This Week on the Farm 7/19
It is HOT! With heat indices up over 105 this week it is hard to get all of the work done that we would like to do. We have been working hard during the early part of the day and then taking a break from noon to four or five. We eat dinner and it is back to work until dark. Even working those hours it is still really hot!
The Rio Home and Garden Tour went very well this past weekend. We had a lot of people stop by, including several of our CSA members. People asked some really great questions and everyone loved the burr oak tree. Now two of our big summer events at the farm are over. We are looking forward to August 6 and The Farm Stop and Barley Pop Tour. We will be hosting the dinner portion of the tour which also includes visits to Sassy Cow Creamery and Fountain Prairie Inn & Farms. For more information go to www.montysblueplatediner.com/Events or pick up a ticket at Monty’s Blue Plate Diner in Madison or at Kay’s Kut & Kurl Korner in Rio.
On to crop news. We finally have enough beans to go in the boxes! Our bean plants that have been weeded are producing really well. We have three different varieties that will make an appearance in your box in the next couple of weeks: yellow beans, green beans, and Roma beans. We have a lot more plants that are currently struggling against the weeds. They are producing, but not as well. Hopefully we will be able to weed them later this week.
Some of you may be wondering why we have not had broccoli in the boxes so far this summer. So far broccoli has turned out to be a problem crop for us. We seed it in the greenhouse and it looks great, we transplant it outside and it looks great, but then it either never produces a floret, or the floret is uneven and flowers extremely quickly.
After doing some more research since we are both very frustrated, I think we may have figured out the problem. We now think that we are transplanting the broccoli outside too late and are allowing it to become more mature in the plug trays. This may be stressing the plants and preventing them from developing along the normal course.
We are going to try a fall planting of broccoli this year and we will keep this new information in mind. There is a lot to learn when you are growing over 60 crops, especially when some of them seem temperamental!
We finally received confirmation from Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA) that they have processed our paperwork to be certified as “In Transition” to becoming certified organic. It took many many hours of filling out paperwork and one trip to Viroqua to their main offices to answer questions, but we are finally in the system as formally “In Transition.” We are very excited because we believe very strongly in farming organically and now we can officially say that we are “In Transition.”
We need HELP! If you are free on Saturday, July 30 from 9AM to 1PM and would like to help us out with some projects we would love to see you! The morning will start with a short tour of our west field, then on to work. Lunch will be provided for all of your hard work! For more information or to say you will be there contact Kate at kate@burroakgardens.com or call 920-992-3643. Thanks!