June 15, 2023

And just like that, the farm is in full blown summer work mode! Not only are we still finishing up some planting of things like pumpkins, squash, and watermelons, but we have begun harvesting cucumbers, chub cukes, zucchini, and even strawberries!

Asparagus harvest will be wrapping up in the coming days so that we don’t stress out the crowns for next season. What a season that has been … a labor of love, but one that offered exceptional flavor this year.

"Farmer Jerry" Untiedt

While I wish I had some upbeat and positive news on the drought front, it’s not looking great. We are seeing and experiencing a drought that is earlier in the season than past years and one that is worsening daily. The temperatures we have seen the first part of June are warmer than normal and the wind has been stronger than normal, all adding some challenges to the growing process.

I’m sure everyone has noticed the air quality over the past few weeks as the winds bring in the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Not only is this hard on people, but the smoke from the fires is also affecting plant growth and photosynthesis. To break it down, we came out of a wet and chilly spring, which caused root systems to be very shallow and poorly developed. Now we are facing drought factors earlier in the season along with the heat stress, making this season an interesting one right off the bat.

Irrigators in the field

While these are all challenges, we try to stay optimistic and utilize as many tools from our toolbox as possible. Some of those include different ground protecting mulches that help to conserve precious moisture, while other tools are the various types of irrigation that we are blessed to have on a large portion of the land we farm. Even if those irrigators become irritators when they break down, we are very grateful that they allow us to continue producing crops during difficult growing conditions like the ones we are facing now.

Next week marks the kickoff to our CSA program and we couldn’t be more excited! While growing conditions have been a challenge this year, our crops are coming along nicely, and we are excited to share them with you all. Not a CSA member? Don’t worry! All of our vegetable stands will open next Friday, June 23rd. You can find the locations here. >>

Above all, thank you all for your continued support!

Farmer Jerry