Kurt’s Field Notes, Week 13 (Sept 14, 2024)

This week started out with tractor field work. I had Glen pull out the “land leveler” machine. He drove this back and forth over two of my big blocks that had been covered with cover crops to even it out. This keeps pockets from forming that will collect pools of water. The ground looks nice and flat, and I’ll be putting my raised beds on them in the next few weeks for 2025.

This is a land leveler.

I wanted to give you an update on the rice we are growing! Remember that little experiment that Noah started this summer? Well, we grew three dryland varieties, and it looks like one of them is going to make it! You can see the pannicles (the flower head that forms the rice grains) forming below. Our other varieties weren’t planted in time, so they likely won’t head out before the frost. I’m excited to see what yield we get off our small section. It won’t be enough to sell this year, but we may scale this next season!

This is called the “pannicle” of the rice plant.

The tomato high tunnels were cleaned out this week. One minute they were full of heirloom tomato plants, and then the next they weren’t. My guys pulled all the vines out, including the drip tape. I’ll be planting winter spinach in those spaces in a few weeks. It’s a great way for me to extend my season and continue to bring in cash flow in the cold months when nothing can grow outside. But it was sad to say good-bye to the heirloom tomatoes.

This high tunnel used to hold tomato plants. Note the black tubing that has been pulled. This was the irrigation drip tape.

We got the sweet corn watered for the last time this week. There are two more weeks of corn and it will be done. We also got about a half of a bed of carrots weeded. I decided I needed to get those beds watered first — it will make the weeding a whole lot easier if the soil is slightly damp. That will be a big job for us next week.

Tomatoes are probably good for another 2 weeks. So if you want any of my tomatoes for canning — NOW IS THE TIME. Put that order in at the Google Form this week. At this point, it doesn’t look like I’ll be offering a U-Pick. But you never know. It’s been a heck of a good year for tomatoes. I bought a new foliar sprayer that allows the nozzles to extend down in between the tomato rows, and this has made all the difference. (Remember, organic growers also spray — just organic ones).

Celery root awaits the wash line before heading to a wholesale order

Otherwise it was another big harvest week. In addition to the CSA (which we do on Mondays and Wednesdays — sometimes also on Sundays), I had three wholesale orders go out this week — my largest week of the year. We had a pallet of celery root, a whole truck of peppers, and another truck of fennel. This workload should continue for as long as my peppers will shuck out fruit.

Baby kale will be going in this bed for one of our final weeks of CSA.

Picked some more winter squashes last week too. Noah and John seeded some more greens for the final weeks of the CSA in our garden beds near the pack shed. We’ve got kale mix, arugula, and ore cut lettuce on the docket. I also dug up some sweet potatoes yesterday. This was more of a “yield check.” I like to see how they are sizing up, to gauge how much longer we have until harvest. They need a couple more weeks. Once it’s time, we’ll knock back the vines, and dig up those beauties — then let them sit out to cure for a few weeks. My goal is to have some for you in your final box! I should make it.

Kurt and Noah check to see how big the sweet potatoes are. Can you see the pile in between them in the shady patch?

Hope you’re enjoying the switch to fall crops this week. You’ll see winter squash in your boxes for the rest of the year. I’m in my last block of fall beds now — cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, more kale (currently recovering from being eaten by flea beetles). I’ve also still got fall carrots, beets, and I’ve planted some quick turn radishes, since my spring ones were so bug damaged.

This is week 13 of 18, by the way! Our final week of CSA will be October 21-25. Corinna will be letting you know how you can renew your spot for next year in a few weeks. We really appreciate when you can commit early for us before we end the season, as it helps us immensely with cash flow, AND just helps us know how much of a gap we have to make up to be fully funded. More details to come on that! We’ve got a fun early signing bonus planned for you this year!

Until next week!
Farmer Kurt

Farmer Corinna’s edit: This week is Kurt’s birthday on Sept. 19th! Be sure to say happy birthday on Thursday at the Perrysburg pickup site!  Or bring him a six pack of brewskies!