As a farmer, I can't help but talk about the weather. It shapes my daily life in a pretty direct way, and dictates what we can and can't do here on the farm. I check the weather forecast morning, noon, and night. No exaggeration. But whether you are a farmer or not, it's hard not to LOVE weather like this! I sure hope you are able to enjoy the sunny days this weekend. Fresh air and sunshine do wonders for the soul, especially during challenging times like these. Springtime in the Northland can be a muddy cold mess sometimes, but days like this, well, they are a blessing for sure.
If you're itching to get some things planted outside now, we're still offering the perennial boxes from Fritz, Dane, and the crew up at Hauser's Farm in Bayfield. One small change to note from last week: they were running low on sage, so the veggie/herb perennial box will now consist of 6 asparagus plants, 3 lovage plants, and 3 culinary thyme plants. Each box is $45, and can be added to your farm stand order again this week.
Starter Perennial Collection – Easy care, different foliage, textures, and colors, 3 of each
* Gaillardia - Goblin (red/yellow, 12”, full sun, blooms early summer to early fall)
* Aquilegia - McKana’s Giant (pastels, 30”, partial to full sun, blooms late spring to early summer)
* Iris, Sibirica - Ruffled Velvet (purple frilled, 24-30”, partial to full sun, blooms early summer)
* Rudbeckia - Goldsturm (golden, 24”, full sun, blooms late summer to mid-fall)
Pollinator Perennial Collection – Nectar sources that support beneficial pollinators, 3 of each
* Baptisia – False Indigo (blue, 24-36”, full sun, blooms late spring to early summer)
* Saponaria – Ocymoides (pink, 8”, full sun, blooms late spring to early summer)
* Rudbeckia - Goldsturm (golden, 24”, full sun, blooms late summer to mid-fall)
* Rudbeckia – Magnus (rosy purple, 30-36”, partial to full sun, blooms early summer to early fall)
Shade Perennial Collection – Plants that love shady spots, 3 of each
* Aquilegia – Biedermeir (mixed, 16”, mostly shade, blooms late spring to early summer)
* Hosta – Elata (green, 18”H 36”W, shade, lavender blooms 30” in mid-summer)
* Heuchera – Hybrid (pink, 18-24”, partial shade, blooms late spring through summer)
* Astilbe – Fanal (red, 12-18”, partial shade, blooms early summer)
Herb/Vegetable Perennial Collection – For a taste of freshness from the garden, 6 asparagus and 3 of each Lovage and Thyme
* Asparagus (vitamin rich, well-drained soil, once established, crown can produce up to .5 lb)
* Lovage (intense celery-like flavor, use leaves, stalks, and seeds, full sun, well-drained soil)
* Thyme – Culinary (full sun, drought tolerant, use fresh or dried, long growing season)
Here at Great Oak Farm, I hustled earlier this week to get the first seeding of outside carrots and peas planted before the big rains. You can see the beds to the left of the greenhouse all rolled smooth to keep soil in place, a practice we have adopted here in recent years to help cut down on soil movement in case of heavy rainfall events. Those tiny carrot seeds planted less than a 1/4 inch beneath the surface of a fine, deep seed bed are so vulnerable to washing away before they get established. Rolling them down after seeding helps keep everything where it should be - even when it rains hard. And I am happy to report that after our 1.5" of rain this week, everything stayed right where it should. Also, as you can see in the picture above, the onions have moved out of the greenhouse to make room for new seedlings inside and to help get them ready to be transplanted next week out into the field. SO.MANY.ONIONS! They don't even all fit on that 16' long hay wagon, but the weather looks like it will cooperate and we should be able to get them all transplanted next week.
The peppers we started back in early March are growing great, and we'll be prepping beds inside one of our hoophouses for them next week as well. This variety Carmen is renowned for fantastic sweet and crunchy peppers - it's a farm favorite for nearly anyone who grows them. Meanwhile, inside the greenhouse there are thousands of baby broccoli seedlings (we start a new round of broccoli each week so we've got a steady supply through the season) as well as a big seeding of cabbage and some brussels sprouts. Who's excited for fresh broccoli and sweet red peppers this summer?!!
Ok, back to work for me - enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend and thanks so very much for supporting small farms and food producers!
Yours in community,
Chris Duke
Farmer, Great Oak Farm
CSA Manager, Bayfield Foods
