June 10, 2024
Summer Shows
by Farmer Derek

Summer commences at the farm when some of our supporting cast take the spotlight and guide us through: the fireflies begin their nighttime light show, the eastern gray treefrogs envelop us with their chorus, the resident mockingbird sings us through our days of labor. Traditional summer crops also start to shine and require a lot more of our time each week.

Through the end of July we'll be spending time each week with the outdoor cherry tomatoes and the indoor tunnel tomatoes. These indeterminate varieties put on a lot of growth very quickly and require pruning, training, trellising on a regular basis. They were about 15" tall when they were transplanted in mid-May and by the end of June will probably be at least 5' tall/long. As they grow we dilute some of their vertical growth by running them horizontally on the outdoor trellis; inside we lower and lean them when they reach rafter height.

Long-season crops like onions, peppers, and eggplant require regular aisle maintenance (mowing), where we allow grasses and weeds to grow to prevent erosion, as well as the plucking of weeds from around the plants. Potatoes will be hilled once more and then left alone until we begin harvesting in early August. Sweet potatoes will be cultivated and hilled a few times until their vines overtake their raised beds. Very soon we'll begin the thrice-weekly zucchini and cucumber harvest which will hopefully continue into August. Eventually tomatoes will also be harvested on this schedule.

It feels like we're just about through the crazy spring and early summer planting bonanza. This coming week we plant the 4th and final edamame succession; the 7th beans; the 12th lettuce and herb; the final thousand feet of sweet potatoes (sent some extra). Last week we put in 1000' of leeks, 3000' of sweets, 600' of beans and edamame, 750' of cantaloupe, and 250' of lettuces and herbs. Finished spring crops are being mown and cleaned up and we're preparing ground for fall crops. We're in the thick of weed season, so join us at a workshift soon. It looks like we're in somewhat of a dryspell, so we'll be monitoring moisture and adding water where and when needed. Hope you're enjoying the wonderful harvests this time of year!