Wednesday, July 10, 2013

2013 week 9


Full Share:Eggplant, blueberries, green bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash. (missing from the pic: green beans)

This weeks share introduces eggplant and peppers and tomatoes!

The corn is missing from the share this week.  
Lingering effects of the rain.  Some crops suffered from disease while others, like this corn, are missing the water-soluble nutrients that were washed through the soil. 
In the end, the watermelon field was not salvageable.  Pop-Pop mowed up the field with the bush hog.  Sad. Very Sad.  There will be no Buzby watermelon this July. 
This is our second watermelon field.  Hope for the future, middle of August future.

The sea of rotten cantaloupes in the sort-out pile.  While it is disheartening to see these lopes go to waste.  Our field pulled through it and we are now picking a few melons and each day looks better.
  Our pepper field is suffering from Phytophthora.  We haven't had substantial phytophthora losses in over a decade.  Proudly attributing this success to proper soil husbandry which enable our soils to absorb heavy rain with puddles rarely forming.  However, our soils were no match for the intense rain we had this June.  Many of these peppers had water over the raised beds, which is simply a recipe for disaster.  It has been a humbling experience.

 Phytophthora is a devastating disease that spreads like wild fire.  We are doing what we can to prevent the spread.  Removing diseased plants and cutting the raised bed to prevent it from traveling through the soil.  We are now engaged in a race against time to glean what we can while it lives.

Some good news the eggplant field looks great!
Other good news, its heirloom tomato time.  Yum-O!

Good thing we are busy packing a boat load of tomatoes.  No time to dwell on these trials.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12


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