01 Sep Tue 2009
Drying out...CSA week 17
HI there--
Keeping it brief as usual. As the subject line says, we are venturing out to begin to see the effect of last weeks weather, and the cool nighttime temps., on the crops. As usual with organic process, time will tell, but there are a couple effects we see outright now. Pertaining to deliveries early in the week, we find ourselves between salad mix successions. Successive rain events bog things down due to nutrient leeching. The stand is there, but growth is slower than usual. The high demand on Tuesday and Wednesday cannot be met--but it is a temporary absence. WE foresee being on full track next week. The other suspicion, not certainty, is tomato crop failure. So much for the positive anticipation forecasted in weeks prior. Maybe you've heard radio articles pertaining to late blight, and how this disease is moving our direction from the Northeastern areas of the country. We saw signs of it in shady areas of the tomato field, it looks like fuzzy black mold. After last week it has spread further. The Heirloom varieties appear hardest hit. We have a couple F1 hybrid varieties, which may give them some resistance...it is just hard to say absolutely now. So check with the friends that always have too many tomatoes, see if you can reserve some for yourself.
On a sweeter note, looking ahead: We have been contacted by a certified organic apple grower in the area, and will have apples for your shares. Also, we plan to offer bushels and half bushels for sale , details to follow. We can say that the bulk orders would be available on a pre-order basis, and they will be available for pick up in South Haven on a Saturday, at the farmers market, or the farm. As soon as we have a schedule set, we' ll let you know.
I've had to leave this message numerous times to take care of other things, so I'll cut it off here.
Enjoy the week and the sunshine!
Be Well
laurie, Lee and Iris
Keeping it brief as usual. As the subject line says, we are venturing out to begin to see the effect of last weeks weather, and the cool nighttime temps., on the crops. As usual with organic process, time will tell, but there are a couple effects we see outright now. Pertaining to deliveries early in the week, we find ourselves between salad mix successions. Successive rain events bog things down due to nutrient leeching. The stand is there, but growth is slower than usual. The high demand on Tuesday and Wednesday cannot be met--but it is a temporary absence. WE foresee being on full track next week. The other suspicion, not certainty, is tomato crop failure. So much for the positive anticipation forecasted in weeks prior. Maybe you've heard radio articles pertaining to late blight, and how this disease is moving our direction from the Northeastern areas of the country. We saw signs of it in shady areas of the tomato field, it looks like fuzzy black mold. After last week it has spread further. The Heirloom varieties appear hardest hit. We have a couple F1 hybrid varieties, which may give them some resistance...it is just hard to say absolutely now. So check with the friends that always have too many tomatoes, see if you can reserve some for yourself.
On a sweeter note, looking ahead: We have been contacted by a certified organic apple grower in the area, and will have apples for your shares. Also, we plan to offer bushels and half bushels for sale , details to follow. We can say that the bulk orders would be available on a pre-order basis, and they will be available for pick up in South Haven on a Saturday, at the farmers market, or the farm. As soon as we have a schedule set, we' ll let you know.
I've had to leave this message numerous times to take care of other things, so I'll cut it off here.
Enjoy the week and the sunshine!
Be Well
laurie, Lee and Iris
Laurie_2
02:51 PM EDT
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