As it turns out, the July Field Update, still is a great summary of what is happening for the crops. This month has been a continuation of the weather and growth patterns. If last night’s rainstorm was any indication, perhaps September will bring increased moisture. How much cooler will September be? When will it frost?
You might be wondering what’s going on with all that logging and equipment next to the farm. Here’s a little info about that. Yes, it is our land, we own a 20 acre parcel. In the 1960’s (or so) the vast majority of this parcel was planned as a plantation and planted with white and red pine. Previous it had been hayed by farmers down the road. The owners at the time intended to thin the planting and then harvest the mature ‘crop,’ for lumber. In reality, the trees were never thinned or harvested in any form. Fast forward to present day. We have a dense pine woods of mostly spindly, many unhealthy specimens. We’ve contracted a logging family to thin out the whole area. They are cutting roads/trails into the woods and then reaching in to the stands with a feller buncher to remove the least desirable trees. In the end we look forward to a woods that is more functional and healthy. For that we are willing to put up with the noise and disruption in the short-term. The lumber is being sold to folks in NY and PA as well as everything they are chipping. The large trees lining Taylor Park Road will remain there and the view will look mostly similar from that vantage point.
red river and copra onions
We’re glad to have such a great year for the alliums (onions, garlic, shallots, scallions). We grow three varieties of storage onions and all three cured beautifully. They will be given out this fall to fresh shares as well as homestead and fall storage shares. Last month I mentioned the weedy mess that the onion bed had become later in their maturation. As it turns out, this weed canopy shaded the onions and they flourished in the understory. It was a slower harvest but as our soil is so light, the weeds reduced evaporation and the soil drying out. It was somewhat of a fluke that this worked out, but we’ll take it.
fall planting of broccoli and savoy cabbage
Fall broc and hardy greens are doing well as are the beets and carrots.
Mark your calendars for the next Garden Morning on September 10th.
9am with a noon potluck to follow. There will be tasks for all ages and abilities.
“It was somewhat of a fluke that this worked out, but we’ll take it.” Love the honest and reality of that statement and the happy outcome it represents! That is so much what gardening and farming turns out to be.
Thanks for these blogposts and updates.