Time flies on the farm! I can't find the camera lately, but we can certainly update you about happenings on the farm. We are into the heat of the summer and busy harvesting and distributing beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, herbs and most recently corn. The corn so far is an amazing surprise for us growing it organically. So far the moths have not made it to our fields to lay their eggs on the corn tassels. So we are worm free! Despite the incredibly dry weather, the corn is sweet and tender. While I usually eat my corn raw in the field, I decided to throw it on the grill last night with some other farm veggies . I put a little olive oil on it and sprinkled red pepper flakes - which made for a fantastic hot/sweet combo.
Staff were welcomed to a shorter day on Monday as our current bean patch is waning and our next bean patch is not quite ready - thus saving us 4 hours of labor for the day! Staff were out of the fields well before 2:30 pm . . . actually around noon!
Our shareholders have 8 hours of work requirements on the farm either helping in the harvest or at distribution. We've had spectactuar helpers in the fields this season of all ages.
07/27/2010
04/16/2010
Another Day in the Fields
Our first crop of lettuces have gone in the ground. These were started in the greenhouse, then transplanted in our upper field. We've put row cover over some of the crops. These help keep crops warm as well as keep pests out.
Small lettuce plants are under this row cover.
Our radishes are also under cover for now.
Even though seeds were just planted last week - we already have sprouts! Below are tiny carrot seedlings poking up through the soil.
The beds you see below are the future home of our strawberries. We'll be planting root stock that will need a year to get established. We've run drip irrigation tubes in the beds in case we have to irrigate at some point.
It's not all crops on the farm. With the help of Eagle Scouts and volunteers we have erected a number of nest boxes in both fields that provide nesting sites for a number of birds. We put them up to aid bluebirds, but other birds use them as well. Bluebirds are already nesting in several boxes and we've already seen eggs in one nest! Volunteers help us monitor the nest boxes each year. In addition to birds using the nest boxes, we often find bird nests in our summer squash plants and once in our strawberry patch.
04/09/2010
ACTION IN THE FIELDS
Well it sure seems that spring is here. While the casual passerby might mistake the field in the photo below as just "rows of dirt" - we can't be more excited. On Wednesday a portion of the main field was tilled and carefully planted with some of our cool season crops. The soil in the photo below will soon sprout peas, carrots, beets, greens and radishes. Except for the peas, this is just the first of several successional plantings of these crops. We expect to see carrots, beets, greens and other crops numerous times throughout the growing season.
We've also started tilling the upper field as well. Three tractors were hard at work Thursday preparing the fields for planting.
More cool season crops will be going into this field - lettuce, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage and others. I love the names of some of the varieties - Gypsy, Verte Mar, Sierra, Green Forest, Bravo . . . .
Some of our crops get planted in plastic. We punch holes in the plastic and then put either seedlings or seeds in the holes. The plastic helps to keep moisture in and keep weeds out. We generally plant most of our lettuces in plastic covered beds. It is a biodegradable form of plastic bed. Below are the lettuce plants "hardening off" in the coldframes waiting to be planted. There are some herbs on the right and some broccoli off to the left.
Some of our warm season crops, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are still in the greenhouse, where they will remain for a number of weeks until the soil and air , temperatures are warm enough and summer is truly here. We have a mixture of heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and red tomatoes as well as a variety of eggplants, sweet peppers and several varieties of hot peppers including habanero, jalapeno and hungarian hot wax. I can't wait to make fresh salsa!
Keep your eye on the fields as things will change weekly as we await the first harvest.
04/02/2010
SPRING SEEDLINGS
With the sun and warmth I couldn't resist heading down to the greenhouses to see some of the seedlings Jim Ward has planted for the CSA. Our organic seedlings are carefully color-coded, so they can remain easily separted from other crops in the greenhouse. Here is a photo of the seed germinator, where seeds get warm, moist conditions to get a speedy start.
After the seeds germinate (usually 1-3 days), they get transferred out and onto flats.
In the forefront are lettuces - you can read the varieties on the trays. There are also broccolis, herbs in pots, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers (I saw a try of habaneros!) When they get larger , out to the outer greenhouse, to acclimate to the real world.
It looks like a good stretch of weather through the weekend, so lettuces will go into the fields possibly as early as Tuesday! They look and smell delicious!
Some Chicken manure waiting to be spread on the fields . . . .
03/26/2010
GOING GREEN
With the help of funding, Moose Hill is able to install solar arrays on three of its buildings. These solar arrays will provide almost 95% of our electric needs. Our CSA barn was the first to building to recieve the arrays this winter. While it looks sunny, the wind chill was ferocious for the GroSolar guys while installing. The photo of the full array was taken today in the gloomy, flurrying weather. Even on cloudy days the arrays can produce electricity. Our barn is actually producing a surplus of electricity which is then "net" metered against our electric bill.
While the day is chilly today, flocks of robins fed in the fields along with singing song sparrows and cardinals around the periphery of the fields. I did not venture to any of our nest boxes to look for bluebirds and tree swallows, but I know we already have them up at our other fields.
12/18/2009
December Fields
The fields may not look like much in December, but our 15 acres of fields provide shares of vegetables and fruits to almost 400 families per season. We became Certified Organic by the Baystate Organic Certifiers in 2009.
In addition to providing food to our shareholders, we are often able to donate fresh produce to food pantries and shelters. This season the Interfaith Action Teens of Sharon have purchased two shares that will be donated each week to the Ilse Marks Food Pantry in Stoughton and the Abundant Table Soup Kitchen in Norwood.
In addition to providing food to our shareholders, we are often able to donate fresh produce to food pantries and shelters. This season the Interfaith Action Teens of Sharon have purchased two shares that will be donated each week to the Ilse Marks Food Pantry in Stoughton and the Abundant Table Soup Kitchen in Norwood.
