Hey y’all – it didn’t rain yesterday!! I’m so glad I spent all winter dreaming up an irrigation system – looks like we won’t have to use that this year. I’m pretty sure we could get by the rest of the season if not another drop fell from the sky. On the dream topic, every vegetable farmer’s dream is a weed-free garden. I’m happy to announce we have achieved this feat in only my second year of running the farm. I wish I could brag about my innovative new weed-control secrets…but I have Mother Nature to thank (curse?). It turns out that weeds do just as poorly in cold muck as my young transplants.
All seeds require a certain soil temperature to germinate, and can simply rot in the soil if it’s too wet. With the cold wet spring, I can only assume the soil hasn’t warmed up or dried out enough to germinate the weeds, not to mention the seeds I planted. I even found some bizarre data to back this up – according to the UMass Extension office, the average soil temperature in the fields they sampled on May 25th was around 55 degrees. For some perspective, the average soil temperature a month earlier on April 25th was 65 degrees. That ain’t normal folks!
Perhaps the craziest part about this spring is that yesterday was only the fifth day I, properly fair-skinned Irish red-head who is very careful not to get burned, have put on sunscreen. June 2nd! And two of those were false alarms where it rained all day. But it’s not all doom and gloom up here on the hill. Some veggies are thriving while others are languishing, but the good stuff will be here before you know it!
Due to a frantic run on Short Creek Farm sausage that will require them to spend Monday in the kitchen making more, Jeff will not be down this Monday. But don’t fret, he’s coming down Monday 6/12 with delicious meats in hand. No need to wait, you can get your orders in now. Check out what they have in stock and email them at info@nullshortcreeknh.com.