Our ‘Zucs’ and ‘Cucs’ as we call them are raging because of this crazy heat and our ability to keep them irrigated. It has been a battle staying on top of the irrigation. Moving hoses from field to field early in the morning and late in the evening and checking in to make sure they’re still running efficiently in the sweltering hot weather. It makes for a cranky crew, but gorgeous veggies.
The summer lettuce is still holding on, but it’s not the happiest after the heat wave. We have to remember to be gentle with such a fragile crop. I’m just glad we still have fresh lettuce for salads. Who wants to cook in this weather! Weather, weather!!! Ugh! Are we all sick of talking about it yet? Don’t worry; this week’s forecast looks amazing and refreshing after last week.
Our beets and carrots are looking good and we should have them for many weeks ahead. Time to make some Borscht or Beet Salad!
This seems to be one of the best onion crops we’ve grown, but we’re not done so we can’t count our chickens quite yet. Hopefully they will continue on this winning streak. Our leeks are pushing back from a very weedy start. They have some catching up to do, but are doing a good job at it. We harvested our garlic and have them hanging and curing. They look and smell amazing with their big, fat heads. Some of you lucky folks that visited us Saturday got a sneak peak at how lovely they are. It’s extremely hard to wait for the curing process; they look so appealing. Patience.
As you probably know, we start almost all our crops inside our greenhouse before transplanting them in our fields. There are some exceptions where we direct sow, like potatoes. This week we have been transplanting the last of our fall crops with the rest to be transplanted next week. Our greenhouse is quickly dwindling down its supply of goods. All the fall crops have been doing well and we will do our best to keep them watered and fed through the coming months.
Speaking of fall, our fall broccoli and cauliflower are happy and looking great after getting the water they needed through the heat wave. Winter, yes I said it… Winter squash is looking healthy and enjoyed yesterday’s rain. Although you may be knee high in refreshing streams and enjoying all summer has to offer, we still need to plan for our winter harvest. It’s tough to think in such a manner when it’s sunny and 90!
Our potatoes have endured a hard hit by a little bug called the Leafhopper. There should be some tubers under there, but the potatoes definitely took a hit from the little suckers. I’ve heard of many other people having this problem as well. Oh, the joys of sustainable farming! Much better than the latter of using chemicals!!!
We have started to see little watermelons out there and are observing them grow each hot day. Andy thinks they should arrive by mid August. Looking forward to the messy faces full of juicy watermelon goodness, especially with the children! You all know what I’m talking ‘bout! Summer smiles.
Last and certainly not least….. Tomatoes! The question we get almost daily: “when will your tomatoes be ready?” We love them as much as you and are can’t wait to shove them in our mouths! They are looking good and you should see them on the menu in a couple weeks. The same goes for the delicious peppers and eggplant.
We hope you are enjoying the harvest so far. Get ready for more to come!
