Star Light Gardens

Despite the beautiful weather and the bounty of the season there does come an inherent risk with the month of August. It is a time of year where farms are firing on all cylinders. Between the weeding, the planting, the prepping and the daily harvest it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Let us not forget the relentless heat, times of year like this it’s easy to wonder if we will ever feel a cool breeze again. Looming in the background all the while is the fact that the planting schedule is reaching it’s end for the season and some things if not started soon won’t be around till 2023. Factor all of this in and consider the 12 hour days and 7 day work weeks and certainly you can see how August burn out is a real thing. You can see it in the weary faces of the farmers at the markets, you hear the moan in their voices as the bend to move another 20lb crate of produce, a slight limp or hand pressed firmly on ones back tell tales of the wear and tear faced by them each season. Adhering to a strict set of anti burnout principles many farms and farmers have insulated them selves from this inevitable time of year. We wish we could say the same for ourselves but alas this is not the case. With relatively new farmers and new and old land how can we not find ourselves going in all directions at once. We have given ourselves a few safety nets, at least one weekly run and swim midday, an ice cream break or two and giving in to the call of an afternoon nap when we can. One method overall is employed to fight the August feeling and that is just being plain old stubborn. Because after all if we don’t let something affect us we will be fine. Yes, this theory is not without it’s flaws and it is becoming quite obvious that in the coming years a better system of insulation to protect every farmer at Star Light Gardens will be needed. Farming is a labor of love but that doesn’t mean it must come at the sacrificing of our own self love So keep the season in mind when you’re visiting farms or markets and give those farmers you see each week a heartfelt thanks it may just be the fuel they need to get them over the hill that August can be.

August is more than just the season of bounty and burnout on the farm, it is also a season of change. We begin to look at each bed and high tunnel with a lens of fall and winter. Slowly ideas of which tunnels will be converted first and where we might overwinter carrots fill our heads. Soon we must begin to organize the row covers, plastic and hoops that will make our low tunnels, helping us extend the season a few weeks longer. And speaking of a few weeks longer you may have noticed our mention last week of the home delivery option. This will be the last month until further notice that will be offering home delivery. Our delivery people are moving on and though we are always happy for friends making changes we will miss them and it goes without saying that Wednesdays just won’t be the same. This week is also national farmer’s market week. Yes this is something that should be noted. However, for us with all the great customers that visit us each week at market or on farm, each week feels like national farmer’s market week. And that means more to us than you could know.

Thank you all for the support
Have a great week

It may sound like a trend or perhaps some sort of drink but we assure you that’s it is nearly as literal as it sounds. Requiring our attention at least every other day it is a serious business that if taken lightly will leave you wondering why. Cucumbers can be a wonderful crop but are also prone to and the target of disease and insect pressure. The majority of the thin skinned cucumbers we are growing this year are an excellent variety we have been using for around 5 years now. The first early plantings seem to do particularly well and even more so if we allow them to sprawl out across the ground. Though this does present two main problems, less air circulation and harvesting without stomping on the vines. You see each injury to the vine is another avenue for disease to enter the plant. It is here that the squatting, stretching, balancing on one leg, reaching behind you and hoping from one place to another of cucumber yoga comes into play. Within the lush green canopy of cucumber leaves, small patches of bare ground are visible. With a laser focus and steady movements you slowly stretch to gain new footing. There are the wooden base boards and metal hoops of the tunnel, swinging from the hoops making your way down the boards all the while with a load of cukes getting heavier and heavier. We harvest into a pouch which straps to the front of us called a roosack. An excellent tool allowing use of both hands while carrying a lot of weight relatively comfortably. Inevitably there becomes a point where the roosack is too full but you just know you can grab one or two more cukes. You bend over to grab one, reaching and a few fall from the roosack. You reach to pick those up and yes a few more fall. You reach they fall, you reach they fall until finally you must admit defeat, it’s time to empty the roosack. Below you can see our cumber yoga mat. The picture is 6 weeks old or so and though not looking quite as strong they are still doing well.

Our greenhouse Mizuna and the cucumbers that were planted on the side of the tunnel in April.   By now they are climbing the white fencing in place to protect the tomatoes.

