October 2022

October 3, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

September has flown by in a whirl of work and Caleb beginning school and it’s hard to believe that October is already here. After an excessively hot summer, we’re having some cooler weather at last, something I always look forward to as a sign that the season is slowing down. This weekend we may even get our first light frost of the year, with temperatures (at this point) forecast to drop into the 30s. This may mean the end of the remaining summer crops (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers), although we’ll have to see how cold it ends up getting. The fall crops are loving the change in weather. The...

September 2022

August 30, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

As we move into September, it finally starts to feel like we might be able to catch our breaths after a long summer of non-stop work! While the harvest will soon pick up again with the return of cool season leafy and root vegetables, the planting is finally starting to slow down. Today I seeded the last transplants of the fall (bok choi) and in a couple weeks we’ll begin to start planting in the hoop house again for late fall and early winter harvest. Throughout the hot months of summer, harvesting is a major job throughout the week, with crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and okra all requiring multiple...

Summer harvest & new blog format

August 3, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

As the farm (and our son!) continue to grow, I’ve decided to revamp the blog with monthly posts rather than the previous weekly posts. I’ll plan to post at the beginning of each month with a farm update and a list of the items we hope to have available at the market at some point that month. Right now, we’re heavy into the work of both summer harvest and fall planting. The beets, cauliflower, and cabbage are already in the ground and the fall kale and collards will be planted next week. By mid-August, we’ll move back into seeding successions of radishes, turnips, and other cool season crops. Its officially...

Spring to summer

June 21, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

We’re on the edge of transitioning from spring to summer items, with the cucumbers and zucchini just beginning to produce and the first potatoes nearly ready to dig. We also have tons of green tomatoes on the vines, so fingers crossed those will be on their way soon. It’s funny at this time of year, because while we welcome in the summer harvest, we’re also preparing for fall. We’ve got trays and trays of fall scallions growing under lights in the basement and are beginning to seed the fall carrots in the field. Because carrots can take nearly two weeks to germinate, this is always an onerous few weeks where...

Scapes and cabbage and more

June 1, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

We’re in the midst of another weather roller coaster. After some gorgeous weather last weekend, we’re now into a string of extremely hot days followed by a forecast of much cooler weather coming up. We’re over the hump of summer planting and are now moving into our heavy harvest period. Last week, Mike harvested nearly 300 pounds of cabbage and there’s still more to come in the field! The garlic scapes are in full swing and snap peas will be ready this or next week. Many of you have been asking about carrots, which should also be making an increased appearance over the next couple of weeks. Our first few...

Extremes

May 18, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

It’s been a busy month as we work to get all of the summer crops into the ground. The eggplant and tomatoes were planted two weeks ago and are already putting on new growth. Peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini went in last week, followed by okra today! And, right on schedule, we had some truly summer weather over the weekend, with three days reaching into the 90s. High heat can be a real challenge at this time of year. We still have many cool-weather crops in the ground, some of which may need to be babied through unseasonably warm temperatures. Hot weather can also be very difficult in the days right...

Seasonal shifts

May 11, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

We’re just getting to our usual last frost date and after several frosts last week and a light one on Monday morning, it looks like we’re in the clear (fingers crossed.) And with freezing temperatures behind us, that means it’s time for summer planting to begin! Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be planting the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra, as well as the first rounds of cucumber and zucchini and beans. The intense amount of bed prep followed by the huge influx of planting makes this one of our most hectic times of year. In addition, last Sunday marked our first week back at the Shepherdstown market for...

Hot and Cold

April 27, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

Springs in the mid-Atlantic are always a bit of a roller coaster, but the last couple of weeks have been even wilder than usual. For the past month, we’ve experienced highs from the 70s down to the 30s and last week was probably the best example of this. On Easter Monday, we received several inches of snow and the following Sunday, we ate dinner outside enjoying temperatures in the 80s! What a shift. While April snow is not unheard of, it definitely threw an unexpected wrench in our farm work. Once we accepted that the snow did not seem likely to stop, we had to hurry outside in order to...

We’re back!

April 13, 2022 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

Welcome to another season! This Saturday is the first week of the Burke market and we’re looking forward to seeing you there! (We will be joining the Shepherdstown market starting Sunday, May 8.) The farm is already full of crops, some ready to harvest, some just sprouting. This week’s harvest list is below, but in the coming weeks we will be adding more and more items. As the weather warms, you will see kale, collards, peas, hakurei turnips, and many other tasty options join the market table! One of the most exciting items this week is the green garlic. Green garlic is only around for a few weeks each spring....

Thank you!

November 16, 2021 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

It’s our last market of the year this Saturday at Burke. Unfortunately, we had to end the Shepherdstown market one week earlier than planned (last Sunday was our last day at Shepherdstown.) Given how warm this fall has been overall, all of our plantings are way ahead of schedule. We’ve already harvested off most of the beds that we are usually harvesting from in early December, which unfortunately means we’re not making it as long with our markets as we have in other years. On the other hand, by this time of year, we’re certainly ready for a long-needed break from endless work! We’re gradually getting the farm prepared for winter by...

Two Feet in the Dirt

Two Feet in the Dirt's