yes, the last of the inside seed starts is finished. yes, corn and bean plantings are done. yes, we have started planting the fall crops, trying to keep them all together in the field for frost covering. yes, onions, garlic and potatoes have been dug/pulled out of the fields. however, all the crops that have been slowing down (kale, collards, swiss chard, lettuce) will soon be picking up again with new plantings and cooler temperatures. tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, summer squashes, melons, tomatillos, ground (husk) cherries, okra, cucumbers are in full swing and will be until frost hits them (which could not be until october or even november). we still have lots of corn and beans in the fields to pick. and winter squash...lots of winter squash still growing in the field. fall root crops (turnips, parsnips, beets, carrots) were just planted. we are hoping the salad beds will be back in production soon. (the summer heat and dryness knocked all the beds out for many weeks, they didn't even germinate in the field.) we just started selling leeks so there is probably still about 1800 leeks in the field to be pulled, sorted, washed, bunched and sold. garlic is almost completely cleaned and sorted. next to be cleaned, sorted and stored is the yellow and red onions. OH! did i mention red raspberries?! they are starting and oh, how sweet they are! apples and pears might be available soon, too.
of the four markets we attend, one ends in september, two end in october and one ends in november. however, as soon as they end, the winter markets start...two a month, the first and second saturdays of each month. there is also the three day craft show at the mill thanksgiving weekend that we have to set up for. (we also sell whatever produce we have and meat there.) and of course to justify doing winter markets, we need product to sell. that means planting beds outside of kale, collards, spinach and swiss chard in september and covering them with plastic in hopes the plants will last. last year, they produced well all winter. salad greens are grown in flats in the greenhouse, but those flats won't be planted until november if everything in the fields is still going well at that time. the holidays come and go. i spend most of my winter getting ready for markets, going to markets and planning the next growing season (though it feels funny saying that since the growing season never really ends). and before you know it the landis valley plant sale is here again and so is spring!
so not only is summer almost over, but so is fall and winter! well, not really, but my point is farming is not necessarily a seasonal job. farmers don't sit around and watch the snow fall. work doesn't just come to an end once 'the season' is over. because we keep the season going. cooking and salad greens are in high demand in the winter and we take the opportunity to deliver what the customer wants. we keep our business name familiar in people's minds so they remember us come spring. and if i didn't spend so much time planning things out (what to plant where and when), no one would have a clue what they were doing come spring and we wouldn't be able to get as done as we needed to.
so here's to fall days, picking lots of produce and planning for a successful winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment