fill out some ears despite having virtually no green leaf left. We will be sending it with the tips cut off because the earworms are prevalent.
We have many acres of brassica crops planted, and all except the Brussel’s sprouts are starting to head up. We are in a complicated rotation now with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale. Most groups have now received Napa cabbage, and many have received cauliflower. We will continue this throughout the remainder of the season until everyone has received an equitable share of these crops. I mentioned broccoli raab last week, and we have a fair amount planted, but it is slow to form its bud. We will be rotating it in with the arugula and the tatsoi as it becomes available. We are sending spaghetti squash again this round because we have a lot, and it does not store as well as the other winter squash. Delicta and acorn are coming next.
The share for this week will be: Lettuce, salad turnips, arugula or tatsoi (or perhaps broccoli raab), potatoes, garlic, spaghetti squash, sweet corn, a brassica vegetable, baby bok choi and cilantro or dill.
We are taking a pause this week on the fruit share to allow more fall fruit varieties to ripen. See the attached letter for more details.
Enjoy! Farmer John
