A waiting game and a crap shoot, farming, who needs Vegas?

Good Morning,
Well the weather this week is superb. Sun and just the right amount of heat. Plants are growing rapidly now that they have the chance, so are the bugs and weeds though too.
The biggest worry is disease. All this cold wet weather is sure to produce some kind of nasty blight, that said Cukes are trying to really come in as well as the summer squash. This would be great and about 2-3 weeks early. The heat is really helping with these. Eggplants are flowering as well as the peppers. I put these out in the field this year on black plastic to avoid the annual aphid fest that takes place on them in the greenhouses. Seems to be working so far.
All the tomatoes are loaded with fruit and really needing some sun and heat to bring the fruit to ripen. The plants look the best they have in years and we increased the planting density to 12" spacing this year. Pruning has been a weekly chore but it is paying off. Saturated media tests of the individual greenhouse beds was very informative and helpful.
Asiatic Chafer beetles continue to be a big annual problem in the greenhouses. They live under the surface and only come out at night to feed and feed on anything and everything in there. They are doing lots of root damamge as well. Trying to get info on them but the only I can find is for golf course turf. Going to buy in a bunch of nematodes and see if I can get rid of them that way.
Sighted one woodchuck the other evening....one there is one.........
Outdoor canning tomatoes have set fruit and look superb. This is usually the growing point some diseas comes in and ruins them. We shall see. Hoping to make a lot of salsa and tomato sauce this year.
Market continues to be tepid and sales are way down from May. It is obvious by everyones market pricing that this has been a difficult year so far.  I even saw shelling peas at $8.50/lb!!!! Quarts of berries are at $7 each. Wholesale demand is high due to lack of product being available.
All in all things are good just waiting for everything to ripen......I guess it's time to go fishing.

Market Today! Montpelier. Asparagus, Green Garlic Pesto, and more

Good Morning,
Posts have hit that summer time lull. Real busy on and off the farm with all types of fun projects. The farm looks the best it has ever looked thanks to my great help this year. Laura and Diane are really making the place look proper this year.
Cukes have started to come in as well as the Zukes. Garlic scapes have been picked and the basil is ready so I made some basil and herb green garlic pesto for market today.
Tomatoes are coming along and should be ready soon. Hopefully in about 2 weeks. Melons in the greenhouses have finally taken and look healthy. Could just use a bit more sun than we have been getting.
Watching for disease with all this rain and cool temps.  Deer have started to come inside the fence a bit, need to stop that.
Snapping turtles are on the move as well as painted box turtles. In about 80 days I will be the adopted father of about baby snapping turtles in greenhouse 1.
As for balls of dry grass on the ground that buzz at you---they are bumblebee nests. Almost found that out the hard way.
See you all at market I hope.
Joe

A few thoughts and observations on the farm

The rain is welcome. Ironic I know. The hot dry weather of last weekend dried my soils out so fast I had to irrigate though. Also after ploughing under a number of items for the 3rd time the rain has my new seeds germinating in 3 days.
This is one of those years where I am worried I do not have supplemental heat in my greenhouses to dry off the tomato plants each day. Things look very healthy and are being well tended to by the crew. Really need a bit of warmth and sun to make things pop. They are ready, perhaps by the end of the week.
Asparagus continues to crank right along but would control is a must in there. Thinking about bringing in 20 yards of compost just to dress out the three beds.
Market continues to go well and thanks to all of you for the support during a very interesting season so far.
The CSA is going well I just wish we could get the little things worked out with the deliveries, I truly hate mistakes with your shares.
Time to throw another log on the fire.................

Stuff is growing.....finally.

Hey so how about that guy Weiner sending around pictures of his weiner? Just had to put that one out there. So on to vegetables.
Cukes are sizing up. Asparagus is finishing up. Summer squash is setting fruit, potatoes need hilling and the something is eating the basil.
Garlic scapes are starting which means the first fresh classic pesto of the season.
I will have asparagus pesto this week at market. Should be damn tasty.
Gotta go. CSA delivery today.

Drying out up here finally. Here comes growing season.

Hi,
Well things are moving along up here. Tilled under my 3rd planting of spinach and replanted the beds with some starts I had. Easily double or triple the work this spring to get things going. Just uncovered the summer squash and they look great! Should be ready 2-3 weeks early. Other things in the field are not doing so well. Trying to cultivate to get rid of the compaction and crust on the surface. Greenhouses continue to produce but I am really pushing things in there and need to make the final transistion to summer crops and get the salad outside.  What a growing season so far but I am doing better than most others so should not complain. Market continues to be very solid and I appreciate all my regular and new customers in such a trying growing year. Your support is much appreciated and noted. Thank you.
CSA started this week and came off fairly well. We had a few hiccups but nothing we cannot fix. Talk to you all soon, going to go take a nap before I go to bed.