Hello Everyone,This past week we received 6/10th’s of an inch of rain with the front that ended the scorching heat and ushered in the cool trend we are currently experiencing. Very unusual weather for early July, but it certainly makes it easier to get work done! Most everything is growing nicely. The cauliflower is beginning to head up and the plants are large and beautiful, so I anticipate harvesting for delivery next week. Zucchini, beans, and cucumbers are all doing well and should start producing in about 2 weeks. The tomatoes are flowering profusely and we should see the start of the tomato season in about 3 weeks. The beets are beginning to size up and should be ready in another week or two. In the meantime we still have an abundance of turnips and radishes! This week you will have a choice between the salad turnips, a red turnip and a long Japanese radish. I know some of you may be tired of these, but they’ll be done soon and you won’t see them again until the fall. If you remove the tops they will keep for several weeks in the fridge, until you’re inspired to use them!

This week’s share will be: Romaine lettuce, bok choy, spinach, peas, choice of broccoli or kohlrabi, fresh garlic, choice of white salad turnips, red skinned turnips, or Shunkyo semi-long radishes, and choice of herb- cilantro or parsley (basil next week!)

Enjoy! Farmer John

Hello Everyone!

This past week we finally got some much needed rain. Two successive evening storms dropped a total of about 1 ¼ inches of water. We could use more, but it was enough to give a boost to the many spring planted crops as they are approaching the finish line. I am continuing to run the drip irrigation heavily on the brassicas. The earliest of the broccoli varieties have begun heading in sufficient quantities to begin delivering this week. The heads are not large, but the quality looks good, considering the extreme heat we’ve had recently. Cabbage, kohlrabi and cauliflower will also be approaching harvestable size in the next few weeks. Deer damage continues to be a major problem especially on the broccoli and on the tomato plants. This is another consequence of the dry spring, as there is not as much for them to eat in the woods and field edges as there typically would be. The hayfield grasses are dry or have been cut, with little re-growth, and the deer are seeking anything with some moisture in it. Tomato plants are not really all that palatable, and I have never seen more than some occasional browsing in the past. This year I have a number of large plants that have been whittled down to nothing but stumps! We are rushing to put up the trellis netting for the tomatoes as this will impede there ability to move freely about the plants. I also have 2 beds of broccoli planted between 3 beds of tomatoes so the trellis will afford some protection to the broccoli as well. English peas are continuing to mature in abundance. Sugar snap and snow peas are beginning as well, but still in small quantities. It will most likely be a choice of pea varieties in this week’s share. We still have abundant amounts of lettuce, and there will be 2 heads of different types in the share. One is a beautiful deep red romaine named Outredgeous (As I suspected Word doesn’t like this spelling!) They are spectacular and quite large!

The share for this week will be: Broccoli, peas, scallions, choice of mustard greens or arugula, red leaf lettuce, red romaine lettuce, choice of salad turnips or radishes, choice of herb- parsley, cilantro, or dill.

Enjoy! John

Hi Everyone!The hot and dry trend continues and is making life very difficult for us. The Brassica family (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage etc.) is affected most of all by the stress. Plants interpret stress as potential mortality and react by rushing to reproduce themselves i.e. flowering. In the case of Bok choi, tatsoi, and napa or Chinese cabbage this means changing from a rosette form and sending up a long seed stalk, called bolting, before the plant reaches full harvest size. In the same way broccoli forms its seed head (the part we eat) while the plant is still small, producing a small head that quickly opens and develops its yellow flowers. We have run drip tape irrigation lines on all of the brassicas, something I have hesitated to do because it is only time consuming but also needs to be removed to cultivate. Some of the Napa cabbage and the Bok choi have already bolted. We will begin harvesting the Bok choi on the small side and hopefully with adequate moisture from the drip lines the napa will form heads. Lettuce family plants are prone to bolting as well, and so I have been watching these plantings diligently for any sign of revolt (or perhaps rebolt). On Friday night while harvesting lettuce for market I discovered a few escarole pants forming seed stalks, so we immediately cut all of the escarole. At this point they will hold better in my cooler than they will in the field. We will need to do the same for hundreds of heads of lettuce in the next 2 weeks. In this week’s edition of “When Animals Attack”: A marauder got into the greenhouse and wiped out about 200 melon and cucumber plants. I’m not sure if it was a deer or a ground hog, the latter is more likely to enter a structure, but deer have easier access to the plants, which were on tables. Deer have also been grazing some of my tomatoes and have destroyed a planting of early sugar snap peas. The main planting is well fenced and remains unscathed and is flowering abundantly.

This week’s share will be 2 heads of lettuce, English (shell) peas, red bok choi, tatsoi, choice of escarole or endive, parsley and either radishes or salad turnips. I had hoped to have scallions, but they are still a bit small, so we’ll save those for next week. Garlic scapes will be available for anyone who would like more.

