Good afternoon!
Let me regale you with some stories from our field walk this morning. Zucchinis are ready in the field! Now, we don't have as many as we would like to because, as we told you before, so many got eaten before they could even sprout. We transplanted out the new zucchinis last week, so we'll have a bigger yield of zucchinis in August. But for now, we should have enough for everyone who likes them to have a couple!
Cucumbers are tiny, and we expect to be able to harvest them in a couple weeks. They had the same problem as the zucchini, but less of them got eaten. We transplanted out new ones last week as well.
Our new mixed greens are looking SO nice, bigger and juicier than before. The warm soil and warm air has made a big difference. Much, but not all, of the head lettuce is bolting (going to seed) in this heat. That's fairly typical of lettuce, but we have some new beds that will be ready soon.
The spring brassicas are pretty much done, and there are a few things we've had to just let go. This was just not the season for spring crops. Our broccoli is bolting again, so unfortunately we'll not see any fully formed heads this year, but will harvest the florets like we did previously. We are going to try for a fall broccoli crop, so we'll see if we have better luck with that one. And we are waiting with some skepticism to see how our cauliflower is going to grow. It hasn't bolted yet, but it doesn't look incredibly happy. Broccoli and cauliflower are new crops for us, and tricky ones to grow. Our soil needs more boron and nitrogen (through compost) to make them happy. Napa cabbage has succumbed to aphids.
I heard a quote recently that "There's always next year" is the opiate of the farmer. That anticipation, the chance to try it all again - it helps you cope with the loss intrinsic to farming, and keeps you inspired.
Continuing on - our carrots are sooooooo close to being ready. They are small, so we'd like to give them 1-2 weeks to bulk up. But man, do they every taste and smell amazing. Can't wait to share these with you all.
Beets are still happening, and peas too! Our first planting of peas is almost done, succumbing to the heat. We have more shelling then sugarsnap. The second planting of peas has small pods on it, so we should get a couple weeks harvest from it. I love peas so much!
We have a few radishes still in the field. We won't replant them until late August now, since they don't like the heat. Our second bed of kale is doing really well. Spinach doesn't love the heat either but we might get some next week.
Cherry tomatoes are really coming on! They are liking this heat. Our tomatoes were planted in soil that wasn't optimal, lacking in nutrients and a bit cold and wet. But considering all that, they're doing quite well! We've been giving them bi-weekly fish emulsion doses to help them along. We think we'll have enough next week for most people to get some. :) And it's only the beginning for this crop.
We have a new item for you fine folks this week: young/fresh garlic! Not to be confused with spring or green garlic. This is garlic that isn't cured yet - that means, it doesn't have the papery cover you know, and it won't last for a long time. It's a little less strong in flavour too. But you use it exactly like you would cured garlic.
In 2 weeks time, our garlic will be ready to harvest and cure! We are planning on holding a volunteer event for our Big Garlic Harvest on the 28th of July - with a farm tour and a BBQ. Keep a lookout on our social media and for an email about this event :)
On the to-do list for this week: finishing up the irrigation, continuing to work on the farm stand, pruning tomatoes, and planting potatoes, fall cabbages, mixed greens, arugula, beans, and beets.
We hope you enjoy your veggies this week!
- Farmer Kim
