What’s Happening on the Farm in Midsummer
By Rebecca Stoecker
Hi There to all my little farmers and gardeners,
It’s July on the farm and we are in wake up, pick, weed, plant more, repeat mode. These days life can get a little repetitive but now is when you start to see the rewards for all the hard work. As produce such as tomatoes and cucumber plants get bigger we will string them up. This is done by driving wooden stakes in the ground about every 5 plants and then wrapping string up and down the row as you can see in the picture below. This is done to keep the plants and the veggies off the ground. By using this method you can easily pick the veggies when they are ready and they are less disease and rot prone. So many yummy veggies are coming in! Check out what’s in season!
Make your own veggie pizza!
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped sweet peppers
- 1/3 cup chopped spinach
- cooking oil or spray
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush your tortillas with oil or spray.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on each tortilla.
- Add peppers, spinach and sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
- Place on baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove and serve!
*recipe inspired by mommables*
What’s in Season Right Now?
- Peaches
- Blueberries
- Leafy Greens
- Summer squash
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Beets
- Onions
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Peppers
- Hot Peppers
Even though the weather is nice outside we are still thinking about fall and winter months. We have started some more tomato seeds that will be planted in the greenhouse to help us extend our season once the frost has hit our plants outside. With these plants safe in the greenhouse we can continue to sell fresh, local tomatoes through the rest of our market season. Now maybe you don’t have the space to grow outside but don’t fret you can even grow on your window sill.
Grow Anywhere, Even Inside!
Materials/Setup
- small container
- potting soil or compost growing medium
- vermiculite if available
- seeds (radish, lettuce, broccoli, kale)
- clear plastic jug or clear plastic bag
- spray bottle or small cup
- plastic wrap
- dishtowel
- scissors
Provide a small container to plant in.( can be recycled, shallow container). Moisten potting soil in a separate container and remove excess water. Fill Container with damp soil and add seeds Spacing the seeds is not an issue with this exercise. Seed generously. Don’t cover with the soil, lightly cover with Vermiculite if available. Water lightly or mist. Cover with dish towel for heat and darkness. Check soil daily, if dry on surface water lightly. Once germinated remove the dish towel and place in sunny light. Add jug or clear bag over container to boost moisture and maximize growing heat. Harvest when seedlings are about 3 inches tall and have their true leaves.
Remember that plastic we talked about before? You can see it in action here, blocking weeds from growing up around the plants. Join us next month as we go on a little scavenger hunt to identify the different flowers that grow on these plants and what veggies or fruits they become!