Perhaps more than any other time of year(though it’s hard to say for sure) in August we find ourselves with our backs up against the wall and so much to do, considering there just isn’t enough time for it all. The tomato Waterfall has official began flowing requiring daily harvest and attention. The time to plant Winter kill cover crops is quickly approaching which needs extra space in the fields and in our heads. Then there is of course planting of veg for the Fall which also need to be done immediately. Today or tomorrow we will be receiving a lot of the seeds for our fall and Winter plantings, and you guessed it they need to be started asap. All of this on top of the regular tasks of weeding, prepping, seeding and harvesting which keeps the Good Food Rolling. Needless to say if you farm and it’s August, you are definitely feeling it, but we know what resolve is needed.
Now that the Tomato Waterfall is here it is time to indulge in a mostly tomato based diet. One look at the crates upon crates of heirlooms and it is easy to see that Jen’s hard work grafting tomatoes in the Winter has paid off. And in celebration of this we are offering a few tomato sales this week. Now these sales are online and Middlefield farm shop only, not at the markets. Pints of sungolds 2 for 10$ and heirlooms tomatoes 3 pounds for 15$. It is a little way for us to show we appreciate our most local customers and share in the tomato abundance together.
There is an old saying that a good snow pack is the poor farmer’s fertilizer, but the smart farmer’s fertilizer is cover crop. If you’re unfamiliar cover cropping is the practice of growing certain plants with the intention of suppressing weeds, to protect and enrich the soil. Not to be harvested and eaten but rather incorporated into the ground. This practice can be quite challenging for small scale intensive growers like ourselves , because simply put, a bed not planted with veg is not going to produce income. This is true in the short term but over time the benefits of cover cropping far outweigh the cost of planting a bed in green manure rather than a food crop.
Of course there is a lot of veg planing going on this time of year too, and currently the star of the show is carrots. If you have shopped with us over the Winter chances are you have had our Winter carrots. Sweet as candy and long lasting we like to say the only thing wrong with winter carrots is that they outshine and ruin it for carrots grown any other time of year. Well as far as planting these carrots the time has arrived with maybe a week or two reaming to successfully seed these sweet Winter beauties. We stocked up on 200k Napoli carrot seeds to ensure we have enough, just in case Joel spills a seed packet.
Have a Great Week