This is the time of year when the weeds start to win out. Early in the Spring and Summer we have a lot of pent-up energy to get outside and get growing food. We spend hours planning during the fall and eventually that translates to hours of planting and then weeding and then harvesting.
But when August rolls around, let us just say that the desire to weed has left the barn. Thankfully, we had a good stretch of weed free vegetables this year, but now the veggie patch, well I dare say, is a healthy mix of many different plants. 😊
I am not overly concerned about it, because at this point the weeds are not going to impact the growth of the vegetables since they were established, and most will be harvested soon. Weeding is important early when a crop is getting established, and the earlier the better! Thankfully both the weeds and the vegetables look healthy.
We are moving into our fall type crops at this point. In a more normal season, we would have planted a lot of winter vegetables, but with heat and lack of rain, we had to cut back on what to plant and focus our energies on nurturing existing plants. Thankfully, we have a large network of local farmers to supplement the Box of Good.
The Box of Good network is the backbone of what our family has created for the last 23 years. We love working with our neighboring farms and have built some great relationships. The beauty of it all is that each of the farms we work with excel at growing different crops. It often comes down to soil type and passion. We grow great beets, cucumbers lettuces and winter squash and another farm grows awesome leeks and kales or blueberries. Which means your Box of Good has the best of each of the farmers we work with.
It is at this point that my attention begins to switch from 2021 to 2022. Of course, our team is keeping an eye on all the crops still in the ground, but I am beginning to think about garlic plantings, compost and what types and where to plant our cover crops for the winter.
Farming is more akin to a merry go round, hopping on here and exiting there and getting back on here and as the seasons changes so does the work and its rhythms.
I am sure that I will look back on this year’s farm season and smile, while I am leaning on a hoe and wiping the sweat off my brow.
Thank you for supporting our mission to deliver food that nourishes your body and feeds your family.
–Tristan, Joelle, and Box of Good Crew