Catalpa Ridge News–Volume 21 No 2–June 21, 2016

Summer Solstice – Strawberry Moon

News from the Fields & Farm:  This week we have had hot and dry weather. The irrigation system is all hooked up and we were running the water on the sugar snap and snow pea patches all week. John was able to till up the round field finally and we planted more tomatoes, zucchini, herbs and a row of winter squash there. Of the tomatoes planted, about 5 rows were Heirloom tomato varieties. Tonight’s delivery of lettuce will open up some of the beds to plant peppers and beets in our crop rotation plan.

Planting the tomatoes in the round field

 

The back field the peas are doing well and the fava beans are starting to “bean” up. It looks like we will have a good crop of potatoes from the back field as the plants are getting close to full flower.

 

We were able to reseed the cucumber rows due to the failure of the transplants in the field during the first planting. We hope that these will respond and produce a good crop of cukes this summer.

 

Our fields are really looking good. The only unfortunate episode this past week was we lost 30-40 heads of lettuce in the main field due to the plants bolting (which is going to seed). Perhaps it just got too hot for them.

 

John tilling up the field

 

Franklin Greenhouse Report: Potatoes from the greenhouse should be ready to harvest next week. We transplanted eggplant into the beds where the Texas Super Sweet Onions were harvested. The transplanted peppers are really doing well and we are patiently waiting for the tomatoes to ripen. Some of the lettuces in the greenhouse bolted as well but those beds are being readied for the next seeding.

 

Weather report: It has been very dry with just a sprinkle of rain during the week. The summer solstice this year also comes along with the strawberry moon. A Strawberry Moon falling on the same day as the solstice is a very rare event—the two last coincided in the Northern Hemisphere in 1967. Check out: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/this-years-summer-solstice-comes-with-a-rare-strawberry-moon for more info on this rare event.

 

The Texas Super Sweet Onions are a variety that bulbs up early when the days are longer and the later varieties of onions (Red Wing and Walla Walla) will be bulbing up as the days get shorter after the summer solstice. We have a good crop of garlic bulbing up right now. The garlic harvest should begin in about three weeks.

 

 

 

What’s Up & Growing: Here is an overview of what is up & growing on the Farm: (# of varieties in ( ) Newly up in red.

 

Beans (2 varieties) Beets Broccoli Cabbage (2) Celery Chard (3) Chinese Cabbage Collards-Purple Cucumbers

Eggplant (4) Escarole Garlic Green Onions Herbs Hot Peppers Husk Cherries Kale (2) Lettuce (3)

Leeks Onions (4) Oriental Greens Peas (2) Peppers (10) Potatoes (3) Tomatoes (20+) Winter Squash (6) Zucchini (4)