–Enjoy! Farmer John

Hello Everyone, Since my last writing we’ve received a little more than an inch of much needed rain. We could use more, but it was enough to help some of the seed I’ve planted recently to germinate. The beans have sprouted beautifully and the zucchini and summer squash quite nicely as well. I was a bit nervous about the squash because it took a long time to come up and in the process of searching for emerging seed I discovered quite a few empty seed husks scattered about the surface of the beds. Some type of bird apparently has a taste for squash seed, something I’ve never seen before. Fortunately, there are only a few bare patches in my rows, and we can re-plant by hand to fill those in. We have finished planting the peppers and the eggplant and both are growing well and beginning to flower. Expect eggplant in mid to late July and peppers in early August. The early tomatoes are also growing well, flowering profusely, and setting fruit. Tomato harvest should begin in about 5 weeks The peas are flowering abundantly and there are a few ready to pick, just not enough yet to include in the first delivery. Peas will start next week and continue into early July. Sweet Potato plants arrived this past Friday and we will be transplanting them in the next few days as well as about 1500 melon and watermelon plants we started in the greenhouse. I will also be trying to sow edamame soybeans and the first of the winter squash during the next week. I hope y’all (pardon my drawl) like salads, because much of the lettuce we planted in succession has matured all at once. I have about 2000 lettuces that will need to be picked in the next 2 weeks. The share for this week will be: Red leaf lettuce, Boston lettuce, radishes, garlic scapes, and oregano. If you don’t have a use for fresh oregano, I recommend putting it in a small paper bag and hanging it in a warm place for a week or two to dry. For those new members unfamiliar with garlic scapes, they are the flower top of the garlic plant. They can be chopped finely and sautéed with other foods for a rich garlic flavor. They are also good grilled and will keep for many weeks in the refrigerator, so don’t worry about using them up quickly. Enjoy!
–Farmer John

Hello Everyone,Well, the dry conditions continue, with less than 1” of rain during the past 6 weeks. Many passing storms that promised some much needed rain have not produced enough to register on the rain gauge. Everything that I sow directly into the field must be irrigated to germinate. Much time is being spent setting up and moving sprinklers and this delays us from planting and other pressing tasks. We have finished planting the potatoes and the eggplant. About 800 tomatoes have been set out and another 1600 will be transplanted out in the next few days. We will also be planting the peppers, ground cherries, celery root, and the last of the onions this week. Last night I rode the tractor planting beans until dark, ahead of some thunderstorms, which again delivered an inconsequential amount of rain. I am having a lot of trouble with a pest of the cabbage family called the flea beetle. This is a consequence of the late planting since normally the plants have 2-3 weeks to grow before the over wintering adults emerge from the soil. We are doing our best to control this plague with the various organic treatments that are available. The problem is that these agents have a short period of effectiveness and frequent spraying is required. I have also lost several hundred broccoli and cabbage plants to animal predation-turkeys, geese and ground hogs. The peas are growing nicely and the earliest varieties have just begun to flower. This means we will start picking peas in about 3 weeks, possibly in time for the first delivery. The potatoes have sprouted and the onions and the garlic are also growing nicely. It has been a very difficult start to the season, and will probably only get worse, but we are forging ahead and dealing with each new challenge that arises. Hope to see many of you at the Farm Visit in 2 weeks! Farmer John

Hello Everyone,It’s been about a month since the flooding rains of April, and since that time we’ve received less than ½ an inch of new rain. While it’s too soon to start crying drought, these dry conditions combined with several very warm days for early May, have been making things a bit difficult for us. Although there is still adequate moisture a few inches down, the soil surface has become very dry. This condition makes it difficult for new transplants to take root as well as delaying the germination of the many varieties of veggies that I am currently planting directly into the field. We have planted most of the 7,000 brassica and lettuce plants. Many of these we have had to water in after planting to insure their survival. Most of the peas that were planted are up and growing nicely. Unfortunately 2 early varieties of sugar snap peas did not germinate, most likely due to bad seed. This represents about 1200 row feet that should have produced 300 lbs of peas and means that the pea season will be a bit later and shorter this year. We have planted about 1,000 lbs of seed potatoes, with another 800 to go. I have the ground ready, and I hope to finish with potatoes by the end of the week. We will also be transplanting the first 900 tomato plants and about 700 eggplants in the next week. It’s also time to begin planting beans, zucchini and other summer squash, as well as cucumbers and melons. Many thanks to those who came out for the volunteer work day this past Saturday. About 1800 tomato and celeriac plants were transplanted; we covered a greenhouse, and transplanted several hundred lettuce plants out into the field. I truly appreciate the help, and I think everyone had an enjoyable day in the country. If there is anyone who was not able to attend, but would like to come out and lend a hand over the next 2 weekends, contact me at kruegerjohn@earthlink.net. That’s all ‘til next time! Meantime, hope, pray, or keep your fingers crossed for some rain.
–Farmer John