And if you couldn’t guess it another thing that is doing well around the farm is the Tomatoes.  The waterfall has officially begun and the only thing that might not be ready is well us.  That is having another daily harvesting task on top of cucumber yoga can seem daunting, luckily there are plenty of ripe, delicious, moral boosting treats for us along the way.  With August officially here(yes I am shocked too) the crunch is on to plant plant plant.  Broccoli, kale, chard, escarole, radicchio and over wintered onions are just a few of the things that are slated to be started, oh and how can we forget spinach.   It looks to be another hot and sunny week ahead.  We are certainly grateful for the bit of rain and clouds that today brings and you can be sure we will be transplanting many starts that are long over due.  Another thing of note that is fast approaching is the loss of our wonderful delivery people.  August is the last month we will be offering delivery until further notice.  That is about all for now, stay cool and hydrated. Have a great week

As a grower letting go can be a very difficult thing but learning to let go and accepting it must happen is key. It’s in the nature of the business that we over do our plantings more or less as a redundancy for when things inevitably go wrong. That means extra trays of transplants that may not have a home and thinning a beautiful stand of seedlings knowing that if we don’t they will smother each other, not growing to their full potential. In a similar light there are always things around that we intend to plant that just won’t fit into the season, be it for time or space in the ground. There’s weeding and cleaning the far corners of the farm, organizing the shop and of course a list of fun little projects that we’ve had in mind. Soon those too fall victim to the ever growing need to weed, mow and harvest. I guess it would be fair to call late July the time of farm triage. When you’re heart and hands are so intimately linked with the farm and all the life it brings forth the idea of ranking things by importance seems impossible. The truth is that with August fast approaching growers must shift their focus and planning to Fall. Yes their is plenty of summer left, but the time as a farmer for summer dreaming has passed. It is with a deep sigh, heavy hearts and occasionally a tear that we make the decisions that must be made. Sorry melons, we might be too late for you this year, oh hi there tray of lettuce there’s something we need to talk about. Letting go is always tough, but that’s the way it should be be when you live and dream with a big heart.

One thing you won’t have to let go of this week is you’re desire for a delicious tomato or three. The tomato waterfall appears to be imminent, a joyful time of year with a bounty and workload all it’s own. The heat and sun of the past few weeks have been doing a lot of good for things like the tomatoes and flowers. While presenting challenges for things like transplanting, direct seeding, growing greens in general and not to mention just working outside. Big shout out to all those helping us out this year and braving the heat of July. We were out in nearly full force this past Tuesday for the Great Garlic Harvest. Blessed by an unexpected rainy Monday nearly all the garlic pulled easily from the soft wet earth. Usually we have to fork up each bulb individually, so we of course took advantage wrapping up the 2022 GGH. In other farm news you may remember from a few weeks back the tale of Kanga and curved horn. Well we are happy to say that our decision to bring in the pros was the right one. They removed one horn and trimmed another, giving us instructions on how to keep them trimmed as they grow back. We’ll have to do this for Kanga and her cousin Betty once or twice a year. That should keep them safe and without a horn in the the eye. Remember Wednesday order deadline has been moved from 8am to 6am Wednesday morning to accommodate earlier harvest start times.

Have a great week

It can be hard to pry ourselves away from the farm this time of year, with so much all going on at once and only so many hours in the day. But every year for the past 5 years now, Jen and Joel sneak away at least once(hopefully more this year). Heading out around 3 they hop in the car with their trusty farm dog Sid, heading straight to the beautiful beaches of RI. Arriving at the beach as the day cools off and when beach goers can bring their dogs. The first trip each year is in celebration of their shared birthday week(a great excuse to leave work early). After this first trip each July they find themselves exclaiming how they must cram at least a few more outings into the summer. A little self care can go a long way and its worth making extra time for it. Meanwhile back in Durham another annual tradition was taking place, the 4th annual Fowler Ave talent show. Featuring a star studded cast of talent, including none other than the Tomato Scientist himself, acts come from as far as Cherry lane to participate. Talents ranging from all skill levels and walks of life are encouraged, we are now open for 2023 submissions, inquire at the markets.

Yet another annual tradition will also be taking place this week on the farm itself, “The Great Garlic Harvest”.  I know what you’re thinking Is it great in magnitude, in excitement, is the garlic itself great.  There answer to all of these is yes.  Slated for Tuesday this week it promises to be quite the affair, interested in seeing it for yourself, there is still time to join.  We brought some fresh garlic to the markets last week and the bulbs are looking beautiful.  In addition to the GGH, the week is certainly looking like summer should on a farm hot, dirty and busy.  Plant, transplant, prep, harvest and we can’t forget about the weeds(well they never let us forget).  Speaking of not forgetting we are changing the cutoff time for Wednesday pick up.  The time is going from 8am to 6am Wednesday.  This is to accommodate the fact that we are in the fields earlier and need an accurate harvest list before we head out. 

We hope you all are getting a chance to give yourselves a bit of self care this summer too.

