Hi Folks, I guess I do not need to tell you how hot and humid it is!  It’s July in New Jersey!  We are once again waiting and hoping that some summer thunderstorms bring us some much-needed rain.  In the meantime, we are moving the sprinklers around and laying out old drip tape to trickle some water on a few crops and help the germination of recently seeded plantings. (more…)

Hi Everyone, we received 3½ inches of rain on Friday from Tropical storm Fay.  It is a lot of water in a short time, but fortunately it fell at a steady rate here on the farm and was not accompanied by heavy winds.  The ground was very dry after a month with almost no rain, and it soaked it up easily.  We are now able to get back to planting and caring for the tomatoes and other crops without the added burden of moving sprinklers around. (more…)

Hello Folks, So we still have not received any rain.  The 90% chance of precipitation we had on Friday did not happen.  The storms moved to the north of the farm, and we got only a brief dust storm.  The storms that we thought we might get Monday afternoon also passed around the farm.  We are working hard to keep everything growing and newly planted crops germinating.  I have purchased more sprinklers, and we are reusing old drip tape to trickle water onto seed beds and crops on bars ground.  We will be mulching certain crops with straw to retain the soil moisture.  (more…)

Hello Folks, Since my last writing we received .3 inches of rain.  While this was welcome, it was not even close to what we need.  We typically look for 1” per week of precipitation, so 3/10 of an inch over three weeks along with significant heat, has left us very dry.  We are moving sprinklers around constantly, laying drip tape over newly planted seeds and generally trying to keep everything possible alive and growing.  We just do not have enough water to irrigate everything. (more…)

Hi Folks, Happy Summer Solstice!  Summer has officially begun, and the heat is on.  The scattered thunderstorms, which are our best chance of rain currently, have so far been scattering to the south and scattering to the north.  In my travels I have driven through torrential downpours various times, only to return to the farm and find it dry as a bone.  Hopefully, one will cross our path soon!  (more…)

Hello everyone, pass the peas, please!  As you may already know from my recent request for volunteers, the pea season has begun.  Having been raised on canned vegetables, the first time I tasted fresh peas was a revelation.  Who knew how sweet and delicious they were; bearing no resemblance to the gray balls of mush to which I was accustomed.  Much like tomatoes, the season for these delicacies is far too short.  They do not tolerate hot weather, and since spring only seems to last a few weeks anymore, they will be with us for 3 or 4 weeks.  We have English or shell peas, snow and sugar snap, which both have edible pods.  This week we will have mostly shell peas and as availability permits, we will rotate through the various varieties so that everyone will receive some of each type. (more…)