Here it is! The first real crop report of the growing season. Each crop will be listed and a short description of the current status and future expectations will be given.
Beans: Green and yellow beans are doing great! There are 4 rows each about 20′ in length. Three rows are green, with one being a variety that tolerates more cool weather and it is setting some beans! The other two green varieties make slightly longer beans and that means it takes a little more time for them to mature, but they are full and flowering. The yellow bean this year is a different variety and was recommended to me by another market grower that says it gives more reliable and consistent beans. As the lettuce finishes, there will be another bed of 4 rows seeded. They will be the long green variety that everyone loves in the height of summer.
Beets: There are several short rows of Babybeats, traditional red and a pretty yellow beet in the ground now. The Babybeats beets have given a few bunches, and we should start to see them regularly. They are smaller, have thin skins, shorter/neater greens, and a slightly sweeter flavor than the full sized varieties. The full sized varieties were planted later and are doing great, but it will be a while before they’re ready for harvest.
Blueberries: Sadly, the bushes experienced quite a bit of tip die-back from winter wind and frigid temperatures. That means that some new growth from last season will not produce berries. In fact, they were trimmed back weeks ago to tidy up the plants. There will be an overall smaller harvest this year, and we will not see many or any at the farmstand – depending on how many can be picked before the birds get into them.
Broccoli: The early planting of regular and mini (broccolini) have been great so far! We’ve nearly harvested all of the first heads, and many have second shoots coming. There is a full, and larger, planting of both types in the ground and doing well. This will never be a bumper crop type of thing here. It takes a LOT of plants and room to get huge amounts of broccoli heads.
Broccoli Greens: This is a side benefit of growing broccoli – one that is plentiful, more nutritious than the heads, and is easy to use. Cut the largest stem and then finely chop to add into just about anything. Add the greens to a smoothy. Blanch them and use in veggie lasagna or use as a fresh broccoli “slaw” with dressing, slivered carrots, and raisins. You can also just tear the greens for a broccoli salad.
Carrots: There were baby carrots at the farmstand on Saturday and more will be ready for the next one! The first row of full-sized orange carrots are starting to fill in after all that heat we had, and a test pull should happen in a couple of weeks. There are several other rows of orange and gold ones seeded, sprouted and filling out. It was easy to keep them moist enough for germination with all the rain so far this month. As one row finishes, another will be seeded to keep them coming all season.
Cucumbers: The regular and long/slicing cucumbers are growing like crazy! The plants are in need of another trim to remove more lower leaves. Doing this will expose the flowers to the little pollinators and hopefully get them coming back for more. We need those little guys to pollinate the flowers to make the fruits set. It will happen, and should happen soon. The plants are big enough now that the are making a statement and should be able to attract bees. In the meantime, I’ll trim leaves and place a vibrant pot of annual flowers out there to see if that helps.
Kale: These poor plants stuck it out in the early cold and then the recent heat, but they have been steadily getting stronger and more productive. There is a traditional green and a red/purple variety. This is so versatile and will be available all season. Find a recipe to add it to some dishes – covertly, if needed at your house. For example, it can be finely chopped and added to rice or pasta dishes or you can blanch it and use it in a veggie lasagna.
Lettuce: We has an early start to the lettuce season, and we were all thrilled to have it! The several rounds of heat have sent all of the first and second planting to the compost bin, though. Watering to keep the soil cool and covering with shade cloth was not working. Plants got bitter, and nobody wants to eat that! There is one last planting in the cool spot and it is growing well, but they’re still on the small side. That bed should get weeded and have compost added tomorrow, and hopefully this nice weather will allow those plants to grow quickly.
Onions: There are two beds of onions, planted nearly three weeks apart. The tops look good, and after all this recent rain, they need some good compost and organic nitrogen (again) to keep growing. With the planting done at separate times, the hope is that there are fresh onions for a longer period.
