written by Staff member Margret Taylor
The month of September has come and (almost) gone, and has brought with it a mix of warm days, cool weather, and lots of rain! The Harvest Moon welcomed the Autumnal Equinox this week, marking the beginning of the fall season. Although the busiest summer months have passed, the hustle continues as we continue to sow, plant, harvest, and prep for the winter. Fruit season is coming to a close but we are still enjoying the sweet, wild, pesticide-free apples from the orchard!
Cue reminiscing to the beginning of the season! Remember when the fields looked like this?
The farm on June 9 2021- what would soon become glorious beds of kale, chard, cucumbers, squash, herbs, salad greens, tomatoes, radishes, beets, carrots, cabbage, beans, peas, bok choi, eggplants, peppers, sunflowers, and more. We've come so far!
Plant Progress
Special shoutout to our resident kale and swiss chard crops that have stuck with us throughout the entire season and generously provided us with plentiful harvests!
Dino and Curly Kale June 2 - July 23 - September 23 (above)
Rainbow Chard June 2 - August 20 - September 23
Here is a before and after of some of the slower growing and cool weather crops from this season that we are excited to harvest into the fall including: brussel sprouts, carrots, napa cabbage and winter squash!
Purple Brussel Sprouts June 2 - August 4 (above)
Purple Brussel Sprouts Aug 20 - September 23 (above)
Napa Cabbage August 13 - September 23 (above)
Carrots! August 4 - September 23 (above)
Winter Prep
We've been doing a few things around the farm to prepare for the colder months, including planting frost tolerant crops, securing the greenhouse for the chickens (who are dreading the snow) and harvesting dry beans for next years crop!
It's been a great season and we've almost made it to the end. Despite dealing with power tool failure (Don't even get Elva started), pests and critters, unpredictable and sometimes less-than-ideal weather, burnout, and all of the other obstacles farmers face (not to mention all of this during our second year in the midst of a global pandemic), we've also experienced abundant and delicious harvests, some beautiful weather, a few cute critters, great employees and volunteers , and a continued appreciation for the land and the community that allows this all to happen! Until next year!