Lettuce Germination, A Helpful Mouse, Popping Corn and Bunnies--Still
01. Though the weather has been cooling off, the past several weeks have still been consistently in the upper 70’s and 80’s. Hotter weather means less consistent lettuce germination and thus less lettuce. Recently we tried moving our seeded lettuce flats from the hoop house to the basement in order to see if the cooler temperature would help increase germination rates. So far it has proven useful; the lettuce is germinating at nearly 100% (compared to the 60% germination we were getting in the hoop house). As soon as the seeds pop, we move them right back to the hoop house to ensure that they can photosynthesize and continue to grow. The only downside is having to make several trips into the basement to water!
—Beatrice, Farm Crew
02. There’s a mouse in the clover! It's been amazing to see all the life our little acre or so has grown to support over the course of the season, whether that be the pesky hornworms, potato beetles, and bunnies, or the helpful ladybugs, wasps, spiders, and frogs. This little guy, burrowing around and aerating the soil for us is just one of the many examples of patience paying off, and the greater natural world helping us along our way, even if he does eat a bean or two... here and there.
—Pierceson, Farm Crew
03. As was to be expected, the bunnies are back and seem to be especially enjoying our carrots recently. Our various methods of controlling them have really only held them back this season, but certainly not stopped them. Better bunny management next year will certainly be something for us to think over in the off-season.
This week marked our first radish harvest since mid-June. The summer heat typically makes growing radishes not worth the effort (they bolt or become too bitter), but with cooler temperatures arriving they’ll become a staple crop on the farm again.
—Robin Hackett, Farm Manager
04. We harvested our first bushel of popping corn and hung it in the hoop house for the kernels to dry. Growing up in the Midwest, sweet corn was the pinnacle of summer. Although there is a delayed gratification with popping corn - having to wait to enjoy the end product - simply growing corn on the farm is a nostalgic reminder of what the labor of love can bring.
—Seth Miller, Farm Crew