Typically on the farm we are looking forward. Our eye is pealed toward the future, the future can be the work for the week, the next harvest to be scheduled, the next crop to become ready to harvest, the next season that we will be entering, maintenance & repairs coming due.
To plan ahead however sometimes we need to look back, in retrospect so as to best lay the course for the future. I was reading the recent copy of the Pa. Vegetable Growers News last night; mainly scouring the publication for tomato late blight forecasts, when I came across two articles of interest: 1st) this years bleak Strawberry harvest. Due to an irregular late frost and an early blossom the tri-state area ; including our farm, suffered heavily and production was about a third of the norm. Even the commercial farmers who focus primarily on berries suffered this result. 2nd) It seems the late blight scenario is in check for tomatoes and potatoes with no reports here in western Pa. The Strawberry issue though had a negative impact on the CSA and the localharvest website. A CSA subscriber not truly understanding the program used the site to post viral exaggerated comment, I could not filter. This issue and a couple of previous issues with localharvest focussing on fees and their limiting other posts on the website, has led me to decide to shut down our listing on the site. This however, is probably a good thing, for the farm now has the catalyst to further promote our site : Sarverhillfarm.org and out Penn State listing Agmap.psu.edu/businesses/831 .
By renewal time there will be an online info and application download. Currently we have copies of previous newsletters in a blog format and some pictures. In the long run there is a planned recipe corner as well, a place to upload pictures and other points of interest for our embracing farm community!
This weeks Selections
- Sweet Corn
- Peaches
- Leaf Lettuce
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Beets
- Basil
- Italian Tropea Onions
As we come to the end of July, we quickly embrace the fact that we are heading towards fall. Planting schedules and maturity date are checked to make sure we have enough time now between planting and harvesting. We planted the last of the winter squash & potatoes about a week ago, we will still have enough time for a few more plantings of beans. Lettuce & spinach we will continue to plan through September, being they are resistant to frost. For many fields, as soon as you can harvest the field, you turn it under and replant. This is known as succession planting. Other fields now are seeded with cover crops to over winter as green manures.
