Most everything besides the date itself is telling us that the summer has all but ended. The cool nights, shorter days and quieter mornings remind us of the changes to come. Nearly as quickly as the summer with all it’s toil and heat had arrived it departs. Like one final weekend at the lake or a beach we have no choice but to enjoy the last few beautiful sunsets and embrace the seasons to come. One thing that lies in the back of our minds this time of year besides the usual prep, plant, repeat, is the concept of overwintering. Now in fact is the time and in some regards even a little late to be starting some frost hardy veg that we look forward to enjoying in the cold of winter.
In the world of overwintering for us there is of course the greens, like spinach, kales, lettuces and a variety of Asian greens. Today we a starting not only Chinese cabbages and bok choys for fall harvest but also Winter Crisp a large Chinese Cabbage that with any luck will be around this winter. Currently however, the focal point of overwintering for us is on the allium family. Leeks(hopefully), onions and scallions started in September and transplanted in October become a spring treat that we long for all winter. In particular we do 4 to 6 varieties of onions each year. Some we have tested and as always a little bit of experimentation along the way too.
| Other Experimenting that went on this year was potatoes in some of the high tunnels. Like most experiments their are usually successes and failures and this trial was no different.’ Though overall production was lower than expected some varieties and one location in particular produced better than others. Working with these lessons we can hopefully apply them to our growing next season. We apologize for any confusion with preordering last week. It is back to normal with on farm pick up Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as well as pick ups Fridays at the Madison Farmer’s market and Saturday in New Haven. Flowers will also be back in full force at the markets. |