What a difference September makes! Technically summer isn’t over yet, but as the nights become cooler and hot weather crops begin to slow down, we’ve set our sights on putting the farm to bad and planning for next season.
We have cover crop seed tucked away in the shed, waiting to be planted. I have end of season to do lists written out in my notebook. Ken and I are discussing what worked well this year and what could benefit from improvement next season. I’m constantly scouting the fields to inventory what we still have to offer in our winter CSA shares this season: we have plenty, but the deer and woodchucks are taking their own inventory, apparently, so I adjust mine accordingly each week.
I love this time of year, when the stress of planting and harvesting at the same time has gone away, and the heat begins to dwindle. Despite looking ahead to farm clean up and tucking the fields in while we are still harvesting for CSA, this part of the season is the closest farmers get to coasting. One of my best farmer friends and I used to joke that late summer and autumn bounty time are the only reasons that farmers keep farming; if the season ended with August, we would surely all quit.
I hope that you enjoy this time of the year as much as we are, and that you are able to make the most of these last days of summer.
Mel