Have a great week

Without doing the research, it’s more than likely that our summer writings are shorter than all the others. There is just so much going on this time of year. It can be difficult to wrap your head around all that needs to be done in a day, let alone find the time to pen a thoughtful note. To paraphrase two mentor farmers that should remain nameless, this time of year there are a lot of balls up in the air and it’s all about good systems and methods. Well we certainly have plenty of balls in the air. And though still evolving our systems are growing each day full of the unique beauty that is Star Light Gardens.

It looks to be a beautiful and hot summer week ahead. From a work perspective this means two major things great weather for weeding and tougher weather for seeding and transplanting. Both of which are on the agenda for today. Luckily we employ a helpful tool called shade cloth which is exactly as it sounds. Essentially, the summer cousin to the row cover we employ in the winter for protection from the cold. A woven mesh of various shade percentages we drape of the new plantings to keep them cool and moist from the hot sun. Other farm happenings this week include another round of wire and string hanging in addition to a vet appointment for Kanga one of our sheep. The 2 smaller of her 4 horns are growing in such a way that we fear they will begin to grow dangerously close to her eyes. Though we don’t have the experience know how this would play out over time, we do know that it is making us nervous and we’re calling in the professionals.

Speaking of professional our garlic is reaching that point where we are ready to harvest it. Traditionally we choose the 16th of July as the start of the great garlic harvest. This year is shaping up to be no different give or take a few days. Interested in helping out, reach out to us and we can coordinate schedules. CSA members remember to keep an eye on your balance as it begins to run low. We appreciate every saved minute especially this time of year and it does save us a few if you reach out to us first. Your balance is in the email receipt you get when we process your transaction, or we can tell you at market when you shop. Remember you can reload anytime of year, with any amount 200 and up. Curious to find out more about our CSA? Click the link below or reach out. And to all of our wonderful customers CSA or not we say thank you. We hope you’re enjoying the bounty of the seasons and know that without you none of this is possible.

Have a great week

Around Star Light Gardens we are of the opinion that July is the best month of the year. Yes, you can argue that there is an inherent bias for those born in this great month. However, ask around and you may find this opinion is shared by many. Whether it’s time spent on the beach, at bbqs, lakeside, or just hanging from a ladder in the sweltering heat stringing wire there is no denying July is the unofficial kick off of summer. Many great things take place around the farm in July. The first trickles of the tomato waterfall, early potatoes, the great garlic harvest, of course all the great thing come at a cost. As farmers July can be a double edged sword. Beautiful working conditions, the beginnings of great harvests, salsa and heirloom tomato sauce to name a few. All these are mirrored by mounting tasks, both new to this week and some leftover from the week before. As growers it’s easy to feel like our backs are up against a wall. There’s plenty to harvest, weed, prep, plant and of course let’s not forget about the fall. As counterintuitive as it seems July and August are when you really have to start planning, planting and prepping for the fall. It doesn’t make sense at first, kinda like when I first understood the winter squash should be in the ground by July at the latest. The fact of the mater is we are past the equinox and into a period of diminishing light. This translates into slower and less growth, which can be really great for somethings that we have had to plant weekly all spring because they will quickly go to seed. It’s also a bit of a last chance to plant for other things that take months to be ready. Let’s save that whole discussion for another time though and just focus on Summer.

Things on the farm(including the temps) are really heating up. Daily harvest of cukes and squash have us both joyful and wondering who’s bright idea it was to plant so much. Lovely stands of flowers are looking particularly lush this year. Is it the weather or Jen’s experiment with living pathways? Hard to know but one thing is for sure, the flowers too will need our daily attention. And yes tomatoes, someone has gently turned on the faucet of these delicious summer treats and we eagerly await the pressure to build. This week promises to be a busy one for us with a fresh compost load being delivered to Durham and a thousand pounds of organic chicken feed coming to Northwest. Delivery slated for Wednesday and with markets the rest of the week we are keeping fingers crossed for no delays. Either way a good deal or stretching and limbering up is in order. We hope that July has treated you good food people well so far and look forward to sharing a great summer with you all.

