Orchard Budding and Bees Buzzing
The fruit trees in our orchard have awakened from dormancy and are catching up to thriving vegetable plants in the field! These Jujubes are just now budding out, while the Figs are fully covered with large leaves. Many of these trees will set fruit in late Spring to early Summer, and will ripen by the Fall season. Since our orchard is relatively young, their fruit bearing capacity will start small and increase as years go on. In the meantime, these trees are focused on expanding their root system and developing a lush canopy to maximize their photosynthetic potential!
This week we planted a crop that is new to Sunset Farm – Borage! You have likely heard of this plant touted for its wonderful medicinal properties like soothing topical injuries and reducing inflammation. However, Farmer Sarah has planted it specifically to attract bees, as the Borage flower acts as a “nectar factory,” known to replenish sugary sap supplies every 2-5 minutes! Providing an extra sweet treat for bees will also encourage their pollination of our flowering vegetable plants!
The cold snap we experienced this week was a shock to our warm-season plants, but we are hopeful our new successions of cucumbers, squash, and eggplant will quickly catch up. We are still harvesting a bounty of winter vegetables like lettuce and kohlrabi! Be sure to visit the Farm Stand this Saturday or the Grab-n-Go cooler to stock up on kitchen staples like fresh herbs and green onions!
In Season: Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Chard, Fennel, Green Onions, Parsley, Collard Greens, Kale, Cilantro, and Dill
