Whitsend Market Garden

Hey Folks:


Once again, sorry for the extended silence. I’ve had my hands full for the past while.

I can’t recall the context, but Tom at Elmtree once said that there would be days in which you’re being hit from several different directions at once. Days for sure, but how about an entire week?

The Potato Beetles are almost gone, the Tomato Hornworms are down to a dull roar, the weeds are withering in the heat, and the well is holding out. The problems in the nursery (damping off, earwigs, and sun scorch are apparently managed – more on that another time). The Tomatoes have recovered from their slow start and seem to be producing a decent yield. Last year, my Peppers produced a fine crop of leaves, but I am starting to see some nice fruit forming. Not so bad, eh?

The new challenges are Mice and Flea Beetles. Usually, Flea Beetles are only a nuisance, nibbling small holes in crops such as Arugula and Kale. Once these crops are past the seedling stage, the beetles leave them alone or do little to no damage. However, the Beetles seem to be thriving and have ruined the Kale, Arugula, and Nasturtiums. I managed to intervene in time to get them off the Basil and Turnips, and the Brussels sprouts seem to be doing Ok.

Of the mice, I am all too aware of the potential damage. So I will likely have my hands full for the next while. If anyone out there has a pack of bored Jack Russell Terriers, I’ll gladly put them up for a while.

All that said there are a number of positive things happening in the field. The Tomatoes are bouncing back from a slow start. The yield seems to be down a bit from last year (as well as a bit late), but much higher than I anticipated a couple of weeks ago. The Belle Island variety of Cress looks interesting and seems to be doing better than the Persian Broadleaf some of you have had thus far. I’m getting a few more Spinach plants to germinate in the heat. The sweet Kestral Beets are coming along, and I intend on planting a second round of them soon. The Callalloo is a heavy drinker, but I seem to be getting enough water to it. The Corn is just getting taller, the Kidney beans are in flower, and the Delicata squash plants have shrugged off the Cucumber Beetles and are slowly starting to march across the length of the bed.

The Tree Swallows have left the nest house (and the farm it seems), but a Humming bird and a flock of Goldfinches have arrived. I saw two Red Tailed Hawks overhead the other day as well. A large frog has taken up residence near the cistern, and a much smaller one is hanging about the cold bed. A new ground hog is in the area, but seems to prefer Dick’s hay field; besides, the drought has helped keep the grass down around the electric fence and so it is conducting quite nicely.

A note about the Garlic: I check all of the cloves I send out for external blemishes or bulb softness. However, I can’t know for sure how the cloves are inside. It would be helpful if you notice any marks in the flesh, as the quality of the various types will help me decide which varieties I will focus on for next year’s planting. If you find a bulb with yellowing or brown marks on the cloves after you peel it, please let me know. I can replace them for you with your next basket. Your comments on the different types are also appreciated.

And one last note – thanks to those of you who came out to the open house. Special thanks to Erica for the extra help preparing for the event. It was an enjoyable day and we can do it all again next fall (probably mid September). It will most likely be on a Sunday. If I have to do it on a Saturday, then the harvest might get pushed back to Thursday – two big events in two days was just too much!!!

I’ll have more to write soon, I am sure.

See you on Friday evening,

Bob