So much happening on the farm every day
The warm and sunny weather we have been having means everything is growing so much and if you don’t look at something for a day or two it looks so different the next time you see it.
Just two weeks ago we did not have much spinach but last week it all grew rapidly that we were able to harvest a good amount Friday for market.
After not having enough spinach all winter it is nice to see all the spring planted spinach coming in even though the season will be short with the hot weather we will have sometime in mid/late May.
For all of our spring planted leafy greens and veggies it is such a short season before it gets too hot for them so once they are ready to harvest there is a shorter window to pick them than in the fall.
Starting today we are back at the Wednesday Davis Farmers Market in Central Park. For the next two weeks it will be from 3-6pm and then from May through September the hours will be 4-8 pm for Picnic in the Park.
While we are harvesting spring veggies, there are a lot of summer veggies from potatoes to cucumber and green beans already in the ground and growing.
After planting the peppers, eggplant and basil a few weeks ago it is time to do a serious weeding on them. The plants have been hiding under row cover which has warmed up the temperature and kept some of the wind off of them but it has also been the ideal climate for weeds to grow.
It won’t be too long before we start harvesting the basil with the great weather we are having and then sometime in mid or late June the first eggplant and peppers may be ready.
While those summer crops are in the ground growing we are planting the next round of tomatoes today. It is the third of five plantings we will do this year and on Monday we seeded the last planting in the greenhouse.
Some of the first tomatoes we planted have some small tomatoes on them and lots of flowers which is very exciting to be not too far away from tomato season.
In addition to the tomatoes flowering, the citrus is flowering and at a crucial stage. Over the winter and early spring the citrus trees were drinking all the water from the rain but now that we have not had rain for a little bit we need to irrigate them to prevent them from getting stressed and having less fruit.
The first irrigation of the season always requires more attention to see if there are any leaks, broken pieces or clogged emitters preventing the trees from getting the water they need.
Last week we had the last of the lemons at market and this week will be the final Late Lane oranges of the season. We will have Rio Red grapefruit for another couple of weeks before citrus season officially ends until December.
Starting this week our olive oil is now in the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op so if you can’t make it to Davis, you can pick it up there. We also are shipping the olive oil in packs of three bottles anywhere in the continental US.