Have a great week

In the beginning there was Heidi,Luna and Beausifis-two ewes and a ram. Luna and Heidi, upon arrival at Star Light got pregnant by the ram. No surprise there. Luna’s two offsprings were Alice and Angelina. They were born at the very same time that we were made aware that for the third time, we’d be grandparents. Alice, as I wrote earlier, was put down a short while ago, to help ease her out of this world (and into the other one? who knows? not me). At that point, I was sure that Angelina wouldn’t last much longer on her own. Like Alice, she was having profound trouble getting up and moving around. Alice, though couldn’t get up and was heading towards a very uncomfortable end. And that’s why I intervened and asked the vet to send her along. Angelina, though was persistent and still had something in the tank. Whenever I approached her, she’d stumble to a standing position. There was a look in her eye that struck me as all about fortitude. She was ready to keep going and face whatever the future was going to dish out for her. Unlike Alice, Angelina did not like to be scratched between the horns. Instead of the feeling of enjoyment that we all know of when someone pays attention to a good place to scratch, she’d shake her head telling me to lay off. Ok. I get the hint. She did take an interest in smelling my hand when I brought it close to her nose. But that was about it. As the weeks went by after Alice’s death, it became more and more apparent that Angein’s health was going downhill. Still, though, she insisted on raising on all four feet when I approached.

For me, Star Light was taking on the role of Star Light Hospice. Between Joel, Jen and me, we made her as comfortable as we could. Fresh water, plenty of grain (that she often deferred to the squirrels) and hay. Most days were spent under the very large spruce tree very close to the house. I talked to her every time that I walked past her on the way to the farm. She didn’t say much, but then again, she never really did. Occasionally, she’d bray for a while, but that too subsided.

Lara, the sheep shearer (also a school teacher) offered to come shear her fleece so she’d be a bit cooler this Friday or Saturday. Lara has shorn all the sheep for the past 14 years. I wrote her back and told her I’d be at the markets and that this felt like Angelina’s last shearing and I wanted to be there to witness it. I also wanted to thank Lara in person for all her great work in the past.

This morning (Sunday) Joel sent me a text that Angelina had passed sometime in the night. A lot of feelings passed thru me right then, but rather than deal with them then, I got practical and wrote text to me kids to let them know about her dying. Also, sent a text to Lara thanking her for all she’d done and that it was no longer necessary for her to come.

Since it was very hot today, I knew that she’d have to go into the ground very quickly. As luck would have it, my neighbors, Will and Katie have a small excavator which Will was more than willing to use to dig a grave for her. A good thing, considering that a hand dug grave would have been almost insurmountable in today’s weather. So with some help, Angelina was laid in her new grave. Katie and their daughter went out to the zinnia patch in my front yard and picked flowers to lay on her head. Joel got the grain scope filled to the top with grain (which Angelina loved) and I placed the scope by her mouth. Will left the work gloves that he used for the work next to her, also. Shortly after that, Will got to work carefully putting the soil back into the grave. One thing that particularly struck me then was the permanence of what we were doing. Angelina is now done walking on the earth, breathing, eating grain and thoughtfully watching all of us as we went about our work day. And then there was that one moment when the very last of her got covered in dirt. That’s it, I thought.

It was at that point, that i began to explore some of those feelings that had immediately come to me upon hearing about Angelina’s death. I had, at that moment pushed them all aside but now had the time to lean into them. Fourteen years ago, Ty got these sheep because as an artist interested in drawing sheep, she made the decision to acquired a small flock as “models”. This flock of three eventually got as big as 9, but as time went by it settled on Luna’s two first daughters. Now they are both gone and it brings to a close Ty’s idea of having sheep. It was a great run-fourteen years worth. That fact made me sad thinking about those two endings. But then another prospective emerged. Several months ago, Joel and Jen bought 4 sheep. They deliberately chose the very same breed as Alice and Angelina-Jacobs. These are a sturdy, closer to wild breed. Joel and Jen wanted some continuity between the generations of sheep on the farm. That thought made me feel grateful. This thoughtful move on their part is all part of how Star Light will keep going when I’m no longer around. Somethings that are happening now-I’d be glad to see them end. Not Star Light.

Some People call him the tomato scientist, to others he’s simply King of the Carrot, some call him Dave but to us it’s always David(or Star Light Dave as he’s saved in our contacts) It’s hard to say exactly where we would be now had we not come across David many years ago. Substitute teaching, bussing tables, working in an office or heaven forbid on another farm. No matter how you slice it we would not be in the position we are to be filling peoples hearts and bellies with all the love and food that comes out of Star Light Gardens. For this and countless other things we are so grateful. His patience, understanding, and huge heart has be integral in the coming of age story of a couple of new farmers. He is the friend you always needed and to us some wonderful mix of best friend and Dad.

David’s openness to our growth as farmers, his love of good food and a healthy planet, his joy in sharing both the farm’s bounty and his philosophy with people, along with a healthy appreciation for experimentation has made us and Star Light Gardens what it is today. We are so honored to be able to share in and continue His and Ty’s vision for the farm. Thanks is not enough but we’ll say it anyway Thanks David we love you.

