Back on Track, by Angela

Young Broccoli & Collards in the Field

In a whirl of conditioned farm execution, the broccoli and collards are finally in the ground! I can't tell you how good it feels to gaze out upon those rows of emerging fall delights in the field instead of panicking over their well-being during their extended stay in the greenhouse. Listen closely and you too may hear the various choruses of joy as you pass that field.

Brussels Sprouts & Josh

We bid adieu to farmer Josh whose last day with us was Friday. Seen above as the rock-star master of the weed whacker, Josh notably is the fastest garden-forker this farm has ever seen. Thank you, Josh, for all your hard work and enjoyable spirit. Blessings.

Heirloom Tomatoes in the Field for Gleaning

Same as last week, the heirloom tomato plants are dying out and are open for gleaning by members during pickup hours. Please take as many as you'd like before the plants are gone.

Heirloom Tomato Rainbow

Week #2 Pickup, Thoughts and Ideas, by Angela

Second-Week Share

This year we're trying an experiment on the farm that connects us to the classic traditions of companion planting. The "Three Sisters" (corn, squash, and beans--see below) benefit each other in the use of space and nutrients. The corn will grow up, the squash grows out, and the beans climb the corn. (For more info on the Three Sisters, click here.)

The start of a "three sisters" planting--corn, squash & beans

Our winter squash this year has been planted alongside popcorn and dried beans (see above). It tickles my fancy to witness these plants thrive as they increase in girth and vitality. Among other things, this field is faring quite well in our eruptions of rainfall.

Unhappy lettuces

Like a forgotten bag of wet lettuce, our lettuce heads in the field (see above) have been turning to slime on the bottom, with too much hydration; good thing we plant in successions!

Grass groves next to the tomatoes

Unintentionally, the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have cover crops, between the rows, of some dormant ryegrass seeded far too late last season (see above). As the picture here shows, it's a bit unruly at the moment, but I have a good feeling it'll be under control by the power of the weed- whacker soon.

Workshares Mary & Sandy washing
salad greens

Josh washing fennel bulbs

All in all, we're coming together over good fresh food. Let us continue to work together both in the fields and in our thoughts.

First Week of Pickups, by Angela

Beautiful Romaine lettuces

Our first week of pickups was a wild one, with rain "book-ending" our Monday and Friday.

865-gal. rain-harvesting tank irrigating the
sunflower patch

Great fun to have everyone back on the farm and feel the farm come alive again. Joanne worked with kids in the children's garden on Tuesday, planting and exploring.

Joanne with Lily and her mom Caroline smelling herbs

We also had a visit from the third-graders at Drexel Neumann Academy, which was lively and delightfully loud.  Ahhh, the transplanting continues as my brain sprawls in a few million different directions peacefully, as we move into the time of just nurturing our growing crops.

Brendan & Josh transplanting summer
squashes

Visuals of the Open House & Plant Sale, by Angela

Below is beekeeper Warren Graham and his demonstration hive at the Open House

Vendors at the Open House and Plant Sale

Open House and Plant Sale, Beekeeper

Asparagus trenches--Brendan, Josh, & Angela dug ten roughly 100-foot long trenches for our nearly 1000 new asparagus plants. One-time planting with decades of reward.

Below, our first asparagus shoots

Our 420-gallon rainwater-harvesting tank

Bloggin' for Your Noggin--Spring Growth & Additions, by Angela

The three inches of wet heavy snow on Monday, March 25th, was a big shocker this late in the year.  So happy am I, that we waited to put plants outside a little later this year. Nonetheless, our tender young seedlings were kept nice and warm in the regulated, 70-degree greenhouse. The first transplants will go out in the field next week.

Seedlings in the greenhouse with March snow outside!

The month of March was blessed with ten hard-working Neumann nursing students providing eight hours each of service-learning on the farm. With their help, the blackberries and all the raspberries got a good spring pruning as well as the beginnings of a new trellising system. The raspberry trellis will help provide air circulation to the berries as well as a bit more ease in harvest.

Black Raspberries' trellising

Brendan & Josh framing the coop

The chickens are due to arrive April 15th! We began the chicken coop construction in March and have really been plugging away now to be ready in time for our new feathered workers. Thanks to a wide variety of members, roadside pickups, and a big chunk of gratitude to Joanne Rosenbaum, for providing us with lumber from your garages for the construction. Most of this coop is built with reclaimed wood. My joy explodes with delight in re-purposing materials in this fashion. Our birds will be living in style!

Front of the chicken coop with reclaimed closet doors!