Two Feet in the Dirt

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...

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...

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...

Apparently my complaining about the warm fall has had an impact! A cold front finally blew in and I’m sitting here this morning looking out on nicely frost-covered fields! We’re supposed to have lows in the 20s for the remainder of the week, which is both a relief and a challenge. The first frost of the year always means a lot of last minute work. We wait until we know a frost is coming to harvest off the last of the summer crops like pepper, eggplant, and okra. We also have to spend plenty of time the day before putting row cover over the majority of still-productive beds to help...

It’s funny to be writing this on a chilly and blustery day, but overall this has been an extraordinarily warm fall. By this point, we expect to have gotten our first frost or at least to have gotten close, but temperatures haven’t gotten anywhere near that point. As a result, much of our fall crops are far ahead of where we expect or plan them to be at this point. We’re harvesting lettuce and radishes out of the hoop house that we’re normally not starting to harvest until late November or early December. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that colder weather is on the horizon. While, as a human, it...