After a week of sunshine and warm weather, we were so sad when we saw the forecast for this week. Rain, cool weather, and a possible overnight frost. : /
 |
| The Old Orchard came out in full blossom earlier this week, lets hope the frost doesn't ruin it :/ |
But even with these potential "road blocks" we still have a lot we need to accomplish. We still need to plant tomatoes, squash, peppers, and next years strawberries.
We decided to spend the week getting next years strawberries in the ground. Some of you may be confused by this...Why would they be planting next years Strawberries when this years hasn't even begun??
Well, when it comes to planting an abundance of sweet, delicious strawberries it is best to allow the plants to establish themselves so they can produce a bountiful crop. So we give our Strawberry plants one full season to grow without harvesting, this is what helps to ensure the larger, more plentiful berries, that we all love, for the next year.
The planting process is very tedious. We get our plants and we transplant them into the freshly, plowed earth using a tractor and a transplanter machine. The hired help feeds the plant into the machine and it plants the roots deep in the ground. However, the help needs to put it into the machine perfectly, otherwise you may not plant it high enough or deep enough. The plants should be settled in with their crowns at the surface of the soil. (The crown is the fleshy part of the plant where the leaves develop, just above the roots.) If planted too high, the roots will dry out, and if planted too deeply, the plants will not grow well. So it takes a very skilled hand to plant thousands of strawberry plants just right.
Now that you know the tedious process behind planting Strawberries, lets take a look and see if last year's hard work has paid off!
The Strawberries are continuing to blossom as the days go by. We are beginning to smell that sweet aroma, whenever we go into the field. With the warm weather and rain everything will continue to flourish.
A lot of people have been wondering if the heavy rains from this week will have a negative effect on the crops. The answer is, No. Sunny Hill Farm is positioned ontop of a sand hill and moisture is NOT a problem on high, sandy ground. However, the cold weather has had a slowing effect on the crops. This explains why Strawberries are a little behind this year, but with the recent warm-up they're starting to bud now.
The Sugar Snap Peas are also enjoying the rain...not so much the cold. But even under the present circumstances they continue to grow everyday. The day to day changes are amazing to watch.
Though we still have awhile to wait for these vegetables to be in season, the Sweet Corn and Onions are beginning to come to life, as they burst forth from the ground and begin collecting their biomass.
 |
| The "Corn Stalks" are currently about the size of your thumb. They've got quite a ways to grow. |
The rain definitely kept us on our toes this week. Numerous times we had to rush tractors and equipment out of the fields in order to beat the coming downpour. At one point, it began to hail and we became fearful that the hail would cause damage to our machines. But, Thank God, we were able to get everything put away in time. Also we are happy to announce that the overnight frost caused no damage to any crops! Praise the Lord! We're suppose to be receiving a warm-up in the week to come...will summer finally begin?? I guess we'll find out!!
 |
| Although delayed, the woods are finally beginning to take on their lush, green color. |
Till Next Time!
~Sunny Hill Farm
No comments:
Post a Comment