Last Update: February 01, 2012
Because January was such a dry month, it gave us a jumpstart on ground preparations for the crops that will be going into the ground early spring. I can’t remember the last time we were ripping ground this time of year, but the unusually dry weather was certainly welcomed! As an added bonus, all of the winter crops are doing very well. We typically use this time of year to spruce up our tractor equipment and bring all our previous season’s improvement ideas to fruition. But because the tractors are out in the fields, and the shop must still keep on schedule with winter projects, we’ve had a busy bunch of mechanics. Therefore, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank our mechanics for the hard work that they do! Like always, if you have any crop-related questions for us, please select the email link below. -Ian Teresi PEPPERS I have been gathering seed for both our Organic and Conventional 2011 Pepper crops, and will be delivering that seed to the greenhouse this week.
Most of our transplants need 55 days in the greenhouse before they are ready to plant. I will be spending a lot of time in these greenhouses monitoring the growth of the plants. GARLIC Thus far, both Conventional and Organic Garlic are looking very good. With the nice weather we’ve been experiencing, we were able to get some much needed fertilizer to the conventional fields.
And, the Organic Garlic looks great this year. The new flame weeder we implemented has kept some of the fields cleaner than the conventional ones, and I'm very optimistic about this year's crop! |
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ORGANIC LEEKS Leeks are looking good. They are an unusual crop to monitor due to their funny growth spurts. Once planted, they grow very slowly for the first 6 weeks or so. Then, in literally a matter of a week, they shoot up 6 to 8 inches. They continue this pattern throughout their growing season.
STRAWBERRIES The Strawberries are growing quickly! The plants already have two to three blossoms apiece, which should translate into a mid-March first harvest!
RASPBERRIES / BLACKBERRIES Bushberries are dormant in the winter. Those once beautiful rows of sun-ripened fruit, reminiscent of a vineyard, look like dead sticks sticking out of the ground this time of year. We have cultivated between the rows, however, and will be planting an early spring cover crop.
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