We’ve transplanted watermelon to the greenhouse and delivered our first CSA share for the season!

It is about time that we finally made ourselves pull the kale and swiss chard out of our greenhouse! These crops fed and nourished us all winter long and into the spring which is why it was so difficult for us to pull these crops up. The kale and swiss chard finally bolted (when a plant is very near to producing seed) and once these greens go to seed there is not much leaf production anymore thus not much edible crop! The kale and swiss chard should have been pulled up weeks ago to prepare the soil and transplant watermelons earlier. Not to mention, we are now eating greens from our spring crops planted in the fields which are so much more tender and tasty.

We have followed the kale and swiss chard crop with watermelons. Last year the rodents (probably rabbits and rats) ate the melons from the greenhouse but a tailgate market customer recommended a spray sold at Tractor Supply that is a mixture of cayenne pepper and rotten eggs which works fairly well in keeping rodents away. We simply need to spray once a month to keep the scent on the plants. (The crows eat the watermelons out in the fields which are why we are trying to them in a greenhouse.)

May 12^th was our first CSA harvest of the season. We had hoped for Strawberries but they just aren’t yet ripping in mass. Our first CSA share consisted of: salad mix, spicy greens mix, spinach, arugula, tatsoi, baby boc choi, radishes and zucchini. We were able to provide the Saturday CSA members with Strawberries!  We think that strawberries are among some of the tastiest fruit of the season.

(We were ecstatic that we were able to provide the Wednesday CSA members strawberries for their second box of produce for the season that was delivered last week!  In addition, Monday the 17th,, we transplanted our final spring crop of broccoli, boc choi and napa cabbage.)