It's starting this week! Our first shares of the season are going out on Friday afternoon. This is our 11th season and so this will be the 201st delivery we have done. Time flies when you are growing vegetables!
While the spring season has seen some wild temperature swings (and they continue), the growing season has gotten off to a good start. This week's offerings include radishes, turnips, kale, lettuce, bok choi, mustard, mizuna, cilantro, dill, and garlic scapes. The scapes are from a fellow grower near Williamsford. Usually, our share contents are all grown on our farm. But, I haven't grow garlic in a few years, due to technical challenges. And several members have lamented to absence of scapes. So this year, we'll be bringing them in.
Lots has been happening on the farm. We started planting in late April. And spring planting only just wrapped up last week, with the last of the cucumbers going into the ground. There are numerous crops that we'll continue to plant throughout the season, such as lettuce, various Asian greens, and beets. But the first big round of planting is finished. Whew! This week, Katy is potting up the fall brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels' sprouts). Alongside planting, we have also spent the past couple of weeks mulching many of the crops. Not only is mulch a great way to manage weeds, but it also helps keep the ground moist and cool during hot and dry spells, and it prevents fungal diseases. So it's a priority to get done! And then the first crops were ready to harvest in late May: The arugula and rapini have already come and gone -- the long days of June tell the plants to start flowering. Once they have "bolted", they are more fibrous and very strong in flavour. The days have been packed.
The summer solstice is at 5:43pm on June 20th. It marks the longest day of the year!
I hope you can enjoy it with your bubble, perhaps over a campfire.
For pictures from the farm, check out our Instagram or Facebook feed @persephonedays.
