When I see many of you each week at the Farmers market, many of you are asking "what's going on at your farm right now"? September is a busy month...
Organic tomato's: Everyday I spend an hour or so in our tomato tunnel trimming the sucker growth and tying the plants up as they grow tall. Soon I will be busy picking fresh tomato's for you and I to enjoy! The tomato's are irrigated using a drip system that also feeds them nutrients. We add a product called Neptune's Harvest. Neptune's Harvest is an organic fertilizer made from fresh North Atlantic fish. It is made by a unique cold process that protects the vitamins amino acids, and enzymes. It also contains all the micro and macro nutrients naturally found in fish. The nitrogen and other nutrients are chelated so they are readily available for plants consumption.
Organic Okra: Everyday (sometimes twice a day) I pick okra. This may seem crazy but we want to ensure we have the freshest tender okra for you. Based on your feedback, this is the right thing to do. Our okra is quite good.
Organic squash, zucchini and patty pan: We pick this every day as well. Old squash just doesn't taste good!
Organic turnips, radish and Bok Choi: As we pick this, usually two to three times a week, we are also re-seeding for another harvest. This takes a little more time but we want to keep these wonderful crops available for a longer time.
Other organic vegetables: We are also growing eggplant, basil, jalapenos, cucumbers, carrots, leaf lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and red cabbage. As these mature, we will pick, wash and prepare to deliver to you!
Organic chicken (egg layers) and geese: Every morning, I let these ladies out of the barn into their lush green pasture. I am getting a bit frustrated as the egg layers are not laying!!!
Organic turkeys: These birds have taken to roosting on top of their coops. They like to roost high so every morning they greet me at the barn, the males strutting and the females clucking.
Organic chicken (meat birds): We have 150 meat birds in two chicken tractors out in the pasture. A chicken tractor is an enclosed pen that protects the birds from our local fox and racoons. Each day, the pen is moved so the chickens have a fresh area of grass to eat bugs and tender grass, along with the certified organic feed we provide them. We also have 100 baby chicks growing in our brooder at any time. These will move out to the chicken tractors at approximately four weeks old.
Organic lamb: The lamb and sheep spend their days enjoying the life of eating fresh grass from our certified organic pasture. We have been rotating the sheep and lamb into sections of sudan grass to add to their available forages. Once the grass stops growing, we will add to their diet certified organic alfalfa pellets.
Every day is an adventure on a certified organic farm, or any farm I would say. You plan and plan but mother nature has a plan herself and this is the one we must follow!
