Well, the heart of summer is upon us. Luckily, it looks like the most intense heat of summer may have already passed us. At least that is what my weatherman says, and he’s the best around.
Our crew continues to work hard to take care of our summer crops and coax them into production. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are on the docket, as are watermelons and cantaloupes. I say a little prayer to the universe every night (and many times throughout the day, if truth be told) that these crops give us plenty of fruit this year. We already have little watermelons and cantaloupes on our melon plants. When you walk by the next time, take a peak. They are next to the raspberries. Our tomato plants are healthy, thanks to the long, hot, dry periods we have had in between rain events.
We have had critters eating our kale planting all season. The kale is way back near the woods this year, and that may be why. They got to it early on, but the plants have come back, and we are picking bunches for you now, so that you can have at least some kale, instead of no kale. At the beginning of the season, it did not cross my mind that kale could be one of the problem crops this year. So be it. And Swiss chard is running a close second. Swiss chard at Stearns has had disease problems for the past few years, and this year I thought we were staving it off. It is back, though, so we are picking that for you, too, at least for right now. We’ve given both the kale and the chard a fish fertilizer boost, in hopes that the plants can thrive in the coming weeks and we can open it up again to you for pick your own. Stay tuned.
Finally, I want to remind everyone of two important farm policies. We need everyone to cooperate with this in order for the farm to be successful and a place we can all enjoy:
Children at the Farm
We always welcome your children at our farm. It is a beautiful place for kids to walk around, play, and enjoy nature. You must monitor their whereabouts at all times. Children need to stay on the grass pathways and not walk in the fields. We have had seeded beds that have been trampled by young feet. When that happens, we lose a crop, and that means loss for everyone. Cilantro is a good example. It got trampled in the field.
If your children are helping you with your Pick Your Own, please supervise them at all times. Children may not complete Pick Your Own without your presence and supervision.
Pick Your Own
Please note that Pick Your Own (PYO) can only be done on the day of or the day after your pick up day. There are NO exceptions to this rule. This is because we need to allow time for the crops to grow in between pick ups. Please do not ask us for special requests! We have to adhere to this rule in order to provide enough for our entire farm community.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
