Garlic Planting

We tackled a few fall garden tasks in the past week, and the most exciting of those was planting garlic! A friend came up on Wednesday and we planted several garlic varieties and about 25 pounds worth, which came to just over 1000 cloves. Woot woot! We made sure to give the plants generous spacing and mulched the freshly planted beds with a think layer of straw. Beautiful! Hopefully each clove planted grows into a gorgeous bulb for harvesting in July. Oh my, the anticipation of next season has already begun! 

We are also spending time putting beds to rest, which basically entails pulling up the crops that are past their prime, adding compost and covering the beds with straw or leaves for the winter. Basically, tucking the soil and all it's goodness in underneath a think blanket, before winter arrives.

There are a few crops still growing (slowly) in the garden and we are harvesting a bit today for a pick-up in the Town of Ridgway tomorrow, Saturday, October 26th. We should have a limited supply of carrots, head lettuce, kale, turnips, bok choy, leeks, potatoes and tomatoes. Yum! 

CSA Harvest - Week 18

Winter made a very real appearance last week. I went to bed Thursday evening thinking there might be a dusting of snow in the morning. Well, I woke up to find 6+ inches! Wow. I was surprised to say the least. 

I may have grumbled for a few minutes while I searched for my snow boots and came up with a game plan. Then, the sky started to light up and I realized just how magical it was outside. I spent about an hour sweeping the snow off my beds covered with hoops and fabric before running off to the Ridgway Farmer's Market. The snow load was so wet and heavy that it bent some of the hoops, and smooshed the crops underneath. Luckily, most of those crops have bounced back after a few days of sunshine. 

Well, here we are. It's October 9th and the last CSA pick-up of the season. The past 18 weeks flew by quickly didn't they? I hope you have all enjoyed the fresh produce and discovered new vegetables and recipes along the way. 

This week's CSA Share includes the following:

Potatoes
Winter Squash
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Head Lettuce
Leeks
Cauliflower
Bok Choy
Green Tomatoes

The harvests are wrapping up but we are busy in the garden putting beds to rest, seeding cover crops and planning for next year. The garlic planting will commence in the next few weeks and come November we should be ready to take a rest ourselves. 

Thank you so much for being a part of the CSA this season! I truly enjoyed growing food for you all and hope to do so again next year. 

I will be sending out a survey in the coming weeks and would love your feedback. 

Have a beautiful day! 

CSA Harvest - Week 17

The sun is just about to rise over the mountains and start warming up the cool air. We are moving a bit slower at the farm these days, the mornings are lazier and I am convinced it's the colder temperatures. 

The wild winds last week brought in our first taste of cold cold weather. On Friday evening the temperatures dropped down to 22 degrees, I knew it was coming but I wasn't prepared to feel temps that low! Brr. Down jackets, long underwear, winter hats and mittens all came out of my closet. 

We had a late evening on Friday harvesting like mad and covering crops up with fabric. We lost the tomatoes and some of the peppers but tis the season. With that in mind, this is the last week of tomatoes, please savor them! The CSA Share is beautiful this week and includes the following:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Peppers
Carrots
Winter Squash
Potatoes
Leeks
Salad Greens
Herbs: Cilantro, Sage or Mint

I look forward to seeing everyone this afternoon. 

Have a beautiful day!