June 27, 2021
Rain on Time
by Farmer Derek

As we brace for another round of heat we've begun running through the irrigation iterations and thankfully have hopefully received just enough rainfall to quench the thirst of the bare ground crops. High 'value', long term, sensitive, needy, thirsty, hungry crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, winter squash, cantaloupe, husk cherries, tomatillos, zucchini, and cucumbers are all grown in raised beds that are covered in products derived from ancient creatures found underground between layers of sedimentary rock that have been exposed to heat and pressure and when these products are applied a tube also derived from aforementioned transformed lifeforms is simultaneously applied in the soil to distribute water when needed. We strive to responsibly and minimally use these nonrenewable products but alas there is no renewable and sustainable equivalent available at this time. That said, using these products to produce healthy organic food seems to have struck a reasonable balance tipping on the positive side of the overall scale.

It's hard to believe we exit the month of June this week. Summer's in full swing. We'll transplant the final round of zucchini and cucumbers and busily prepare for incoming 7,000 strawberry plants that will make up the 2022 harvest. Seeds are being sown for fall harvest, spring crop areas and residue are being cleaned up and turned into the soil to feed beneficial lifeforms found there, and we plan for the big carrot and garlic harvest. If conditions allow we'll probably begin harvesting carrots the first week of July and garlic Sunday July 11.

Good luck enduring the heat wave!