Peas: Ahhh, fresh peas signal that spring is *almost* giving way to summer. So far, the peas have been extremely productive and sometimes requiring two pickings daily. There have been just over 18 pounds picked and many plants are just really getting started. There is a short plant, producing shorter pods, and tolerates a wide range of temperatures this year. Let’s just say that these little plants have been absolute gems! Many of the taller peas are setting flowers again, and still have pods maturing. Those shorties are going like crazy, and there is a late-seeded row that is loaded and just starting to fill out. When the main trellised bed finishes, more will be seeded to see if we can get a summer crop. The seeds that were planted along the fencing of the “bean garden” are all up, and the first row is setting pods! Why didn’t I think of this sooner? More peas without any new infrastructure is a Win-Win!
Peppers: The peppers are looking great! Lots of height, plenty of blooms, many are setting fruits, and the new-to-us Pepperoncini seem to be very happy. As peppers start to mature, there will be recipes and tips on how to pickle or freeze them for later. There are a couple of refrigerator pickle recipes that are under review for making pickled Pepperoncini peppers (one of Scott’s favorites).
Squash & Zucchini: Here’s the short version of what is happening in the world of zucchini and yellow squash: Nothing. Well, they are getting tied up to a stake for better airflow, pollination, less insect issues, and longer harvest periods. But, the plants have been cycling with all female flowers or all male flowers and we need both at the same time for the flowers to get fully pollinated and grow viable fruit. So far, there have been 4 small zucchini picked and that was because of some hand pollination. They will get with the program soon – especially if weather would stop stressing the plants. In the meantime, more seeds are getting planted in pots to help boost our odds. As for fall squash, they will get planted as soon as, or maybe just before, the peas finish. They need the trellis space that most of the peas are currently using. Those small white pumpkins and colorful gourds are back, too!
Swiss chard: Growing like crazy! Giving large harvests weekly, and could really be picked mid-week, too. I know some of you have tried it. Some of you already know that you like it, and others can’t quite get on board with it. That’s ok. But hear me out. It is much like spinach in texture, preparation methods (or fresh as a salad), and in terms of nutrition it has more calcium and magnesium than spinach. Spinach has a little more iron, but it also has a very short growing window. Chard is great used for wraps because it is sturdier and crisper than lettuce by a long shot. Chard will grow all summer and into the fall, which earns it a place in the gardens every year.
Tomatoes: This is the one you’ve all been waiting to read, no doubt. The tomatoes have had their lower leaves trimmed twice now and need it again. They are growing really fast! They will get tucked, trained and trimmed this week and that will help the plants focus on flowering and setting fruit. All of the varieties have flowers, and most have tiny fruits. The early, smaller tomato plants have nice sized fruits! There are more slicers planted. There are a few of the Carbon and Amana Orange heirlooms. Overall, there are more slicers planted this year. A variety that looked great last year until that early heat and humidity set in has been planted again. There’s another slicer that has great reviews and good disease resistance, and we have our Big Beef and Mountain Fresh that everyone loves. The cherry tomatoes went directly onto their trellises and have little fruits coming here and there. The salad tomatoes are nearly a jungle already, but they’ll get trimmed up this week. As a backup plan, a few slicing tomatoes have been seeded and are growing now. They should be ready to take the place of a current broccoli patch and give us late season tomatoes! Regular slicing tomatoes will see a slight price change this season to $1.25 each. Bummer, I know, but it probably should have been done a long time ago, and it still under market value if you shop other local growers.
Herbs: This year, the lineup includes chives, Italian parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, Mexican oregano, basil, cilantro and lime basil (by request). All are doing well and can start to be harvested – except the cilantro. That was seeded late because it likes warm soil. They’re up and growing, but it’ll be a while before they’re big.
Flowers: The large, light yellow trumpet flowered lilies started to bloom! If you want a bouquet with these as the star, get in touch before they’re finished. There are so many flowers growing, and right now the raspberry colored yarrow is beautiful and it goes with everything. More flowers will be seeded in the upcoming week or two to keep things fresh as we hit the late part of summer. Once the “new broccoli” planting finishes, those beds will get seeded with more sunflowers, cosmos, and small flowering zinnias. All in all, perennials are ahead of normal seasons and annuals seem to be a little behind. But, nothing has been a loss or failure!
If you’ve read to the end, Thank You! If I’ve missed something, shout out and I’ll add it. Thank you all for stopping by, texting, being on a waiting list, and just generally showing your support to a small grower. It is more appreciated than words can describe.