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| | | Hutten Family Farm Newsletter for Monday Mar 21, 2016 |
I just came inside after taking a walk around the lower woodlot this evening. It is not very pleasant outside. After a winter that seemed kind of spring - like, we are now getting winter weather to start the spring.
I was probably a bit unrealistic last week when I made the decision to plant the first crops outside. Last week Tuesday I seeded the first radishes, Asian greens, hakurei turnips, and random types of kale outside. They are mostly under row covers which will offer some protection but I am not overly optimistic about their future because the weather turned quite cold since I planted. Row covers are amazing but they are not magical. I will be planting again in about a week when the temperatures are forecast to climb a little. This early planting ( experiment ? ) will be by far the earliest that I have ever seeded a crop outside. It was more than five weeks ahead of last years first planting. I will send a quick note out when (and if) the first seeds emerge.
We are running quite low on most root vegetables now but the unheated greenhouse greens are increasing. We have spinach, arugula, and micro mix now in fairly reliable amounts. We are starting to pick some kale and mustard greens as well but only a few bags at a time. The only squash that we have left in storage are huge blue hubbard and green hubbard varieties. They taste great but they are really big and really ugly and I do not plan on making CSA members eat them again. At least not this year.
The micromix in the greenhouses is getting harder to find space for. We have crops like onions, shallots, celeriac, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and dozens of others seeded for the coming season. I will plant the ginger root tomorrow in the heated greenhouse as well. We basically have to sacrifice potential crops that we could sell now to make space for the more significant main season crops. I guess the answer is to keep building more greenhouses and grow more stuff. Or maybe realize that I am having difficulty managing what I am doing already and be satisfied.
Just a quick reminder to all the Halifax CSA members. When you pick up your CSA box at the grainery please mention your name (or the account name ) to Melannie or another volunteer at the grainery. We have to know who picks up (or does not pick up) the boxes each week and this is the only way we can track it. Thanks.
I have a bunch of new things to try this year including dark purple snow peas and a red nappa cabbage called "red dragon". That is the best name ever for a vegetable. I hope it will grow in our climate.
Have a good week.
ted
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