This week:
Fresh Field Tomatoes – Big
Cherry Tomatoes
Hot Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Pick-Your-Own String Beans, Green & Purple
Rainbow Chard
Pick-Your-Own Basil
Challenges:
- The weed seed bank is so full, and with these mid-summer rains we haven’t gotten the break from weeding we expected! The fall carrot bed, planted 2 weeks ago, is very weedy, and we’re working hard to keep those little guys strong and healthy and not choked by purslane and chickweed.
- Cukes continue to struggle! The wet weather hasn’t helped. Thank you for savoring what we’ve got.
- Summer Squash have turned the corner into old age, and squash bugs are starting to run rampant. We’ll be harvesting the last this week, then mowing & tilling in those plants.
Success:
- The high-tunnel (hoophouse!) Tomato plants are a sight to behold, I recommend everyone take a walk up to check out how we’re doing it. We’ve been restricting water to those plants to encourage sweet fruits, and results are encouraging. I really think growing these guys under cover is the way to go given our weather here. Under there it’s a little slice of Tuscany- exactly what these plants want.
- The survey process was a success- it gave instant feedback on how you all feel about the produce, (all over the map, but mostly positive) and the distribution (decidedly positive.) We’ll do a follow-up survey on Labor-Day weekend to drill down more into what’s worked/what needs improvement.
- Chard. All of this chard is coming out of two beds, about 150′ long. The rain has been perfect for them, and so has Shepsi’s management of the plants for large, extended harvests. Hope you’ve figured out a dozen ways to cook it- enjoy all that Potassium and Vitamin A…
Looking Forward:
- Beans will fill out and get perfect for sautéing. Yum!
- Our late-summer Buckwheat cover crop should be emerging any day now.
- Spent 2 hours revising our fall field map with Steve today. Can’t wait to share fall greens, winter squash and sweet potatoes with you!
All the beans,
Bennett Konesni, Steve “Shepsi” Eaton and the Sylvester Manor Farm Crew
PS. I’ll be away at a funeral this weekend and at a family gathering the following Saturday, so Steve is your farm leader for the next two distributions. He is more than capable- enjoy working with him, an exceptionally perceptive, dedicated young farmer!
