It was a great couple of days on the farm.
On Saturday, Angelica and I redid Caterpillar 2 (the one dismantled by the wind last week), then Jason helped us fix Caterpillar 1’s wind damage.
After those issues were set right, Caterpillar 1 was filled with broccoli, Swiss chard, and kale transplants.
On Sunday morning, we planted in the Big Tunnel for the first time ever! We started with lettuce and pac choi transplants. Then, Angelica and I planted the first tomatoes of the season. (Returning CSA members will be happy to know that sungold cherry tomatoes went in the Big Tunnel! These bright, orange, cherry tomatoes are fantastic for snacking and cooking. They taste like sunshine.)
Doesn’t this Asian green look crunchy?!
Later in the day, Angelica practiced using the seeders. (We have a Jang and an Earthway.) Carrots, peas, beets, and French breakfast radishes were seeded in the Big Tunnel. Last spring, we spent hours weeding and trellising several hundred feet of peas, only to have the deer munch the vines down to stumps overnight. However, with the Big Tunnel, they should be safe. This was just our first major planting of the season. Many more to come! - Stella
Here’s the weekend rundown:
Carrots: 90 feet
Lettuce and pac choi: 95 feet total (Pac choi is an Asian green. Tasty in stir-frys and soups.)
Red Russian kale: 100 feet
Green curly kale: 100 feet
Swiss chard: 40 feet
Broccoli: 100 feet
Red cherry tomatoes: 80 feet
Sungold cherry tomatoes: 45 feet
Peas: 90 feet
Beets: 90 feet
French breakfast radishes: 90 feet
Baby broccoli under a Caterpillar tunnel.
Friends who would know - is this a silvery checkerspot?
UPDATE: CSA member Dianne checked with her husband, Rich, a zoologist. This butterfly is an Eastern Comma, one of the first butterflies to arrive for the season. Thanks, Rich! This particular Eastern Comma was rescued by Jason from under plastic.