A good question came up yesterday–I wish I had a definitive answer…but let me elucidate–The question was, “When will the last Pick Up be?”
We are two years into the CSA, but 14 years into farming. What I can tell you is that every spring is different! The average growing season in our region is 16 weeks. That is an average–based on the last freeze in the spring to the first frost in the fall. Hoophouses, floating row covers, and planting the right varieties of veggies can extend the season which translates into the amount of time you can harvest.
We will make every effort to extend the season as long as we can–but I can’t give you an exact end date no more than I was able to pinpoint a first pick up date. My preference for first pick up would have been mid-June (Plan A), or even the last week in June (as last year), but Mother Nature operated differently this Spring for us and other farmers, and we are now into Plan B (ASAP and use our tools to extend the season).
The late season start has not been the only delay. Our three fights this season have been poor germination, flea beetles, and purslane–Our strategy is to increase germination by more moisture and keeping the ground temps more consistent (long garden hose and shade cloth), mass extermination of the beetles and wood ash this fall to kill any that might overwinter in the ground, and continued hoeing and weeding on the purslane. (I have learned to wear a weight lifter’s belt…probably has a different name…and it has helped me tremendously with the back-breaking bending. I’m a new woman!)
We are excited for you to visit the farm next week! Pick up will start July 23rd for A-C and Thermopolis members; July 24th for D-G and Basin & Greybull, and Ten Sleep members; July 25th for H-O; and July 26th for P-Z. The garden looks amazing and though it has not been a perfect year, it has been a productive year.
For those new to the CSA, this is how it works: we harvest what is ready and divide it up among the members. With four harvests and four Pick UP days theoretically we will harvest 1/4 of the row and then divide it up among that day’s members.
For example, I had to harvest all the zucchini yesterday as it would not wait until next Tuesday. We had OVER 80 #’s–that would calculate out to one pound per member. One pound of zucchini is roughly three medium zucchini–that’s a fair share for starts, don’t you think?
The Farmer is yelling at me to get off the computer and come and eat dinner–His treat: PIZZA!
Holding my breath for next week- The Farmer’s Anxious But Excited Wife
PS-The cooler is still not fixed. The part they sent did not do the trick, but another part is coming Thursday. I am totally confident that we will get it up and running–that’s why I’m a Farmer’s wife!