With all the warm weather we have been having it doesn’t really seem like winter. Hard freezes have been sparse so far this winter and with the regular rainfall we have had all, fall cool-weather plants and crops are thriving. It also looks like wildflowers will make a welcome return this spring after having almost none last spring.
After a brief holiday break, we are busy getting ready for the winter and spring farm seasons. Our early winter crops are still producing steadily and we have been progression planting all fall so I expect production to continue until the warm weather sets in. We are also adding new crops continuously to add variety to the late winter and early spring farm shares. Upcoming attractions include cauliflower, spinach, parsnips, turnips, leeks, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and radicchio. The new year also means getting our business plan for the year updated, which is exciting and daunting at the same time. It’s time to set goals and to craft project plans that will get us where we need to go.
One of our current projects is reconfiguring our greenhouse to include raised growing beds. This is a rough diagram of how the space will be arranged.
Greenhouse Layout With Raised Beds
Three of the raised beds are already built and filled with garden soil and compost and I planted spinach, radicchio and lettuce in the northern-most bed yesterday.
Greenhouse Raised Bed Planted with Spinach, Radicchio and Lettuce
There are quite a few transplants growing in the greenhouse as well. Some of them are just getting started and others are almost ready to be set out in the gardens.
Tat Soi, Pac Choi, Radicchio, Broccoli and Cabbage Transplants
Tomato, Pepper, Dill, Cilantro, Parsley and Chamomile Transplants
We have lovely baby greens growing in containers in the greenhouse and I will be planting more mixed greens of different varieties in the new raised beds.
Baby Greens Growing in Containers in the Greenhouse
The new one west growing area is another project in progress. We built one raised bed to begin with in order to test the ease of construction, to shake out design issues and to determine the best method of covering the crops for protection from cold, heat and wind. Based on what we have learned we will be making some modifications to the future raised beds in this area, but the first bed has been very successful overall. The photos below show the quantity and variety of crops that are growing in this single bed.
One West Bed Viewed From South
One West Radish Patch
One West Pea Patch
One West Onion and Leek Patch
One West Kale and Chard Patch
One West Garlic Patch
One West Carrot and Parsnip Patch
One West Cabbage Patch
One West Flowering Broccoli Patch
One West Broccoli Patch
One West Beet and Turnip Patch
One West Mixed Greens Patch
One West Tat Soi and Pac Choi Patch
The market garden area also has lots of cool weather crops, including broccoli, arugula, chard, pac choi, collards, dill, cilantro, parsley and thyme, still producing vigorously.
Winter Crops in the Market Garden Area
We will start delivering winter shares in mid-January. If you interested in joining the farm and having farm-fresh eggs and produce delivered to your home or office, check out our CSA information brochure and membership form [1].
Hope you had a wonderful holiday season and wishing you a very happy new year.
Carol