Warmer weather

October 4, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

Despite last week’s cool, rainy weather, overall we have had an unusually warm fall. Normally, we would be preparing for our first frost of the fall in the coming weeks (our average first frost date here is around October 15). Instead, we’re looking at forecasts of temperatures as high as the 80s with lows only in the 60s until at least the end of next week. Fall is always a tricky time for planting as the weather can vary in this totally unpredictable manner and the continued heat has provided us with both challenges and benefits. We’ve been able to add in a bonus outdoor planting of salad mix, a...

Cole slaw and other greens

September 27, 2018 In the Kitchen, Market newsletters, Other recipes, Weekly Updates

Fall is definitely in the air around the farm. Last week, we tilled in a huge chunk of the spring beds and put down a winter cover crop of rye and vetch, which the very rainy weather over the last few days has already helped to germinate. The fall spinach in the hoop house is putting on it’s first true leaves and the last bed of outdoor salad mix is beginning to grow in the field. As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, more and more fall crops are appearing on our market table. Last week marked the first harvest from both our broccoli and cabbage plants. Cabbage...

A little sun

September 20, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

We finally got a bit of luck with the weather this week and the remnants of Hurricane Florence, which were initially supposed to hit us pretty badly, mostly passed us by. We ended up with sunny afternoons on Monday and Tuesday, despite forecasts for heavy rain both days. Still, even slightly more rain is not good news after the exceptionally wet year we have already had. We are seeing issues related to the persistent dampness everywhere, including on crops like kale, cabbage, broccoli, and carrots where I have never experienced this before. On the same note, the outdoor tomatoes are officially (and sadly) over for the season, done in by the...

And suddenly it’s fall

September 13, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

In less than a week, it seems we’ve transitioned from high summer right into autumn. Temperatures over the weekend didn’t climb out of the 60s, a nearly thirty degree difference from last week’s heat. All in all, we’re starting to get that end-of-season feeling on the farm, even though we still have several months of market to go. With cooler weather and no sun in the forecast for at least the next week, we finally removed the shade cloth that helped to keep our hoop house cool over the summer. This was just in time, as the first fall crops started going into the hoop house last week as we...

Endless Summer

September 6, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

I thought last week’s extreme heat would be the it for the year, but it looks like I was wrong. Writing this on Wednesday, we’re in the midst of our third day with temperatures into the 90s and heat indices much higher and we still have another day of the same forecast for tomorrow. Not that I want it to be winter yet, but I’m definitely hoping for some slightly cooler weather to come. Despite the heat, the market table is starting to turn towards fall. We’ve harvested in all of the Delicata and Acorn squash and will have the first scallions and fall radishes this week. And even with...

Oats & peas

August 30, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

After some autumn-like weather last week, we got another blast of summer this week with temperatures into the mid-90s and heat indexes even higher! While I’m sure all the summer crops will appreciate the hotter weather, it can be a little tricky keeping the fall crops happy in late summer through severe heat like this. Even with hot, humid weather, the preparations for fall continue. As an early summer crop, the cucumbers and summer squash had their last hurrah last week, so on Monday Mike finished the huge job of mowing down, plowing, and tilling those beds so that I could get the first winter cover crop planted. Cover cropping...

Rain, rain go away

August 23, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

The rain just can’t seem to leave us be. Last night we received another dousing of several inches in just a few hours. As we’re in the midst of fall planting, this excessive moisture and heavy rain is a concern in a way it wasn’t in the spring, when the crops were much more established and the diseases that prey on crops in the late summer had not yet arrived. Many of the seedlings newly planted in the field were flattened by the downpour, although they will in all likelihood recover. More concerning is the appearance of mildew-type diseases on crops like the fall kale and cabbage on which I...

Summer-to-Fall Photo Shoot

August 16, 2018 Market newsletters, Monthly Photo Shoots, Weekly Updates

Check out some pictures from the farm as we transition from summer to fall and see the full harvest list below for this week’s markets! See you this weekend! Farmers Katie & Mike This week at the market: Eggplant Sweet peppers String beans Salad mix Arugula Garlic Onions Potatoes Carrots Beets Rainbow chard Slicing tomatoes Cherry tomatoes Cucumber Summer Squash Basil ...

Salad weather

August 9, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

We at least got to see sunshine this week, but even with sunnier weather, we still had torrential rains most days. After months of praying for the rain to stop, I’ve decided there’s no other option but to try to find the bright side of this less than ideal weather. As you may know, I love growing baby greens and the cooler, wet weather has created unusually agreeable conditions for growing salad mix and arugula at this time of year. Growing baby greens in the summer can be a challenge, as they prefer cooler weather. Over my years of farming, I have found specific varieties of lettuce and arugula that...

Pushing on

August 2, 2018 Market newsletters, Weekly Updates

As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, I’m once again watching rain pour down outside, something that has just become the norm at this point. There’s a farm saying that, while too little rain can hurt you, too much rain can kill you, and we sure are seeing how that can be true this year. We’re spending at least as much time pulling rotted and split peppers and tomatoes off of the plants as we are harvesting sellable ones and it is extremely disheartening to see all of that waste after all the work we’ve put in. The one thing that is helping me stay positive is that planting for...

Two Feet in the Dirt

Urbana Library Farmers’ Market