October 18, 2020
Ample Rain, Sunshine
by Farmer Derek

Two rain events bookended last week. Did that keep us inside, warm and cozy by the fire? Not quite yet, though after required work was finished, warmth was absorbed from the wood stove. Remnants of Delta during Monday's harvest and distribution gave us a nice soaking inch. Friday's incoming cold front also dropped about an inch of rain. The ground feels fairly saturated now and we look forward to drying out a bit this week as we hope to harvest root crops like carrots and rutabaga as well as make some final preparations for the upcoming garlic planting. We'll also finalize and plant the beds in the greenhouse with lettuce mix for a December harvest.

Last week we finished planting the hoop tunnel with arugula and greens mix and set up all the drip irrigation in the 5 tunnels. After we plant the lettuce mix in the greenhouse we'll install drip tape there too. I seem to always underestimate the amount of time it takes in setting up all the irrigation but it feels good once it's installed. We try to reuse everything so there's inevitably more repair needed but it's worth the extra effort as long as it's not too much of a headache. Also wrapped up last week/this weekend were the finishing touches to the caterpillar tunnels. Zipper endwalls were put up and anchored and the 2nd securing rope was tossed over each hoop and fastened to ground stakes. This was a big project and I'm glad it is finished.

Temperatures will be trending upwards again and with some nice autumn sunshine working outside will be sublimely pleasant. If you still need to contribute work for a share discount, this is a great time!