Two Feet in the Dirt

At this time of year, we’re quickly moving out of the “productive” part of the planting season and into the restorative part, a.k.a. cover crops! We try to involve cover crops regularly throughout our entire season. Cover crops serve a variety of important uses on the farm. During the summer, we plant buckwheat whenever we have a month or more before the next crop gets planted in a bed. Buckwheat is an extremely fast grower and therefore provides the important benefit in the summer of outcompeting weeds.

Over the winter, we rely primarily on two types of cover crop mixtures- oat/pea and rye/vetch. Oats and peas are both cold-sensitive crops that will eventually be killed by winter temperatures. Therefore, this cover crop helps to protect soil and smother out weeds both in its green, active-growth stage and in the mulch stage after being winter-killed. In contrast, rye/vetch is a winter-hardy mixture that will continue to grow, loosen the soil, and protect the soil from compaction all winter long and into the spring. All of these cover crops also act as “green manures.” Animal manure has been used as a means of adding fertility to soil for centuries. These cover crops provide a similar benefit, albeit in a vegetative form. When mowed down and tilled into the soil, all provide a boost of organic matter that feeds the soil microbes and insects that are essential to the processes that release the necessary nutrients to the vegetable crops we grow. 

This week’s harvest list is below and the online store will be open, as always, on Thursday from noon until midnight. Thank you so much for your support!

Farmers Katie & Mike

• Harvest List:

• Lettuce salad mix
• Arugula
• Lettuce
• Hakurei turnips
• Radishes
• Scallions
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Onions
• Rainbow Chard
• Carrots
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Kohlrabi
• Spinach
• Zucchini/Summer squash
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
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