Preparing Beds for Spring Planting
It’s time to prepare the farm for spring! We’re bidding farewell to some of our spent winter crops to make way for new ones for spring. In order to prepare our beds, we always start by clearing out old crops and thoroughly weeding the bed tops and furrows. Then, we add a layer of compost to the tops of the beds along with fertilizer to make sure our plants have the nutrients they need. The beds you see here will soon be planted with zinnias, cucumbers, and zucchini!
We have some beautiful beets for you at the Farm Stand. This variety is called “Chioggia” and it has striking magenta and white striped flesh (below). It has a sweet and mildly earthy flavor that doesn’t “bleed” as much as a traditional red beet when cut into. Chioggia beets can be roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or pickled while the leafy green tops can be treated just like Swiss chard or spinach. Farmer Anna’s favorite way to enjoy beets is to juice them along with apples, oranges, turmeric, and ginger.
Remember the cool season cover crop we planted back in November? We’re mowing it down and leaving the plant matter in place so it can add beneficial organic matter to the soil. We’ll soon be sowing these cover cropped areas with a warm season soil building mix (below) in order to continue improving the health of our soil. Our goal is to be able to plant these areas in the fall!
In Season at the Farm Stand: Chioggia Beets, Fennel, Carrots, Watermelon Radishes, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Kale, and Parsley.
