This week is finally sunny again after last week’s days of constant sprinkles, downpours, and misty, cool weather. It reminds me to think of the farmers in the Midwest who have been suffering from terrible flooding which has set back their growing season or even damaged acres of land.
Interestingly, our soil in Pennsylvania can handle almost double the rainfall compared to the Midwest because ours drains well, while the midwest soil contains clay which traps and holds water.
Some CSA farmers I know in Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin are starting their season 4 - 6 weeks late because the wet spring kept them out of the fields. Keep in mind that committing to a Farm Share CSA is a partnership with your farmer, even when the season is difficult and there are set backs.
Can you imagine waiting until July for your first Farm Share CSA? Can you imagine not having peas or lettuce or potatoes because your farmer’s fields were under water for weeks?
It is so great to see the bond between the members and their farms on the Harvie Members Closed Facebook group. The members of those CSAs are anxiously waiting for their first shares but are so encouraging and committed to their farmers. (You can join the Harvie Members group as a member of our farm - so many resources and ideas for your farm share experience.)
So far we’ve been able to handle the weather that’s been coming our way. Our spring crops have been thriving and lasting longer because we haven’t had the hot days in June that would cause our lettuce, bok choy and other greens to become bitter, flowering plants rather than mild and leafy.
But we do need those hot days and sunny weather soon. The “tropical” plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and watermelon need long, warm, sunny days to grow their fruit and to ripen into the sweet, flavorful, delicious vegetables that we long for.
In the meantime, the first of the summer veggies are appearing. Want to see a mini tour of our cucumber plants that are just getting ripe? I took this video a few days ago when I saw a field hand starting to uncover the new cucumber and zucchini plants.
