There will be no Monday pickup this week for Labor Day. Yes, even farmers need to rest once in a while…at least this farmer needs one this weekend. And more importantly, the garden needs a breather after the driest summer on record, to go along with the hottest August on record. Normally we get somewhere north of 10 inches of rainfall June-August – we haven’t even received half that. It’s a testament to the naturally rich Potter Hill soils, and Jeff’s careful cultivation of it the last 4 years, that anything at the top of the hill is still alive without irrigation.
We finally enjoyed some relief on Thursday, and the garden sprang back to life almost instantly; the green but fruit and flower-less eggplant, peppers, and green beans put out a nice flush of flowers. It’s quite the site – combined with the thriving buckwheat we planted as a smother crop (and literally alive with honeybees!), and the winter rye/hairy vetch growing faster than a 10 week old baby in the fallow fields, you wouldn’t think we were in a severe drought. Don’t expect a big flush of veggies all at once, but if we do get some more relief from Hermine and the temps rebound, we all might be enjoying the typical Potter Hill September abundance against all odds!
Next week we’ll welcome back our old friends arugula, tatsoi, and radishes and say so long to squash, zucchini, and those lovely big golden potatoes. Monster acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squash are on deck.