Two Feet in the Dirt

It’s our last market of the year this Saturday at Burke. Unfortunately, we had to end the Shepherdstown market one week earlier than planned (last Sunday was our last day at Shepherdstown.) Given how warm this fall has been overall, all of our plantings are way ahead of schedule. We’ve already harvested off most of the beds that we are usually harvesting from in early December, which unfortunately means we’re not making it as long with our markets as we have in other years. On the other hand, by this time of year, we’re certainly ready for a long-needed break from endless work! We’re gradually getting the farm prepared for winter by...

Apparently my complaining about the warm fall has had an impact! A cold front finally blew in and I’m sitting here this morning looking out on nicely frost-covered fields! We’re supposed to have lows in the 20s for the remainder of the week, which is both a relief and a challenge. The first frost of the year always means a lot of last minute work. We wait until we know a frost is coming to harvest off the last of the summer crops like pepper, eggplant, and okra. We also have to spend plenty of time the day before putting row cover over the majority of still-productive beds to help...