Seaport Market display.  We’ve never had tomatoes like this at this time of year.                      Photo: Audrey Barber

When we decided to build the big new greenhouse, we hoped to accomplish two things.  Make our greens available through the winter, and get tomato and other warm season crops in early summer.  So far, we have enjoyed moderate success with both goals.

Having ample tomatoes for several weeks now is a dream come true.  Next year we are hoping to improve our tomato program with the goal of big harvests by the beginning of June.  To achieve this, we are planning to graft our tomatoes.  With grafting, you use one variety for the rootstock that is selected for vigour and disease resistance.  When it is about four inches tall, the top is cut off and and another variety that is bred for excellent fruit is joined to the rootstalk by making matching cuts and taping the plants together.  We should be able to greatly increase our yields and start harvesting about a month ahead of this year if we can learn to make this work.

In a week or two, the tomatoes in the unheated hoophouse will be ready.  Chances are we will be able to start selling extras at a discounted price for canning, freezing and unabashed tomato feasting! $2 per lb when ordering over 10 lbs at a time. We should also have a deal on bulk cherry tomatoes.  Imagine taking these out of the freezer in the middle of the winter.  Please get in touch if you are interested.

We are also hoping to refine our winter greens production.  Having a steady supply of greens going into the late fall is our number one priority in terms of winter production on the farm.  We just started fourteen thousand kale seedlings, along with lots of lettuce, chard and many other cold tolerant greens.

If we have enough greens to keep them in stock until the end of every market day of the year, I will be happy. Until then, we will continue to increase our season extension efforts.

In the fruit department, we have another gorgeous load of unsprayed blueberries from the Himsl family.  We are also bringing in some conventionally grown plums and cherries.  Farmshare members can choose any one fruit as part of the share and are of course welcome to buy extras.

And the beet goes on…. Nicola harvesting these sweet sweet beets.  We hope you like them.  

Baby spinach!

It has been so hot lately, David has started wearing shorts!  After fixing a sprinkler, he lingered in the spinach bed so he could get irrigated too.

This is the lineup to talk with David.  David answers questions and fixes things pretty well all day long.

Erin and her mom Tammy working together.  It is so nice having parents visiting!

Marshall harvesting arugula.  It is such a good crop this week!

Wednesday morning harvest of greens from the front field.  

David and our friend Pierre loaded a huge shipment of insect net for protecting crops from insect pests.  This is our first experiment with importing directly from China.

A laundry like this can dry in half an hour with temperatures like the ones we’ve had early this week.

Isadora(ble) is the only one having a little snooze in the middle of the day.  She is from the barn cat program where farmers can get cats that have been spayed, for free.  She was very skinny and scared when she arrived but now she’s settling in.  When I walk by her, she will reach out with her little paws and grab my leg as a way to tell me her food dish is running low.  

Here is an example of the unheated hoop house where cherry tomatoes are just getting started, and we are also growing basil, ginger, turmeric, and peppers.

Erin is hilling leeks in the fox field.  Hilling is an old fashioned technology that was mostly used with horses.  It smothers weeds and helps leeks develop a nice long white portion.

Erin is holding purslane.  A new green we are trying.  Let us know what you think!