Now as I wipe an early morning tear of joy from my eye let me get on to other farm news. Yes summer is mere hours away and with it all of the bounty. Tomatoes slowly ripen on the vine, disappearing almost as soon as they appear. Soon however there will be more than enough to fill a farmer’s belly and we’ll be sharing them with you. On the plant sale front things are all but over. Most plants left are slated to be planted here this week so if there is something you really want reach out quickly and hopefully we can accommodate. Everything else is business as usual, we look forward to seeing you all at the markets or else where.

Have a great week

Inter planting is something we have always done for a few reasons here at Star Light. Starting too much of this, not having enough space for that, experiments to increase biology and diversity all of these are reasons we have done it. Two major reasons we inter plant now are the paper pot transplanter and the value of getting more than one crop out of a given growing space. By taking advantage of the harvest times and growth rates of plants we can harvest something like a radish before another crop has reached it’s full maturity. An excellent example of this came with an inter planted paper pot tray of marigolds and watermelon radish. Our goal with the marigolds is too create diversity and hopefully pest deterrence within our kale plantings while also having flowers to harvest. As it turns out a great method for transplanting the marigolds is with the paper pot transplanter. There is only one problem though. The longest paper pot chain spacing is 6 inches. Marigolds would be best planted around a foot and we would hate to only plant half the paper tray seeing there is a rising cost associated with them. This is where some clever ideas (not originally of our own) about inter planting come in. Watermelon radish seeds alternating with the marigolds made for a excellent crop harvested a few weeks ago leaving room for the flowers to thrive. Not to say that all of our trials are successful the late 2020 spinach and turnip inter seeding left much to be desired , with a similar 2021 trial doing arguably better. Undaunted by our failures and inspired by our successes we continue to experiment for more good food, overall diversity and certainly a bit of farmer fun.

Overall biodiversity is certainly important and something that takes time.  Occasionally a little boost is needed.  Aphids will be around to one degree or another every year.  The parasitic flies which prey upon them also are always around, leaving a mummified aphid as their calling card.  Some years the pest pressure can be too much and biodiversity needs some encouragement.  Releasing two batches of said flies both at SLG and SLGNW, will hopefully help to tip the scales in our favor.  In more crop focused farm news things are really starting to show that summer is barely a week away.  With cukes and squash showing up, the pea plants which looked a bit desperate in May now only remind us how much work harvesting we will have soon enough.  The heads of lettuce this spring have been epic, we should hopelfuly have them for the next few weeks.  The beautiful colors that the flowers grace us with are beginning to dot the landscape.  What else is to be said, we’re smiling like a happy farm dog in the field. 

Have a great week

For those doing some gardening check out some tomato pruning tips here https://starlightgardensct.com/tomato-pruning-refresher/

As the delicate flower of the Garlic plant begins to show up two things become certain. One that the next week or two we will have to diligently march through the rows plucking each scape when it begins to curl. Two that there is likely way more to get done than we have time for and many of ambitious winter and spring dreams will have to be put on the back burner. As difficult as it can be keeping perspective on the overall picture is key. The idea that you can’t get everything done in one day but can get the most important things done properly is one that will serve the farmer well as the summer heats up. As menial of a task as it may seem pulling the garlic scapes is key to a beautiful large bulb. The plant otherwise would be focusing it’s energy on flowering and spreading seed. The time saved not pulling the scape is surly lost with a poor yield. Today’s tasks echo a similar tone, setting up proper irrigation, some key mowing, covering soon to be replanted beds and necessary cleaning and organization beat out others. When things first became official at SLGNW, the list of ambitious first year dreams was long enough that we’ve more than likely forgot a thing or two. And though many things have been moved to the back burner we are staying true to doing things right and creating the more holistic closed loop system we dream of. We are learning how to manage two properties, the animals, more production, different soil, an excellent crew and ourselves. Seeing how fast the chickens can clear a space and the time management aspect of that space being now 90 to 120 days off from any harvest has serious benefits. Also seeing how slowly the sheep can can be at clearing a field of grass has us thinking are 5 sheep enough? And yes we should probably get more chickens.

Something you won’t see more of this year is newly potted garden starts for the plant sale. We are winding down for the year, with some farmers declaring they are done with starts for the year. While others still hold out hope. Over all we are of the opinion that we’ve done a better job of planting close to enough and not way too much. In other farm news the first sungold has appeared and the first cucumber harvest commenced. It should please all to hear that the high tunnels and fields are filling up fast, with nearly 300 tomatoes and cukes going in this past Friday alone. At this rate whomever is responsible for starting the next successions will be behind if they don’t get moving(speaking of those important things). Hopefully this cool start to a hot day can help us all prioritize and be okay letting a thing or two stay warm on the back burner.

Have a great week