Planting the High Tunnel
The high tunnel is fully planted! We have three beds planted with tomatoes in addition to two pepper beds and one with cucumbers. All of the pepper varieties in the high tunnel are sweet including the much-anticipated Islander purple bell pepper. Since the high tunnel gives us a little more control over temperature, we were able to plant successions of both tomatoes and cucumbers here a couple of weeks earlier than in the field. That means that we’ll be able to offer you these crops a bit earlier! Look for the first harvest around late April or early May.
Our Zephyr summer squashes are flowering and we even spotted the first fruits! Did you know that squashes produce both male and female flowers on the same plant? The male flowers (pictured below on the long stem) often bloom first in order to attract pollinators. The female flowers (pictured above) have tiny squashes at their base. On the morning that they open, they must be pollinated by the male flowers in order to produce. Lucky for us, pollinators do the job for us! Since squashes are quick growers, we’ll be making the first harvest in the next couple of weeks.
Our next Farm Tour is coming up on Saturday, April 8th at 10:30am! This is a great time to see some of our spring crops flowering like our tomatoes and summer squashes. You might even get to see the first baby tomatoes in the high tunnel! If you’d like to see what early spring looks like on the farm, and maybe get a taste of what we’re harvesting, make sure to join us! Our Farm Tours are free of charge and open to the public but we ask that children be accompanied by an adult. We can’t wait to see you!
In Season at the Farm Stand: Beets (red, golden, & Chioggia), Fennel, Baby Carrots (limited), Spring Onions, Cabbage, Purple Broccoli, Collards, Kohlrabi, Celery, Kale, Turnips, and Icicle Radishes.
