Anticipating the Arrival of Summer Crops and Farm Tour this Saturday
The summer season has arrived on the farm! In order to combat the heat, we’ve installed shade cloths on both the high tunnel (pictured above) and the greenhouse. Since we use the high tunnel to extend the season of certain crops, the shade cloth will aid in keeping them cooler, less stressed, and more productive. This will allow us to provide you with more heat sensitive crops like tomatoes a bit longer than we would if they were planted in the field without any protection. If you’d like to see our shade cloth and summer crops in person, make sure to join us for our Farm Tour this Saturday, June 15th at 10:30am! This event is suitable for all ages and open to the public.
Two of our favorite summer crops will be making their way into season over the next couple of weeks: long beans and Korean melons. Both of these varieties can take the intense heat of summer and will lend delicious diversity to our future harvests. Our long beans (above) are just beginning to flower. Since the beans grow fairly quickly once the flowers are pollinated, you can expect to see them at the Farm Stand within the next week or two. Our Korean melons (below) are just beginning to set fruit. They will need slightly longer to size up and turn their characteristic bright yellow color. Be on the lookout for them in the next 2-3 weeks!
The back sections of each side of the main production field are currently planted with beneficial cover crops. One side is planted with cowpeas while the other (below) is planted with a mixed species soil builder. Planting cover crops during the summer allows us to improve the health of our soil while intentionally reducing the footprint of the farm. Both of these cover crops will be left to grow throughout the season before being turned under in preparation for fall planting.
In Season at the Farm Stand: Eggplant, Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Shishito Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Okra, Kale, Basil, and Cut Flowers (limited)
Coming Soon: Zucchini, Long Beans, and Korean Melons
