Monday, June 27, 2011

farmer's log: June 27


Following bouts of rain and chilly temperatures, the sun shines on Small Step Farm today. The greenhouse-grown tomatoes look awesome; there are heirlooms of purple, green and red and the beefsteaks that will adorn the many burgers of the Valley this summer

The back field has filled with asparagus and raspberries, both with dwarf white clover in the pathways.   There are now fruit trees and mint undersowed with an annual rye and yellow clover mix.  A few beds of buckwheat serve as cover crop. 

In the remaining field there are twenty-six beds of annual vegetables and lots of potatoes!

One field is host to the onions that are slowly growing, we plan to harvest the scapes off the garlic next week, and the chard, parsley and radicchio are looking beautiful in this rainy weather. 

- Our small garden is filled with napa cabbage which has a couple more weeks till harvest, pac choi which is ready for sale and fennel that we have been selling young in bunches of 12.  

The middle field is full of radish, lettuce, carrots and beets and our black plastic crops of paste tomato, eggplant, peppers, summer squash and melon.  The summer squash has big flowers and the tomatoes are beginning to look much nicer.  

The melons and peppers are, well...slow-growing this year.  

Thanks to the Vermont Farm Tour Company for coming out in the rain Saturday morning to see what Small Step is all about. Good thing the fields are all set up with drip irrigation, (three zones per field this year with much better success). 

Dance for sunshine, pray for growth!

Where would we be without the many people helping out on the farm this season! Amanda was recently freed from the grip of the Williamstown Elementary School and spent her first week back on the farm. Joe continues holding down the fort on his 3.5 days as apprentice extraordinaire. The work-trade ladies- Julia, Allyson and Alicia come and bust out tasks for half a day each week, returning home with a basket of goods.

Yestermorrow Josh continues his half day per week, a helpful trade for us both in use of tools, knowledge and experience.  The newest addition is Weston, a nineteen year-old from Cooperstown, NY here for the summer to flood himself with the VT farmin' life and rural community.  

Who are we still waiting for?  Brian!  In just a couple weeks he will join Joe in the house and tread his way through weeds and carpentry projects! It's been great to have all the help thus far, the week goes by so quickly with each day having someone join me in the fields for the morning or afternoon, a thousand thank yous!




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