summer comes in a flood!

I leave town for a week and come back to a flood in Duluth! Over eight inches in one day in places!  I was in southern Wisconsin for the week and found out about the flood on my way back up north.  I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it home, Duluth was in a "state of emergency"!  I had to take a different route home since my normal route was washed right out to the lake in places.  The rivers were rushing and a rich caramel color.  The whole bay in Duluth was brown for two days.  Roads are closed in and around Duluth, there are sink holes and piles of dirt and rocks on the roads.  I was extremely worried about the farm, we were too wet a few weeks ago when we got eight inches over EIGHT DAYS...luckily they had no damage.  The pond rose three feet and came up to the high tunnels, but went down to the normal level within a few hours.  Whew!

It almost seems fitting that this flood happened, because the day before I left for the week the farmer warned me, "It's not the $10,000 catastrophe that will kill the farm, it's all the little $10 mistakes that will get ya!".  Even so, I couldn't imagine what they would have done if all 8,000 pepper plants had washed away!  Do you have any form of farm insurance at your farm?  How do you prepare (or are you prepared at all?!) for disasters?

Now that the flood has passed, things are really kicking at the farm.  I was gone for almost a week and my how things have grown!  The high tunnels are now scary, scary jungles full of buzzing bees and angry biting insects!  Snakes hide beneath the undergrowth, awaiting to jump at my unsuspecting hand!  Ok, so I am exaggerating, but they do look a little like a jungle:

I remind you, this is about a month ago

The same high tunnel yesterday! Wow!

These tomato plants are over my head! I am only 5'1'', but still...

Before I left I planted 1,400 broccoli seeds and 200 lettuce seeds.  These will be used for succession planting later on in the season.  Planting seeds is always a little nerve racking for me, what if they don't grow?!?! is always going through my head.  Luckily, they did grow!

Week old lettuce seedlings

Planting the lettuce seeds was relatively easy, they are about the size of this letter: O . The broccoli on the other hand, was a nightmare, the seeds were about this size: . And after the farmer's warning of the "ten dollar mistakes" and commenting that the seeds are expensive, I was stressing about not wasting the seeds and planting them correctly!  I'm musing that the "ten dollar mistakes" might have been directed at me....

But, I haven't made any major mistakes resulting in serious crop failure yet, indeed, things are growing quite well!

Ace Pepper, out in the field

Cabbage, no wait, cauliflower! They look so similar at this stage.

Grape tomatoes in the high tunnel

Tomatoes in another high tunnel, I think these are either "Early Girl" or "Sunstart" variety

Almost ripe!

Nothing else says summer like a ripe strawberry!

Something's been munching...might be the cutworms that are attacking the tomato and basil plants in this high tunnel.

Almost perfect except for the little munch spot.

Zucchini plants in the field, these will be ready for market next week!

It is extremely exciting/rewarding to see everything growing.  I got to take home some cucumbers yesterday, so crisp and tasty! When you eat things fresh and in season, you are reminded of how terrible produce in the grocery store can be, even if they are organic.  No Driscoll's strawberry can live up to a fresh, ripe one from your home! 

In other farm news, things are getting a little noisy around the barn due to the growing:

Chickens! These big guys are almost two months old, they are no longer cute looking to me (meaning I can envision them as supper), and will be the first batch to get slaughtered in a week.  They are the "Cornish Cross" breed, most often used on small farms.

This little guy is three weeks old.  The rest of his brood was in the corner of the barn.  The older chickens won't let them go outside yet, but once they are, ehem, gone, these guys will go outdoors too.

And these little peepers are only a day old! They are still, obviously, adorable and fluffy, I can't imagine them on my plate quite yet.

Here is the chicken's pasture.  At this moment most of the chickens were in the barn, probably to stay out of the heat.  

 

 

I can't wait for things to pick up full swing.  The farmers still don't need me at the market on Saturdays, today they brought some early beets, lettuce, and basil to the market.  Once July rolls around, things will need picking almost everyday. I took home my last cart full of transplants yesterday, plus the cucumbers, and I can't wait for fresh strawberries (hopefully) next week!

Benefits of working on a farm: Tomato plants, chive, squash, basil, cucumbers, lettuce! Yum!

And one more thing for today, just because she is so darn cute:

Ginger is growing too!

What are you bringing to market or putting in a CSA share at your farm?  How is the weather for you? Not enough rain? Too much? Or just right?