Hello Everyone,
Well the fields have finally dried out enough to be plowed, so I’ve been spending a lot time on the large tractor this past week preparing ground, some for the second time. While I waited for fields around the main farm to dry I moved the tractor to my new rented field in Andover. The soil there is very well drained so it was ready for plowing within 2 days of the heavy rain. Most of the ground at this new field has not been worked for several years and has grown a very dense sod, which will take a considerable time to break down. For this reason I have plowed 5 of the 6 acres I have use of, even though some will not be planted until July and August. I have planted most of the peas I intend to- about 6,000 row feet and 55 lbs. of seed. My workers have planted about 12,000 onion and leek plants and 1,500 lettuce plants. We have begun cutting the seed potatoes into pieces and will begin planting potatoes in the next few days. There are also about 7,000 transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radicchio, and more lettuce that have been moved out of the greenhouse and are hardened off, waiting to be setout in the field. In the next week we will transplanting out these crops as well as starting more in the greenhouse and transplanting many greenhouse starts into larger cells. For anyone thinking about coming to the volunteer work day on May 12, help with greenhouse work will be one of the tasks for which I will greatly appreciate your assistance. It’s also time to plant many crops that are direct seeded into the field, such as carrots, beets, parsnips, spinach, and Swiss chard, to name just a few. It’s too early in the season to be this far behind, but the nature of farming is bound to the vagaries of the climate. Wish me luck catching up, and come out and lend a hand if you’re so inclined! –Farmer John

Hello everyone!In the 2 weeks since my last update we have finished cleaning up the fields and I was able to plow about 4 acres of ground. I also cultivated the garlic which is growing quite nicely. The shallots which like the garlic are planted in the fall are just beginning to come up. Unfortunately I have not been able to plant any peas yet, as the ground remains too cold. While conventional farmers, using fungicide treated seed, can plant peas without much regard for soil temperature, organic growers must be a little more careful or the seed will simply rot. The heavy rains from the Nor’easter will delay planting still further, as it will be too wet to get into most of my fields until at least the end of the week. We will also be delayed in planting onions and potatoes until next week. The good news is that there is no more rain in the forecast for the next 2 weeks and the temperatures are finally headed for the upper 50’s and 60’s!!! I have been planting lots of seeds in the greenhouse, including celery root, kohlrabi, kale, bok choy, parsley, ground cherries, and more lettuce and tomatoes. We have begun transplanting the early tomatoes into larger cell flats, which has increased the overcrowding in an already full greenhouse. As soon as the weather improves a bit we will be able to move some of the hardier plants such as the onions and cabbage family onto benches outdoors where they will be hardened off for planting out into the field. I still have a lot of greenhouse planting to do- herbs, flowers, and more lettuce and broccoli to name just a few. There are also almost 2,000 eggplant and pepper plants to be transplanted soon! So keep your fingers crossed or maybe say a little prayer for a nice stretch of warm, dry weather!–Farmer John

Hello Everyone!
Well the robins are arriving, the crocuses are blooming and the spring peepers are peeping, so it must be spring! March was unusually cold, at least until last week. I began planting in the greenhouse on March 10th, about a week later than I would have liked. I just couldn’t bear to turn the heat on in the greenhouse when it was still in the low teens overnight. At present there are onions, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, radicchio, and tomatoes up and growing nicely. The eggplant and peppers are just beginning to germinate. In the next 2 weeks I will be planting celery and celery root, kohlrabi, kale, parsley, ground cherries and tomatillos as well as more tomatoes and lettuces in the greenhouse. In the field we have been working on cleaning up from last season- removing posts and cables used for trellising and plastic mulch and drip tape. I have not been able to start plowing yet, because the ground is still to wet from that late season snowfall. I hope to be able to start preparing ground later this week, if it doesn’t rain too much. In the next 2 weeks it will be time to plant fava beans and peas in the field. We are also busy doing maintenance and repairs on the trucks, tractors and other equipment. That’s all for now, stay tuned for the next update in 2 weeks!
— Farmer John

August 7th: Update #14

Hello Everyone!

This past Friday thunderstorms dropped about an inch of rain at the main farm. Oddly the rented field in Andover received almost no rain. Fortunately many of the crops there are set up with drip irrigation, so it isn’t a big problem.

But what problems we do have at this location! The beans are producing so abundantly that we can’t keep up with picking them! The walk in cooler is stacked to the ceiling with tubs of beans. The pepper plants are so loaded with fruit that we will have to stake them to keep the plants from falling over! The melon plants are sending runners out so fast and far that they are overtaking a nearby bed of mustard greens!

You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m being a bit facetious, as all of these situations fall in the category of good problems to have. Cucumbers are also producing abundantly, and not just the little Kirby type but also regular ones and the long English type. The eggplant is also flowering abundantly and there will soon be lots of fruit to pick. And best of all- tomato season has begun!

The share for this week will be: Yukon gold potatoes, white onions, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, green beans and wax beans, carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, and choice of an herb(basil, dill, or parsley).

Enjoy!

Farmer John