This morning, as I sipped my first cup of coffee, the mental list was really churning. Order seeds, pay bills, need to call the chickety doo doo guy for the fertilizer delivery, fix the doors on the high tunnel where the wind had its way with the plastic, deal with the HUGE pile of recycling, rescue the frost blankets out in the field that are streaming around like kite tails in the wind,…ahhh… let’s just enjoy this coffee and watch the kiddos make up songs about apples and dinosaurs… ack! Must plant the rest of those onions! Has anyone seen my favorite trowel? Sip coffee girl, just sip the coffee… did I ever put that last load of laundry in the dryer?
I love getting your emails about the CSA program. I can tell everyone is hungry for fresh veggies. I actually have a few things ready now, if anyone wants some baby kale, spinach and chard. Still have lots of beautiful sweet potatoes, too. Maybe we’ll head to the Waldo market later this month.
How early is too early to plant potatoes? Last year I planted them at the end of February, and they were gorgous, delicious, and ready super early. They did frost off once, but just the top 6″ of the plants, and they came right back. I’m tempted to put a few in the ground and cover them – what could it hurt?
On a stinky note, watch out for the brown marmorated stink bug this year. This invasive pest is due to descend on Missouri – a hitchhiker from over the ocean, this guy is truly obnoxious. Disturb one, and any others in the area also let off their stink, and from what I understand, they are truly stinky. A farmer about an hour away found two last year – not good. They are very hungry pests, piercing holes in produce to eat, they can shrivel up veggies very quickly. Since they don’t eat foliage, many of the sprays or repellents available organically don’t work. I’m not sure this is a candidate for mass scale hand picking either, unless you are wearing a clothespin on your nose? I will have to find a photo of this nefarious creature so we can be on the lookout. But for now, I’m heading out to the farm. Have a great day!
Red Ridge Farms 