Time to Bloom

The Next Season’s Rhythm

Now that Memorial weekend is almost here, we can reflect on our beautiful spring and enter into the “unofficial days of summer”. Farmers are always in a seasonal rhythm with nature and there is a kind of comfort in that deep-rooted connection. Spring always brings with it optimism and opportunities for new beginnings. A time to apply new skills to improve on last year’s growing successes and make right last year’s farming struggles. Spring is also a time to nurture our  tender seedlings planted in the late winter with joy and anticipation of early crops. This year spring has also been a time for harvest as we have expanded our high tunnel and greenhouse growing practices. We began farming in these protected environments in late January, providing us with earlier lettuces, herbs, greens, and root vegetables like beets and radishes already available in our markets.

Our late spring days were busy planning our summer field crops and moving the well-tended transplants outdoors. We use a process of “hardening off” before placing the vegetable transplants into the ground, ensuring they will be better acclimated to their new habitat. This process gradually exposes tender plants to the elements in increments, preparing them for planting outdoors. This adjustment period occurs two weeks before planting season. Check out this vide for a glimpse of our plants adjusting to their new view.  It’s time to talk about summer now that it is almost here. 

 

Time for Summer

Summer welcomes an exciting season for farming as many things we love to do become part of our daily lives, including spending more time outdoors. Longer days provide plenty of occasions to be out in the fields planting, caring for our livestock animals, and welcoming guests in our pick-your-own fields and summer camp field trips.  

Longer days and warmer weather provide excellent conditions for outdoor activities and farm chores. Besides moving the tender plants outdoors, we also will start planting warm weather crops directly in the grown including peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, cucumber, melons, and squashes. You will also find us busy preparing our soil for planting flowers and other crops that get planted several times during the summer.  We will continue to plant numerous vegetable crops throughout the summer to ensure harvest for the summer, fall, and winter. Some of our crops even get over-wintered! Learn more about this farming technique on our blog titled “ Four Season Farming”.

 

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