Roses and Thorns

We’ve had some ups and downs this week on the farm.

Our pea trellis is up, and a few of the peas have found their way, with the ‘Purple Mange Tout’ variety winning the race to the trellis. Tomatoes are gradually being introduced to their final home of the season, we’re inter-planting them amongst some of our greens that still have one more harvest in the greenhouse. All of our potatoes are planted, the summer and winter squash are going in today, we’re thinning our carrots, and all of this in beautiful sunny weather – roses!

Right as we headed into this sunny dry spell however, we awoke one morning to a broken seal on the pump that powers our irrigation system – thorn! All is well and fixed now, but we had a few long days of hand watering in our back field. Hand watering, though tedious, is always a good way to get a close look at our crops, and reminds us to be grateful for this incredible resource. Handwatering also came at the perfect time to try out our comfrey-nettle compost tea – which although not at all rosy to the nose, was a great pick-me up for our brassicas. You can easily make compost tea at home with a variety of wild plants; comfrey and nettle went into our first batch, but soon we’ll make a horsetail tea which can help combat fungal diseases that commonly infect tomatoes and potatoes. Just fill a bucket half full of plant material, top it up with water and let sit for a couple of weeks – you’ll know it’s ready by the incredible, terrifying, putrid smell it gives off! Dilute with 5-10 parts water and use to water your plants, or as a foliar spray.

We’ve been getting great compliments on our Spinach at the Saturday market, try some for yourself! Or how about mustard pesto? You can pick up produce at our stand (sign up here to stay informed about what is available), or you can find us every Saturday at the market in Ganges.