Over the week, we planted basil, shiso, shungiku (both Asian herbs for restaurants), melons, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants and another wave of carrots, beets and lettuce in the annual field. Most of these will have one more planting this season. It is hard to believe we are going to start plants soon for the Fall garden!
The blackberries, blueberries, mulberries, grapes and squash are blooming and beginning to show fruit. The garlic sent up more delicious scapes and we sold 25 lbs worth to a local food distributor and made scape butter. This coming week, we begin the huge garlic harvest. We hope that it will be less chaotic than last June when we had to dig up ALL of the garlic in shin deep mud in flooding fields. As we pulled up the bulbs, the hole would fill right up with water. Overall, it has been a very different and dryer Spring than last year, so we are staying positive.
This week our projects included: building new pathways in two perennial gardens with creek rock, gravel and leftover fireplace rock, hilling the potatoes, stringing the beans, trellising cucumbers and
tomatoes in the greenhouse, protecting the berries from hungry birds with "scary tape", tearing down the old tool shed and finishing the new wash station in the barn with a wash tub and another large harvest table (free from a friend). And...of course, weeding.
We had many hands helping on the farm this week and we loved having our new friend, Emma, hang out and help out for five days. We also welcome, Lisa, a new Madison County resident who will be joining us every Monday in exchange for fresh veggies. Many hands make light work and delicious food.
At the market this week, we had lettuce, garlic scapes, microgreens, plant starts, collards and the last of the strawberries.
The Mason jar pick of the week.
On the horizon: garlic harvest, mulberries, blackberries, blue berries and squash.
Upper annual field
Lower field annual/perennial
Greenhouse #1
Greenhouse#2 Tomatoes
Plantings this week
Peppers
Basil, shiso and shungiku planting
The strawberries are done for the season. We are so thankful for bounty (100+ lbs!!) and amazing flavor. This upcoming week, we will be cutting and potting up runners to double next year's harvest.
New friend.
New pathway with creek rock, handmade found object stepping stones and logs from the property,
Creek rock and leftover fireplace rock walkway.
This divides a huge garden I am planting to connect to small gardens.
This divides a huge garden I am planting to connect to small gardens.
"Scary tape" in the berries. It can be expensive....we use old romantic comedy VHS tapes from a yard sale.
We began the very physical task of tearing down the old tool shed. It will eventually be converted into a stage/outdoor hang out space near the fire pit and creek.
Thanks again, Emma.
I even got Morgan off the farm for a whole afternoon for a trip down the river!
