Thanks for your response regarding our requests, etc. It helps take some of the guesswork and memory work out of the workload.
It often happens that some crops force a change in the menu - as I started harvesting the Cress, I realised that their was more than enough for everyone. As Cress is a once a season crop (does well only in the spring in this territory), I thought it best to give everyone some of it. Let me know what you think of it...if we are lucky, we may get some more in two weeks.
Looks like the turnips and and Zuchini are getting ready - maybe some next week. Lots of crops look like they are coming in earlier than expected. One grower I was taking to said the fluctuations between hot and cool were "confusing the plants".
I wish that Zuchini ((3 weeks early?) would get a little more confused and slow down.
Even some tomatoes are starting to flower, this could be bad news or great. We'll have to wait and see...
Hey Folks:
Time for a quick post before some much needed RnR.
This is turning out to be a challenging season. Computer issues (hopefully resolved), a difficult nursery (lost most of our bulb onions for a variety of reasons to it - I tried three times), one intern (three positions were advertised for), and early pigs (they were to have shown up in the mid season planting lull between early and mid July). Even the priorities have had to be prioritized.
It is times like this that my back ground in other careers keeps me managing. Competitive distance running (physical endurance and mental stamina), front line health care (working miracles in impossible situations), community radio and festivals (the show must go on), and playing in an independent rock and roll band in a small town where the scene numbers 3 1/2 musicians and as many appreciative fans (It's not going to happen if I don't make it happen). All of the above, like farming, are not for the faint at heart.
I'll focus on the successes, read between the lines for the failures.
Peas and Beans:
The Peas are loving this cool-ish weather. I am learning that 2-3 beds of picking are my limit for a harvest. Many growers consider these crops a loss leader, due to the fact that picking time by most of us is not quick enough to make the value of the crop. $4.00 a Lb for beans, and slightly more for peas), is about what the market will bear. Professional pickers are difficult to come by (they are paid by the pound, and are accustomed to 40 degree heat), and machine picked beans are varieties that can withstand rough treatment - if they have any flavor, I haven't noticed.Our snow peas, a variety called Norli, are not the greatest tasting variety either. They are the only snow pea variety available as certified organic seed that I can find, and they are dependable and trouble free. We do the snap peas later in the fall.
The first variety of beans that we should experience this season are called Provider. (Should be on your table in about three weeks). It has two characteristics that I require for our early beans. First, they germinate in relatively cold soil, unlike most beans. Second, most bush beans will produce for two or three weeks and then finish. Provider continues to set beans as long as they are being picked. However, they do shut down when the temperature gets too hot for them. They do not taste quite as good as our french bean Maxibel, or our favorite, Slenderette.
Our greens have had mixed results so far. Generally, the cool weather has been good for them. However, 48 hours in the life of a 40 day Spinach is a long time. Two or three days of 28 degree plus weather can be too much, particularly when they are germinating or just sprouting.
Aside from some poorly timed heat-waves, most of the greens are doing well. The Kale and Chard look phenomenal, the lettuces are small (nursery issues again) but healthy, and the Cress has stood up to the heat with some of our shaded tunnels. The mustard greens have suffered somewhat, I suspect that the bed they are in requires more compost. They are following a root crop (last year's beets), and as beets are heavy feeders, this may also be the reason why our first round has not fared quite as well as expected. Not to worry, they are still in good enough shape for this week and hopefully the next two. One note, they have been bitten up a bit by the Flea Beetles. Not much can be done about this except watering the heck out of these plants. The damage only affects appearance. There is some evidence that produce that has experienced insect damage is higher in building blocks for the immune system.
One other note on the leaves. Our New Zealand Spinach is settling into its first bed and getting ready to climb onto the trellis. We have another three heat tolerant leaves on the way for later in the summer - Red Callaloo, Gold Purslane, and Purple Orach. The roots are looking good - potatoes, carrots, turnips and beets. But they are growing SO SLOW! Only the turnips look like they are approaching harvest. More radishes on they way.
By chance, I made a preemptive strike on the Potato Beatles. I was checking the plants progress under the row covers, and just happened to notice a cluster of yellow eggs on the underside of one of the pants leaves. How DO they get under my row covers? They even skipped the "canary" plants that I leave uncovered. So, I checked every single plant and disposed of a dozen adults and hundreds of eggs. There's more on the way I'm sure...
 |
| Mibuna (left) and Tokyo Bekana |
Tip - most vegetables that are a bit wilted can be brought back by a few hours of being immersed in water.
The Garlic is doing great. The scapes are in various stages of forming. My one worry is how early some of the crop is maturing - I hope this does not mean that the bulbs are not sizing up to expectation. We may be pulling some of these bulbs by early July, which means they will be delivered by late July (after curing for two weeks in the rafters of the barn). You may notice that the garlic shoots have slightly different colors on the bulb and lowest portion of the stalk. This hints at some of the variation you can expect...Green Onions are coming along slowly after a dismal start. I was in a bit of a panic 4 weeks ago when it seemed that the nursery was going to do every round of seeding in. I seem to have started to catch up. Green Onions are fairly easy, but they are very susceptible to drying out due to their shallow roots. I've been using a light straw mulch around the base of the plants to alleviate this somewhat. This poses another challenge - how to cultivate with the hoe with all that straw around? Even at the best of times, weeding by hand takes too much time. And being shallow rooted, green onions simply can't compete for water with other crops.
The Tomatoes are slow but coming along according to plan, I am eager to try the earliest of these - the Lime Green Cherry tomatoes. We tried a Cherry Tomato a couple of years back. It was called "Matina" and advertised as easy to grow, juicy and sweet. Well, it was easy (didn't crack, resistant to hornworms, uniform appearance). All of my customers whom I spoke with about them seemed to agree that they were watery and bland. So I am hoping that the Lime Green Cherry's from Sunshine Farm in BC (advertised as tart flavored - whatever that means) are a big improvement. Our other Toms, Moskvich, Great White, and Sorrento are also doing well, but we could only about 6 Sorrento plants out of the nursery, and something with buck teeth got two of the Moskvich. I made a temporary improvement to the fence where it had been breached (animal tracking is another essential skill for harried growers). It looks ugly but it works until a permanent solution can be found.
We have successfully transplanted six Asian Eggplant seedlings. An improvement over last year. I originally intended to do four plants each, but assuming that we may loose a couple, I made room for two more. I hope the trellis stands up to this crop. Each plant has the potential to produce 20 fruits. The only worry is that this crop is very susceptible to Potato Beetles. As they are trellised, I can't cover them with row covers.
We were able to find more space this season for extra Cucumber plants by trellising these as well. Another experiment that could easily end in tears (and a lot of extra work). Angela and I drove the stakes in a foot just to be sure.
The acorn squash is already flowering. That damn squirrel better stay well in the hedgerow (or in the Zuchini plants). I love animals, but as any grower will know, animals - even the two legged ones - can be quite fierce when defending food territory. And I (unlike squirrels) have opposable thumbs and a fore brain. Squash flowers make a tasty side dish when stir fried. Less refined creatures will eat them raw. Please excuse my rodent fury.
 |
| Winter Squashes mulched with straw |
Well, it's much too late to continue. I have an early day tomorrow (another 21 day work-week in store), and I still want to catch a film tonight.
I'll speak more about our long season produce in our next post, and our vegetables with a beating heart as well. By then, the camera battery should be re-charged, and I can get the picks I shot today up on the site.
See you soon,
Bob
 |
| "Will plow for Oats..." |
 |
| Oppopeos and Nicotania |