Newsletter 6/6/18 – June happens!
Somehow June sneaks up on me every year. All during May we are busy plugging plants into the ground, sowing seeds in the greenhouse and fields, and orienting new crew to the farm. May still feels decidedly mid-Spring; things are not serious yet. Then, out of nowhere, June happens! Suddenly the weeds start to grow in earnest, we’re harvesting more and more, and the pressure increases a bit to lay the groundwork for an abundant and successful summer.
We have been doing just that this past week- our hoops houses are full of tomatoes awaiting their turn to be pruned to maximum glory. We are in the process of planting out all the cucurbits- summer and winter squash, cucumbers and melons. Thousands of feet of beans are happily growing. Corn is working its way upward. Lettuces are starting to outnumber all the other plants, as they range in age from newly seeded to fully mature. Strawberries and peas are loaded with tiny fruits that will be sweet and ready in no time at all.
June is a hectic time to be a farmer. There are a lot of balls in the air, a lot of resources invested, and only a sliver of harvest has happened. The fields are literally covered with tiny plants that need a lot of care. Imagine having millions of babies and scattering them out over 17 acres. Insane, right?!
It is a real joy to watch the fields progress from cover crop to tilled earth to seedlings and finally to mature crops. It is a magic trick that never ceases to amaze me. The transformation throughout the month of June is the most visible beginning of this alchemy, and one that I look forward to every year.
~Karyn