csa week 7 july 23-26

This weeks share consists of beans!, personal size red cabbage, asian greens, red russian kale, dark bok choi, parsley, cucumbers, zucchini, and onions.  

OK, already 2 severe heat waves!?!  We spent most of last week moving irrigation pipes around trying to prevent our crops from burning up. One inch of rain seriously does more for the crops and soil biology than several people working all week can possibly do through irrigation (especially during the extreme heat).   We had to prioritize which crops were worth saving, and which crops to let go.  When making these decisions, a CSA farmer's primary concern is to give our members the best variety and value possible over the course of the season. But still, this is a time to both complain and explain....

 In the short term, we lost some lettuce, radish, greens, potatoes, and carrots.  There are also long term consequences to heat stress-  many of the fruiting crops like tomato, peppers, cucumbers, and squash drop their blossoms at temps over 90 degrees- resulting in lower future yields.  Cool season crops such as our recently planted fall broccoli and cauliflower and many greens are also likely to hold a grudge after such abuse, going to flower prematurely, and/or never reaching their potential.   Additionally, heat stress weakens all crops, making them more susceptible to insect and disease pressure.  

Family, friends, flowers, dogs, and watermelons are about all we have to smile about today!~


    

farm visit with family and friends

Daisy discovers fennel

we don't mind the irrigation leaks

lovely and fragrant

black swallowtail butterfly on the cosmos

one of the few crops that actually enjoyed the heat