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Tranquil Ridge Farm Newsletter 8/30/2010
Posted 8/30/2010 10:30pm by Nathan Parks.
TRANQUIL RIDGE FARM
LOCAL FOODS, NATURALLY GROWN
FARM NEWS:
I suppose there is not much use in saying that we need rain. Looking at your lawn will no doubt tell you that. Looks like the grand total here at the farm is going to be 3/10ths this month, that is unless something unexpected happens this evening! We have been putting water on as much area as possible, but there is no doubt that the crops are suffering. Take this last set of sweet corn for example: pollination was during the two hottest weeks of the year and now that the ears are trying to fill out they have no moisture to do so. And of course our little buddies, the corn ear worm, are having a hay day with the delicious little kernels. Last Thursday I finally accepted the fact that the tomato crop was a failure and would not recover. So I pulled the stakes and mowed down 2200 plants. I suppose I knew a month or so ago that this would happen. It is hard to start a plant from seed in March, baby it through May, plant, prune, stake, mulch, weed, water and pray all through June and July and end up mowing it all down with one pass of a tractor and bush hog.....such is the life on an organic vegetable farm.
After the drama of the tomato failure, I was definetely excited to be working ground, in final preparation for many fall crops that we continue to plant outside. All was going well until Sunday evening. I was making raised beds with the tractor were some fall lettuce was to be planted. At the end of the row I did the normal 10 point turn when all of the sudden the gear shift absolutely locked into position. No forward, no reverse, just an idleing tractor with either a thrown bearing in the transmission or a bent shaft. I have known all year the tractor has been way overworked for it's size. Generally we break something on it each week. It actually has an electrical problem of some sort as well. Emily usually has to pull start me before she leaves for work, and I can leave it running most of the day. But now we have a major issue. I scrambled around calling everywhere I could think of today and finally found an older tractor I could rent for the next month or so until we can figure out a plan for either buying a replacement or fixing the old one. Of course depending on the severity of the transmission problem it could likely cost more than the tractor is worth. Again, such is the life on an organic vegetable farm.
VEGETABLES:
POTATOES
ARUGULA
WINTER SQUASH (BUTTERNUT, ACORN, BUTTERCUP, CARNIVAL, AND SPAGHETTI)
KALE
SUMMER SQUASH
LIMITED BEANS, CUCS AND SUMMER SQUASH
BELL PEPPERS
HOT CAYENNE AND JALAPENO PEPPERS
SWEET CORN (HIGH PROTEIN VERSION ONCE AGAIN)
EGGPLANT
CSA NEWS:
Looks like a couple of weeks of comfort food, until the salad crops, broccoli, carrots,radishes, turnips, beets and cabbage are ready. Remember in late June and early July when I said we would pay for all the wet weather this fall. When we could not plant for a month then it means we lose a month of diversity of offerings now. We are about in the middle of that lapse and should be out of it by mid-September with a few more crops coming on.
Thanks and have a great week.
Nate, Emily and Jensen
LOCAL FOODS, NATURALLY GROWN
FARM NEWS:
I suppose there is not much use in saying that we need rain. Looking at your lawn will no doubt tell you that. Looks like the grand total here at the farm is going to be 3/10ths this month, that is unless something unexpected happens this evening! We have been putting water on as much area as possible, but there is no doubt that the crops are suffering. Take this last set of sweet corn for example: pollination was during the two hottest weeks of the year and now that the ears are trying to fill out they have no moisture to do so. And of course our little buddies, the corn ear worm, are having a hay day with the delicious little kernels. Last Thursday I finally accepted the fact that the tomato crop was a failure and would not recover. So I pulled the stakes and mowed down 2200 plants. I suppose I knew a month or so ago that this would happen. It is hard to start a plant from seed in March, baby it through May, plant, prune, stake, mulch, weed, water and pray all through June and July and end up mowing it all down with one pass of a tractor and bush hog.....such is the life on an organic vegetable farm.
After the drama of the tomato failure, I was definetely excited to be working ground, in final preparation for many fall crops that we continue to plant outside. All was going well until Sunday evening. I was making raised beds with the tractor were some fall lettuce was to be planted. At the end of the row I did the normal 10 point turn when all of the sudden the gear shift absolutely locked into position. No forward, no reverse, just an idleing tractor with either a thrown bearing in the transmission or a bent shaft. I have known all year the tractor has been way overworked for it's size. Generally we break something on it each week. It actually has an electrical problem of some sort as well. Emily usually has to pull start me before she leaves for work, and I can leave it running most of the day. But now we have a major issue. I scrambled around calling everywhere I could think of today and finally found an older tractor I could rent for the next month or so until we can figure out a plan for either buying a replacement or fixing the old one. Of course depending on the severity of the transmission problem it could likely cost more than the tractor is worth. Again, such is the life on an organic vegetable farm.
VEGETABLES:
POTATOES
ARUGULA
WINTER SQUASH (BUTTERNUT, ACORN, BUTTERCUP, CARNIVAL, AND SPAGHETTI)
KALE
SUMMER SQUASH
LIMITED BEANS, CUCS AND SUMMER SQUASH
BELL PEPPERS
HOT CAYENNE AND JALAPENO PEPPERS
SWEET CORN (HIGH PROTEIN VERSION ONCE AGAIN)
EGGPLANT
CSA NEWS:
Looks like a couple of weeks of comfort food, until the salad crops, broccoli, carrots,radishes, turnips, beets and cabbage are ready. Remember in late June and early July when I said we would pay for all the wet weather this fall. When we could not plant for a month then it means we lose a month of diversity of offerings now. We are about in the middle of that lapse and should be out of it by mid-September with a few more crops coming on.
Thanks and have a great week.
Nate, Emily and Jensen
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