What a nice rain we had! Almost feels like we're in an alternate universe these past couple of cooler days. We are liking it quite a bit, and so is the cover crop that we seeded. Timing couldn't be better there, our only wish is that we had more blocks prepped and seeded to take advantage of this passive irrigation. This block has a mix of oats and field peas. Ideally, these crops will grow quite a bit this fall, without actually going to seed. We'll have to keep an eye out and be ready to mow them if it looks like they could go to seed because one big issue with cover crops is that they can quickly become your worst weeds if they're allowed to produce seed. At our latitude, both of these crops should winter-kill, producing a nice mulch for the soil over the winter. In the Spring, there won't be too much residue left and the beds in this block should be some of the earliest that we're able to plant into.
The potatoes and onions are still in the ground, but hopefully next week at this time one or both crops will at least be partially harvested. There's really no point to pulling onions after a hard rain, better to let them dry out in the field and harvest later. That way curing them will be much more successful with less chance of damage or mold from too much moisture. We are bringing small batches of winter squash out of the field at a time to begin getting this winter staple into your boxes and at our market booth.
Look forward to seeing you all at your chosen pick up window this week!
Cheers, Bonnie & Rudy
