Hello Everyone:
Thank-you for all of your positive comments this past
week. Hearing your compliments about the
produce, particularly the arugula, was very encouraging.
Hearing comments about the pleasure of preparing and eating food with flavor and aroma make a lot of the efforts feel worth it. I know I must be doing a few things right. Thank-you.
There are a lot of ups and downs in farming. The spinach germinated consistently this
spring (something I have had difficulty achieving in past years). Then it failed to size up consistently, and a
lot of it went to seed much earlier than expected (due to the intense heat of
May, I presume). The heat wave in May also caused some difficulty with the lettuce, though I should have started even more in the nursery, given that one variety was new for me and thus I did not have a fuller idea as to how it would perform.
May also presented another challenge for me. Within days of the heat wave starting, I
began to have difficulty sleeping.
Eventually, I figured out that it was caused by strong tea (my beverage
of choice at all times). As the days
became hotter, I started taking a second thermos to stay hydrated, and was over caffeinating myself. This led to several
shorter than desired days and some mistakes while working in a sleep deprived
haze. I used to drink tea with impunity,
but I suppose those days are gone. 
I still expect some improvement as my farm
infrastructure and growing experience develops.
To that end, I am looking ahead to next year.
I anticipate starting harvests earlier, with our first
harvests in the first two weeks of June (Apr 30/Jun 3 and Jun 7/Jun 10), then a
one week break, then the last two weeks in June (Jun 21/Jun 24 and Jun27/Jun30 – Canada Day falls on a Friday next year so one harvest
week will have the deliveries pulled back 24 hours. This will probably cause me some snow pea schedule
headaches.
Most market gardens start their season in the beginning of June. Being a one-man show on a farm that still requires a lot of building, I have aimed in the past two years for a mid-June start to ensure the farm was ready for the first harvests. Now that the prep station, nursery, and field are starting to develop, I know the efficient work environment will allow me to do more in less time.
Timing the harvest of early crops by mid June will
provide a couple of fresh beds in which to plant a second round of mid-season
crops, which in turn will allow me a little more flexibility for the production
plan.
It also means that the customers will receive an extra
week of deliveries. As I often say on
this site, lots to look forward to.
Speaking of looking forward, I see that the crops are
at an in-between period this coming week.
Some crops are finishing, and will not produce enough to
serve all customers. The peas are
finishing their second flush, and will be done by the end of next week. Customers who have only received one serving so
far will be prioritized.
The current round of mustard greens and choi’s will
also be finished, and the next ones have yet to be planted as the space is not opened
up yet for more cabbage family crops.
The carrots still have a long thin tap-root on them, and
the lettuces are still quite small. This
tells me that they have another week or so of growth. The potatoes are still in flower, and may
require another two weeks of growing.
The zucchini might have two or three fruits by next week – too little
for all of you to share.
I will have to be a little inventive with your deliveries next week. Check out the “this week’s harvest” page to see what I have in mind – there will be several options but I am certain I will not be able to fulfill all of them.
Despite the small delivery next week, there will be a
lot of harvest work for me to do. The
first round of garlic bulbs will be pulled and strung up for curing.
Harvesting garlic is a time consuming task.
The bulbs are very susceptible to bruising, which in
turn compromises the shelf life of the bulbs.
So a lot of extra care will be required.
Garlic is one of the major crops at Whitsend. I grow several varieties each year in order
to find the varieties that work best in our climate and soil.
As each variety is harvested, the bulbs are examined
and graded.
As garlic is propagated from a single parent, genetic
accidents slowly build up in my seed stock.
Each bulb needs to be examined for signs of virus infection.
Samples of each variety are measured for size and
number of cloves per bulb, and compared to the parent seed plant. The very best performing varieties are then
reserved for next season’s seed stock. So
far, much more complicated than pulling carrots out of the ground.
All along, the bulbs need to be protected from being
bumped, exposed to sunlight, or getting wet.
As well, if any bulbs indicating viral infection are found, steps need
to be taken to avoid cross contamination.
With the small delivery anticipated, and the dry
weather, I should be able to pull a considerable portion out of the ground next
week – there are over five hundred plants to harvest.
When the garlic is out, the beds are cleaned, and
preparation begins for planting the fall cabbages.
In a previous post I believe I mentioned "succession cropping" as a potential topic for a future write-up.
This period of late spring/early summer is when many beds have their first succession of crop harvested and their second succession planted.
It makes sense then to devote the next post to that very topic. Talk to you then...
Bob
This period of late spring/early summer is when many beds have their first succession of crop harvested and their second succession planted.
It makes sense then to devote the next post to that very topic. Talk to you then...
Bob