It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us about anything other than CSA contents. Fall is a crazy time of year and we are only now at the tail end of planting. Sandwiched between heat and fading daylight, it’s been a big push to get everything in the ground. Here in Central Texas, it’s a battle of timing to get cooler weather crops established in the headstrong heat of dwindling summer, because waiting too long means encroaching on the “Persephone Period.” This is when there are less than 10 hours of daylight and, subsequently, plant growth slows to a crawl.
In our last update back in August, we told you about the root-knot nematodes that disrupted crop production in one of our growing spaces. After two months of care–letting the soil rest, then treating with organic methods–we are confident the health of our soil in that field is recovering. All that to say, we are finally catching our breath a bit and getting reorganized for the Fall harvest season.
This has also been a time of transition for our crew, which now consists of almost all new staff (and the robot). Our new VRDNT team has been hard at work training to step into their roles, finishing endless farm projects during our 3-week break from CSA, and planting, planting, planting, of course.
Okay, now for the juicy stuff that makes it all worthwhile: the veggies. We had our first sweet potato harvest last week which was so exciting because who doesn’t love sweet potatoes? The variety featured in the CSA bags last week is a rich orange color inside–an earlier type that’s ready first. Keep an eye out for the next variety we’ll have, Murasaki, which takes a bit longer to grow and is purple on the outside, white on the inside, and one of our all time favorite vegetables.
We are happy to say we’re in the season of greens! For early fall, that means Arugula, Bok Choy, and Komatsuna, with Swiss Chard making an entrance this coming week. As we get deeper into fall and winter, you can expect hardier crops like Collards, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, and lots of beloved roots like Carrots, Beets, Turnips, and Rutabaga. We can’t wait! Even though most of us are so used to the heat it makes us wimps in the cold, those delicious cool-weather crops are what keep us going.
That, plus Nimbus and Zucchini, the resident farm cats, who always keep things interesting during the work day. While Zucchini takes her job as Head Huntress very seriously and isn’t spotted as much, Nimbus won’t let us start work without her mandatory pets and cuddles. Recently, a third cat entered the scene–an orange and white tabby who we could only name after his favorite spot to take a nap–Sweet Potato.
We look forward to checking in with you more often on this blog, and we want to tailor its contents to your interests. What would you like to hear about from us here?? Please fill out the survey below to keep us in the know:
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