IT'S SPRING....IN THE HOOPHOUSE!

I can relate to those folks who have a swimming pool in their backyard: their summer's are COOL!

But Lorrie & I like the hoophouse 'cause we get SPRING SOONER than anyone else! (That's snow outside the hoophouse by Lorrie's right shoulder.)


Work has begun in the hoophouse. A couple of weeks ago we started planting lettuce seeds in the ground. Now that we have warmer days, we are expereinceing near 70d temperatures in the hoophouse. The ground is warming up - to 55d. So, spinach is starting to grow! We'll transplant swiss chard and lettuce seedlings at the end of the week.

We'll be harvesting some greens in a few weeks.

LAST MARKET CUSTOMER BUYS TOMATOES!

Our last customer of the season at the Ludington market was Judith Dilia, who gladly bought the last 2 tomato's we had that day (we have more growing in the hoophouse - they'll be available at the farm stand).

Thank you to all our customers for your part in making this a wonderful year of vegetable growing. We had plenty of warm sunshine & just the right amount of rainfall at just the right time to make this one of most productive seasons. It is still simply amazing to Lorrie & I that all these nutrient dense vegetables can be organically grown. Sometimes when I'm standing out in the field, I am amazed at the Almighty's handiwork. 

As well, both of us are continually amazed at the desire for these vegetables by you, our customers. You eat these veggies - and come back for more each week. Our heartfelt thanks go out to you.

We are looking forward to a much needed break this winter. But, there will be other posts to this blog during that time.

Until next time........

11 year old speaks the truth about Industrial Agriculture

Click on this link for a YOU TUBE VIDEO of 11 year old Birke Baehr giving a 5 minute speech about the perils of industrial agriculture. He is the next generation organic farmer!

This is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y

MAKING COMPOST AT THE FARM, PART 2

Click here for a YOU TUBE VIDEO of the compost making operation at the Farm.

MAKING COMPOST AT THE FARM

It's compost making time at Peacefield Farm. This year I have a manure spreader to assist in the operation: I load the spreader with compost-ables (hay, manure, woodchips, garden waste, etc), then put the PTO in gear to run the spreader. The blades on the spreader flail the material out in a distincive pattern behind the stationary spreader and make a pile about 6 - 8 feet wide at the base and about 5 ft high at the center. When the spreader is empty I move it forward 2 -3 feet and fill it again. What you see behind the spreader is called a compost windrow; its about 30 ft long at this stage in the process. The windrow on the right is finished and "working" right now.

My "livestock" then go to work consuming all the goodies in the pile. In the process they create heat - up to 140d F - that kills off any weed seed. Who are my "livestock"? Bacteria. Fungi. Nematodes. Worms. Other little creatures that like the food in the pile. I have billions of 'em!

Once the pile cools down a few degrees, I then turn the pile to start the process all over again.

Lisianthus is in bloom!

Lorrie is all smiles! She has endeavored for years(!) to grow lisianthus, and always without success. Until this year! She now has 5 plants, all with numerous blossoms - blue, ivory and pink! And she is in her glory! The stems are only about 6-7" long so she hesitates to cut them, but wants to encourage additional blooming. What to do, O, what to do???

If you see me sprouting a bloom on my lapel, you'll know it's a "lisi". And if you see Lorrie smiling, you'll know why.

ONION HARVEST

Our onions are being harvested. We have two kinds this year: Prince (a yellow sweet onion that is an excellent storage onion) and Red Bull (a red onion, also an excellent keeper). As you can see from the photo, the Prince is HUGE! Most are the size of softballs! And the Red Bull is no slouch, either: they are just as large as the Prince.

And we have a lot of 'em.  See us at the Ludington Market on Friday, or at Pentwater on Monday's and Thursday's.

SWEET CORN HARVEST

We picked 3 bushel of sweet corn (Bodacious) and froze it for winter eating today!
Mmmmmm....good!! There is nothing like ORGANICALLY grown sweet corn: it's good and good for you, too!

Banana Potato's

No, they don't look like banana's....and, no, they don't taste like banana's. But they are sweet, just like banana's!
This is the first year we've grown these wonderful tubers. They steam up quickly and are a delicious addition to your summer supper meals. Excellent grilled, too!

You can get them at the Pentwater Market (Monday's or Thursday's) or the Ludington Market (Friday's) or at our Roadside Stand.

Pentwater Farmers Market

Peacefield Farm is at the Pentwater Market, 10 am - 2 pm every Monday and Thursday. Lots of veggies to sell: SWEET CORN, New Potato's, TOMATO'S, including Heirlooms, Cherry and Low-acid types.

Come see us at the market!