Saturday 24 March 2012

Into the field!

Whitsend Market Garden still has room for a couple more customers.  If you are interested in finding out more about the farm or our CSA, feel free to peruse the site.  You may find our contact information below if you have further questions or would like to purchase a share of the 2012 harvest.

Hey Folks:
Work at the farm has now started to move out into the fields.  Beds built last fall are getting a cleanup, removing some of the switch grass that has moved in and taking out a few missed Dandelions (it is unfortunate that they are too small and tough for harvest as leaf greens!).
Seeding started for cool weather crops earlier in the week, and now the first sprouts are starting to appear.  I was a bit concernend that the “heat wave” we were experiencing was going to be too hard on some of these early crops, such as the Mache.  My gut feeling suggested that cooler weather was on the way, and that has since borne out.  Get your salad bowls ready…
The garlic that was planted last fall has germinated with over 90% success rate.  All varieties seem to have done equally well.  Now we wait to see which ones thrive enough to size up.  I’ll write more about this intriguing crop on another post.
Whitsend welcomes another contributor to the farm.  Erica is taking on an “intern role” for the summer to learn more about organic agriculture and field work.
With spring on the way, another season is soon upon us.
Last year, I found I had no time to peruse the local garage sale market for items that I can put to good use on the farm.  If you are the garage sale type, feel free to keep an eye out for some of the following.  I will gladly reimburse you.
Most of these items are for use in the barn, so if they are a little rough around the edges that is fine.
-Marker board or chalk board or cork board
-Tent pegs (I can use both plastic or the J-shaped metal ones)
-Tool box or carrying kit (If it says “First Aid Kit” on the side, all the better)
-Fold-up table suitable for produce preparation (e.g. 6’ by 4’ or larger)
-Filing cabinet large enough to contain a couple of binders
-Window screen with aluminum frame
-Large picnic coolers
-Galvanized tub, 10-20 Litres capacity or greater.  Ideally (though not essential) with a drain at one end or the bottom.  A small laundery type sink could also work.
-Chair and small writing desk
-Clipboard
Talk to you soon, and hope for some cool weather!
Bob