The months leading up to that most beautiful time of year we call summer can been long. Especially from the standpoint of a four seasons grower. We spend from December to April patiently reaping the benefits of our late summer and fall plantings. We’ve planted and seeded as much as possible this whole time and meanwhile the surplus plantings get smaller and smaller. Ever so slowly anything planted after thanksgiving grows at a painstakingly snail like pace. Mixed in between the cold and dreary days of Winter and early Spring there are some days which can be described as a view into the months to come. The warm clear sky, calm winds, and memories of early Springs past leave us with no choice but to get a little ahead of ourselves and inevitably taking a risk or two early in the season.
Here at SLG we hate to break tradition so of course we decided to take a risk and jump the gun as it may be with an early flower planting. Now to put some context on this situation and in defense of our own actions a little back round leading up to this planting would be fair. First off when looking at the longer term forecast before making the decision, there were not any nights below forty in the future. On top of this table, floor and even walking space in the nursery was nearly nonexistent, as a result we were in a plant everything we can out situation. And yes we of course want to get a head start on whatever we can, so now only one thing is left to be decided will this risk pay off? Only time will tell. Luckily we do have some tools at our disposal to keep in the heat and keep out the cold, we will be constructing low tunnels with plastic and several layers of crop protective blankets to hedge our bet.
Of course when it comes to keeping crops happy in the cold nothing beats an actual greenhouse heater, just as long as they are working. Last Wednesday night had more in store for us than the upper 30’s forecast, also the return of the heater that just won’t run. And this time a simple flick of the switch from on to off and back didn’t remedy the situation. So the tomatoes were covered with their blankets and we could only hope for the best. Luckily the lows were no problem for the tomatoes. Some of you probably recall the tales of this furnace and even a picture of Joel diligently inspecting the fan and motor and you’re asking yourself “surely Joel would have fixed the problem”. But if you inspected the picture a bit closer you would see a front panel which contains the control board and its various wires/connections. Perhaps an inspection of this front panel earlier would not have resulted in a remedy to the situation. However, a quick look Thursday morning while trouble shooting with technical assistance revealed a wire and connectors that were burnt enough that they fell apart when touched. A quick trip the the hardware store and a little wire crimping later and we had ignition. Problem solved, right? Well apparently not we are back to a nightly flick of the switch to return the heater to working mode, so it appears another conversation with technical assistance is due.
In more positive news and along the subject of planting too early we are beginning to roll out some warmer weather veggies for the plant sale on the website. You’ll see almost the full catalog of tomatoes we offer as well as a wider selection of flowers. By the time the market and this week’s pick ups roll around there are not any more too cold nights forecast, but remember that long term forecast changes daily. Anything cold sensitive we are planting out currently is being protected with several layers for cold nights. The difference in landscapes can create micro climates which can cause surprisingly wide temperature variations. Our best recommendation is to harden your plants off for a week or two before planting, that way if temps too cold arrive you can easily bring them inside. and if you’re like us and just cannot contain the need to plant keep some crop protection at the ready and as always reach out with any questions. A last piece of farm business is one a thank you and two an advert. Thanks to the generosity of many of you out there we met and exceeded our fundraising goal for the CT NOFA farm share program. As a result we have two remaining spots for our free or reduced cost market share. If you are interested or know someone who is reach out to us for more info.
Have a great week