Well, Misfits, that's all she wrote! Here's what's ripe for the last week of the CSA:
-Tomatoes
-Peppers
-Popcorn
-Potatoes
-Sweet Potatoes
-Squash
-Carrots
-Eggplant
Extra Goodies:
-Pumpkins
-Indian Corn
-Gourd
-Honey from the Loaring Farm
Buckle up, folks, because this post is a long one!
I want to thank you all for hanging in there with me this year with the new CSA structure. I want to get into a few reflections from the season: what went right, what went wrong, and what we have planned for next year to improve upon things.
Nailed it: Tomatoes, hot peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, popcorn, summer squash
Did pretty well: Bell peppers, early lettuce, arugula, cabbage, kale, broccoli
Could be better: Eggplant, cauliflower
Epic Fail: Melons, garlic, onions, root crops, late season greens, tatsoi
The bottom line and this season's biggest takeaways:
Weather. The weather is becoming increasingly hot and unpredictable. This summer's heat waves were just absolutely brutal. So, how do we fix it? I mean, short of dropping a giant block of ice in the ocean once a year Futurama-style, we just have to roll with it. My plan currently is to construct several low-tunnels, just barely high enough to walk through, that will be movable and made out of PVC pipe. These will be for the short 75-foot rows, which will be where the majority of the greens and brassicas will be. Alternatively, I may put up a new high-tunnel, but covered with shade cloth instead of plastic. However, I can't use the mulch layer in the tunnel, so I would much rather have movable structures that can be placed over top the rows after they are planted.
Sign-up Dealine. Next year I need everyone who wants the custom CSA signed up by March 1st. This year I had two drop-outs before the season started, and added 2 more last minute to fill their spaces. The requested veggies were wildly different, and that threw off my schedule big time. That's totally my fault, I just didn't want anyone to get left out!
Invasive Ivy. Oh, boy. This stupid morning glory vine got in the high tunnel and completely choked out the onion and garlic. There is literally no way to kill it without chemicals, so it's going to have to be sprayed after everything is taken out, then the soil decontaminated for the following season. Biggest takeaway from this is we are going to have to leave a wide margin on that side of the tunnel next season to starve it out, which means getting creative for alternative growing setup for those two things specifically.
Alternative Growing Methods. What do we do when something doesn't grow well in the tunnel, nor in the plastic mulch rows outside? We come up with something new. I believe my solution will be semi-permanent raised beds, which can be used in conjunction with the low tunnels. This method will likely work better with onion, garlic, melons, and just about all of our root crops.
Seed Suppliers. Several things were mislabeled, unfortunately. The ancho peppers were supposed to be poblano, the late summer squash was supposed to be spaghetti squash, and one of the cantaloupe were supposed to be honeydew. I also was disappointed with the quality of seed from a new supplier, that as far as I know has a good reputation. The tomato varieties purchased from them stayed cursed with blossom end rot no matter what I did. The fancy varieties are fun, but they aren't worth it if I'm only able to give you guys some of them 2 weeks out of the season. Our tried-and-true varieties from trusted suppliers are our best bet.
Corn Planting Timing. This year we did three plantings of about 16 rows each and that was just way too much at one time. I only have so much holding space in my packing shed fridges and I felt like I was drowning y'all in corn. Next year we will do about 6 plantings of 10 rows each, weather permitting.
New Crops for 2024. Asparagus? Celery? Brussels Sprouts? Y'all tell me! I'm definitely adding asparagus in the semi-permanent beds, but y'all tell me what you'd like to see next year.
Final Thoughts:
This new structure was a lot to change in one season, but I'm glad we did. I learned a lot, and I can guarantee y'all that next season will be even better. I know exactly what I need to change and have a plan to do so. I just so appreciate each and every one of y'all becoming a Misfit Member this year, and I hope to see everyone back again next season!
Just a little extra tidbit because she's so dang cute! This is Fiona. One of our cows had twin heifers and rejected one, so that means I got a bottle baby! This sweet little girl had a rough start but she's doing great now.
That's all I have for our season reflection. If you all have any feedback, constructive or otherwise, I'd gladly welcome it!! Thank you all so much for a great season, and I'll see everyone in the spring!
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