As I am sure anyone around Carlisle has noticed, it was a little hot at the beginning of this week. The difficulty for your trusty neighborhood farmers is not only in keeping ourselves happy and healthy working in the sun, but also the crops and livestock we share the farm with. As I have learned, the solution to all these problems is two-fold: water and careful planning. For us that means trying to schedule jobs with access to shade to the hottest parts of the day, taking plenty of breaks, and maybe a rain dance or two. For the crops that means increased irrigation and sprinkler coverage especially for the newly planted scallions, lettuce, and summer squash.
I was shocked to realize this week that I have been a farmer for over a month now and the summer is quickly approaching its halfway point. The only way I was able to make sense of how fast this time has gone was to think about the long list of things I have already learned how to do working at the farm: seeding, transplanting, pruning, trellising, harvesting all kinds of crops, power washing, weed whacking, sheep wrangling, poison ivy identifying, knife sharpening, and composting. Not to mention the shark facts, Spanish vocabulary, and creek swimming spots I learned from my new friends.
-Gavin Frueh
