Join us on Saturday April 25th for our plant sale and farm tour. We have a huge amount of plants ready to go for your home garden. It's a great time to see the happenings of early spring on the farm. A peak into the back door as it were. Also I'll have the pizza oven fired up and will be selling gourmet wood oven pizzas. Come one come all. Have a pizza, take a tour and grab a flat of starts for an instant garden of bounty. We'd be happy to accept orders for custom grown flats as well.
As a side note, we are in need of plastic trays (Anderson Flats) and 4" pots. would love to recycle if any of you have any.
What else is happening? Alot! Its planting time. I'm working available ground and prepping beds as fast as the conditions will allow. Much of the ground is still too wet to work but we have managed to get in a decent amount transplants and have direct sown crops in our drier areas. We've been making restaurant deliveries since the end of March without a gap however, if the outside crops don't produce soon we'll have a gap. we really need some decent weather and it appears to be on its way.
The new potato field is coming along nicely and should be ready to plant by the end of the month. I'll be dry cropping these and growing them without the protection of a deer fence. we can normally grow potatoes without a fence. It's a risk though. The earlier you put them in the better as their are more attrative things for the little beasts to eat than potatoes (which are technically posinous)
Endless potting up these days. Thousands of starts coming out of trays going into 4" pots. Space is at a premium and the greenhouse's are bulging. As the weather turns these will be going into the fields. Hopefully many of you will be relieving us of flats at the plant sale!
Looking forward to seeing you all for a day of fun.
Keep well,
Farmer John
Friday, April 17, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Weather Turning!
Yeah baby, it's a little cool right now and will be that way a bit longer but warm WX is on the way! We'll get this show on the road. Lots of plants in the greenhouses ready to go out. We'll have a big push next week to get them ready for transplant. Things are drying out and I'm working fields as the're ready. Space is always an issue but we're on top of it thus far. This past week I was able to direct sow about 19 beds of various items. Now we just need a little decent weather and we'll be off.
Market is coming up fast. I'm thinking if we get good weather we'll have a decent amount of produce. We'll have plant starts too (along with everyone else).
We're trying to get a jump on that one by hosting a farm tour/plant sale at the home farm on Saturday April 25th from 9:00 til 5:00. You'll have the very best selection of anywhere that day. I'll have the pizza oven fired up and will be selling pizza's too! As always you can ask us your gardening questions, we'll be happy to help. It'll be a fun day, hope you can make it.
Still accepting CSA memberships. If you want to support a local farm by becoming a CSA member, this is it. The time is now. April is a brutal month for a farmer. Cash reserves are zero and the bills still coming in with no end in sight. Things will begin to normalize in May but for now we've got a big hurdle to jump to make it through April. Please join us.
Take care friends,
Farmer John
Market is coming up fast. I'm thinking if we get good weather we'll have a decent amount of produce. We'll have plant starts too (along with everyone else).
We're trying to get a jump on that one by hosting a farm tour/plant sale at the home farm on Saturday April 25th from 9:00 til 5:00. You'll have the very best selection of anywhere that day. I'll have the pizza oven fired up and will be selling pizza's too! As always you can ask us your gardening questions, we'll be happy to help. It'll be a fun day, hope you can make it.
Still accepting CSA memberships. If you want to support a local farm by becoming a CSA member, this is it. The time is now. April is a brutal month for a farmer. Cash reserves are zero and the bills still coming in with no end in sight. Things will begin to normalize in May but for now we've got a big hurdle to jump to make it through April. Please join us.
Take care friends,
Farmer John
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Dude, Get the boat
Geez, First day of April was a doozey. First we started out with some rain which then turned to about an inch of snow and the just went back to steady rain all day and most of the night. One of those days when you just try to move forward and not let it get you down. We just went to the green house and potted up all day. Today will be the same but with a little less rain. I'm feeling fortunate that we have a at least a few outdoor beds planted out. Yesterdays rain will keep us out of the fields for a couple of weeks at least.
Despite the lousy weather will be making some deliveries today. Not much. A few greens, some radishes and turnips. Just trying to eek things out without coming up short for later deliveries or the first maket. We''l be clearing out a couple of beds in one of the hoop houses. we'll turn them under, re-shape and re-sow and hope we get a turn around harvest in 30 days for the first market? It's right on the edge. We might miss that timing by a week or so. It depends on the weather. The other option is to let the greens we cut, re-grow and come in for a second cutting. It works but there is a lot of chickweed in the beds. Chickweed actually makes a nice touch to the greens but the problem is it may start to bolt and then it's funky and takes way longer to harvest the greens. I like a clean slate.
