June 1, 2023

The rain has come!

After four VERY dry weeks, the showers arrived on Tuesday morning and graced us with their presence again Tuesday evening. Prior to the rainfall, we had been running irrigation on almost every field just to ensure that our seeded crops would ‘come up’ because the ground was so dry once again.

"Farmer Jerry" Untiedt

All of the newly planted apple trees were also suffering from drought symptoms, forcing us to irrigate them from water wagons. It’s an expensive procedure, but one that we must do if we want the trees to survive.

Needless to say, while the muddy fields caused a little havoc with the tractors in the fields, we are so very happy to have some moisture once again. Not only are we happy, but the crops are happy too!

The month of May was busy working the fields and getting crops into the ground as fast as we could. Long days helped us accomplish the to do list from last month, which leaves us with some great crop updates to share with you all today.

Asparagus: After starting the season May 9th, about 2 weeks later than normal, the crowns have enjoyed the moisture from the large snowmelt. We hope to keep harvesting until mid-June this year, which is later than normal. You can find asparagus at our Garden Center locations, Kowalski’s Markets, and a select group of other fine retailers.

Tomatoes: Our tomato crop appears to have suffered from late planting due to a cold and wet April. The yields will be down, with the crop starting the ripening process later than normal. Please don’t worry though, we will still have plenty of this tasty pleasure. And the first tomato of the year made its appearance on May 24th!

First tomato of the year

Sweet Corn: This crop appears to have really enjoyed our warm and pleasant month of May with excellent seed germination and rapid growth. This warm and humid week should really keep the crop in high gear. And guess what? The first State Fair sweet corn is in the ground…..summer is really here!

Apples: After a very poor apple season last year caused by a two year drought, the bloom was absolutely spectacular this season. Avoiding further drought and storm driven hail events, we should be blessed with a wonderful apple season.

Seedlings in the ground

Vine Crops: Our vine crops (which means black seedless watermelons, cantaloupe, squash, and pumpkins) have all been planted and are growing very well with this heat. The additional water from rainfall will only speed up the ripening process. The countdown is on for locally grown black diamond watermelons!

Strawberries: Both types of our strawberries, June bearing and Day Neutral, seem to be growing quite well. The June bearing are flowering and setting fruits very well, currently, with an earlier than normal season being forecasted. Our Day Neutrals are building strong and healthy crowns and will begin blossoming in about three weeks, hopefully leading to a long bountiful harvest for all of us to enjoy.

The rest of our crops appear to be growing well and will be moved ahead by Tuesday’s rainfall. We continue to hope and pray for regular rainfall and no severe storms.

Our flower season has been producing some of the most beautiful blooms and our flower stands continue to offer some special selections of incredible beauty. Stop by and take a look for yourself!

All in all, we are moving along with the production scenario at a rate needed to satisfy all of our wonderful customers. Your patronage and support will keep us moving forward, and we do so much appreciate every one of you.