Farming through a Rainy Season
A common question during extreme weather events like our recent deluge of rain, is what do the farmers do in wet fields and rainy weather? Recently, we have taken advantage of sunny days by lightly tilling soil and planting cover crop seeds to let the soil rest before a busy Fall season. In this case, rain helps the seeds germinate and keeps plants well watered without the use of irrigation. Summer cover crops, like Cowpeas and Sunflowers, are vigorous plants that grow quick enough to out-compete native weeds like nutsedge.
Summertime crops need to be harvested about every two days to capture veggies at peak ripeness and quality, especially okra which seems to grow inches overnight! Typically even in mild rain you will find us harvesting in the early morning to keep our Grab-n-Go cooler stocked with the freshest produce. Our tomato crop will be phasing out of season, so be sure to grab our sauce and cherry tomatoes soon! The abundance of rain has increased pest pressure for this crop, so we will be slowly removing tomato plants in the tunnel and field over the next couple of weeks.
This patch of sunflowers has become a popular photo op for resident walks through the neighborhood and is a beautiful example of a mature cover crop! Sunflowers have a long tap root that can penetrate our heavy clay soil, and produce a lovely harvestable flower. Similarly, Cowpeas trap nitrogen in the soil with the help of microbes that bind to the roots, while also creating an edible pod.
In Season : Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Italian Eggplant, Okra, Long Beans, Peppers : Banana, Shishito, Green Bell, Sweet Bell, Jalapeno, Mad Hatter, and Poblano, Green Onion, and Flowers