I'm short on time today, gotta roll.
Take care out there and keep your powder dry.
Farmer John
Despite the lousy weather will be making some deliveries today. Not much. A few greens, some radishes and turnips. Just trying to eek things out without coming up short for later deliveries or the first maket. We''l be clearing out a couple of beds in one of the hoop houses. we'll turn them under, re-shape and re-sow and hope we get a turn around harvest in 30 days for the first market? It's right on the edge. We might miss that timing by a week or so. It depends on the weather. The other option is to let the greens we cut, re-grow and come in for a second cutting. It works but there is a lot of chickweed in the beds. Chickweed actually makes a nice touch to the greens but the problem is it may start to bolt and then it's funky and takes way longer to harvest the greens. I like a clean slate.
I'm short on time today, gotta roll.
Take care out there and keep your powder dry.
Farmer John
Monday, March 30, 2009
Things Are Growing
Hooray! We're starting to see things turn to normal. Been harvesting a few greens from the hoophouses. Radish's and turnips are close behind. Starts in the greenhouse's are showing new growth daily. Soon (perhaps this week) we'll start potting up out of trays into pots. This is alot of what we do in April. We have bee transplanting the first sowing of lettuce into the fields and soon other greens crops will follow. We try to put as many things out as possible without potting up but some things just do better geeting the extra growth within the confines of the greenhouse. The heat lovers like tomatoes and peppers absolutely require being protected through at lest mid May.
I was able to get a few outdoor beds worked up and sown last week. sure feels good to get some seeds in the ground. I sowed Spinach, salad mix, rads, turnips, beets, peas, fava's and I'll be getting ready for an early sowing of potatoes. The main crop will be going in a litle later. Still breaking ground on the new potato field. I'll have to till it a couple more times to break down the remaing sod and get a fine seedbed. Should be ready by the end of April. Already it feels like we'll be struggling for space. where is it all going? Strawberry starts will be here in a couple of weeks. I'm not even for sure where there going yet. Better figure that one out pronto!
All in all I'd say it's going well. We made our first restaraunt deliveries last week. Hopefully we'll be able to keep going without a gap. Market starts on May 2nd. It looks like we'll have a pretty good showing.
Home Gardners need starts? We have em. Anything you want. You will also be able to buy our starts from ACE Hardware starting soon. Because of the late start this year. There will be a tremendous amount of competition for plant starts at the market from all of the other farmers. We will be having open house's at the farm prior to market opening. Maple Rock has the largest supply of plant starts on the island. All of our starts are of the highest qualities and we sell only varieties that are proven for our climate. If you are looking for something extra special. Call us, it's not too late to accept custom orders.
And Finally, We still have CSA sign ups available. Membership has slowed way down. Are you out there? Call or e mail if you have questions or the easiest way is to go to www.maplerockfarm.com and download the membership form and send it in with your check. We need you. We hope you need us as well. We want to be your farm.
That's all for now. Take care and keep well,
Farmer John
I was able to get a few outdoor beds worked up and sown last week. sure feels good to get some seeds in the ground. I sowed Spinach, salad mix, rads, turnips, beets, peas, fava's and I'll be getting ready for an early sowing of potatoes. The main crop will be going in a litle later. Still breaking ground on the new potato field. I'll have to till it a couple more times to break down the remaing sod and get a fine seedbed. Should be ready by the end of April. Already it feels like we'll be struggling for space. where is it all going? Strawberry starts will be here in a couple of weeks. I'm not even for sure where there going yet. Better figure that one out pronto!
All in all I'd say it's going well. We made our first restaraunt deliveries last week. Hopefully we'll be able to keep going without a gap. Market starts on May 2nd. It looks like we'll have a pretty good showing.
Home Gardners need starts? We have em. Anything you want. You will also be able to buy our starts from ACE Hardware starting soon. Because of the late start this year. There will be a tremendous amount of competition for plant starts at the market from all of the other farmers. We will be having open house's at the farm prior to market opening. Maple Rock has the largest supply of plant starts on the island. All of our starts are of the highest qualities and we sell only varieties that are proven for our climate. If you are looking for something extra special. Call us, it's not too late to accept custom orders.
And Finally, We still have CSA sign ups available. Membership has slowed way down. Are you out there? Call or e mail if you have questions or the easiest way is to go to www.maplerockfarm.com and download the membership form and send it in with your check. We need you. We hope you need us as well. We want to be your farm.
That's all for now. Take care and keep well,
Farmer John
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Fluky Weather Continues
I was out for a few days. Looks like things dried up a bit but then by mid day yesterday it was raining again. I did get a little field work done. Not as much as I would have liked. I really need to get peas and fava's in the ground! Oh well, Things will come around soon I hope. Until then, it's greenhouse work. Lots of trays being sown right now. It's filling up fast and we are just squeezing things in where ever they will fit. That translates into lots of potting on and transplanting. Thats a whole other issue. Very soon the first sown brassicas and tomatoes will be potted up into 4" pots. That means your taking one tray and turning it into three or four and sometimes even five trays. As we are cramped for space now, we'll be even more cramped for space when that process begins. Timing is key. Fall behind in this process and your starts get root bound and become stunted. As the weather gets nicer, many things can start to get transplanted. For example, right now here are about 50 trays of lettuce ready to go out. The weather's been so crappy I'm just holding them a bit longer before they go. There are another 50 a couple weeks behind that and so on and so on. We transplant all of our lettuce even in the summer. It just works better when we have a little control over the germination conditions. Anyway, you get the picture. Get it up, grow it till it it's ready, put it out, first cut in aout 30 days. Simple right? Usually, but you never know for sure.
We'll be working up a few beds for transplanting lettuce into today. These were rough shaped with the tractor a while back when we had a dry spell. We should be able to rake out the weeds and let them set for a few days before planting. As we rake we'll bring up more weed seed to the surface that will quickly germinate. If we wait a week or so we can come back with the flame weeder and knock out that first flush, then transplant. It works well.
So those are things in my imediate world. It's going to be hopping around here real soon. We have alot to do to get ready. Soon we'll be starting summer squash and cukes!
I'll try and post some new photos this week.
Take care,
Farmer John
We'll be working up a few beds for transplanting lettuce into today. These were rough shaped with the tractor a while back when we had a dry spell. We should be able to rake out the weeds and let them set for a few days before planting. As we rake we'll bring up more weed seed to the surface that will quickly germinate. If we wait a week or so we can come back with the flame weeder and knock out that first flush, then transplant. It works well.
So those are things in my imediate world. It's going to be hopping around here real soon. We have alot to do to get ready. Soon we'll be starting summer squash and cukes!
I'll try and post some new photos this week.
Take care,
Farmer John
Monday, March 16, 2009
Oh My Is It Wet
Yesterday started out with rain, turned sleet, turned snow, turned rain then sunny, cold and windy. Typical late winter weather that toys with the farmers emotions. Any field work is out of the question for quite a while. The ground is saturated. This is setting up to be late starting season for sure. I know the other island growers have not had the chance to get anything in the ground yet. We don't even have our peas or fava beans in. Maybe we'll start some in flats for transplant. Laborious but doable.
The good news is Spring is only four days away and we are up to about twelve hours of daylight now. It's a good time to think and get any small nagging indoor projects out of the way. Soon the weather will break and having a clear mind and an open schedule will be a big advantage because things will need to happen fast. This is the third year in a row we've had very similar condidtions. This year appears to be even more difficult. I think it's what we have to prepare for. It's hard though. People are antsy for the good stuff and they want their greens now!
Today will be a greenhouse day and hopefully get in another case of onion sets and leeks And of course.. paperwork.
Take care,
Farmer
The good news is Spring is only four days away and we are up to about twelve hours of daylight now. It's a good time to think and get any small nagging indoor projects out of the way. Soon the weather will break and having a clear mind and an open schedule will be a big advantage because things will need to happen fast. This is the third year in a row we've had very similar condidtions. This year appears to be even more difficult. I think it's what we have to prepare for. It's hard though. People are antsy for the good stuff and they want their greens now!
Today will be a greenhouse day and hopefully get in another case of onion sets and leeks And of course.. paperwork.
Take care,
Farmer
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
