Monthly Archive for July, 2010

Harvest:
The crews start the day harvesting zucchini, followed by lettuces, mesclun salad mix, flowers  and herbs.  Then we tackle the root crops: carrots, radishes, beets.  We load up baskets with beans, swiss chard, peppers, arugula and spinach.  Next on the list are tomatoes, raspberries, eggplants and kohlrabi.  Potatoes and blueberries are picked mid-day and then its time to plant, weed, hoe and care for tomorrow’s crops.
Just up the road in Springfield, NH is Star Lake Farm.  This 1,700 acre working farm grows hay and forage crops, produces maple syrup, and raises Scottish Highland Beef cattle.  These cattle are grass fed and raised outside in beautifully maintained pastures.  We are proud to offer Star Lake Farm beef here at the stand.  It is, quite simply, delicious.
Our first sweet corn of the season is about one week away.  In the meantime, we are sourcing corn from our farmer friend (everyone should have a farmer friend) Alex MacLennan in Windsor Vt.  We drive up every morning and load the truck with bags of corn that he just picked.  Alex does a great job and we are always sure of his high quality and delicious sweet corn.
Tomatoes and cucumbers are available in quantity for canning and pickling.  Now is the time to preserve some of this summer’s flavors to enjoy all year.  Tomatoes and Pickling cucumbers in bulk (20 lb.) boxes can be ordered and picked up at the farmstand.  A loyal customer sent us this recipe for her Famous Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles.  Sounds delicious.

Cutting Garden:
Our cutting garden is now open for Pick Your Own.  This week, our favorites include Rudbeckia Prairie Sun, Poppy seed heads, Zinnias, and several varieties of Amaranth for those wild and wacky bouquets.
We have freshly-picked bouquets in the farmstand seven days a week.  The garden is a great place to walk and peruse the many varieties of annual and perennial cut flowers available for your own garden.

Corn Maze Update:
What a difference a few weeks of hot weather makes.  The corn maize corn is well over our heads now (its even taller than Greg) and we are quickly making plans to open up on August 9th.  The maze is growing in the field adjacent to Springledge – just past the raspberry rows behind the stone wall.  It is part of the Messer field and can be glimpsed as you drive on Little Sunapee Road. Access will be through Springledge.

So far, this summer is really summer.  We’ve experienced record high temperatures and humidity levels to match.  If you’ve spent part of the day outside in the sun, you know how exhausted your body feels.  Imagine spending all day rooted in the same place.  Your plants take the brunt of the weather and with the dry, hot conditions, they may not look their best.
The effects of heat and drought for plants can mean increased pest pressures since the plants are stressed, severe wilting, drying and senescence of the leaf edges and tips, loss of flowers (including a slow recovery of buds, which means the plants stay green, but lack flowers) and even…”kaput”, plant death.
With the worst weather behind us, most plants should start to revive and look better in the weeks ahead.  If you have a few holes in the garden, we have many plants on sale that can spruce up the yard.  The sale includes all annuals, geraniums, hanging baskets, roses, herbs, shrubs and perennials.  Please be sure to water in your plants well and provide plenty of moisture during August.

Tips for your perennial gardens during the “dog days” of summer:
Here are some good ideas and garden tasks for late July:
1) Cut back perennials that are spent or done blooming and they may bloom again such as Nepeta, Salvia & Leucanthemum.
2 Dead head  summer blooming perennials to encourage more blooms, like Echinacea , Rudbeckia and Heliopsis.
3) Fertilize one more time. No more fertilizing after early August
4) Water deeply (this is so hard to teach  this concept, but many perennials suffer from the shallow daily waterings that are given by over-enthusiastic irrigation systems). Perennials should be deeply watered every 2-3 days until established.   Deep watering promotes root growth down into the soil and protects the plant from drought conditions.
5)  Mulch lightly to cool soil and give a fresh look to gardens for August.
6) Take notes or pictures as to what you might want to move or divide this fall
7) Stop by Springledge to see what you can find on sale to fill in the bare spots, add new texture or bring in a different color to your perennial garden
Pick a nice bouquet to sit on the dining room table and enjoy your perennial garden both inside and out.
All Perennials and Shrubs now 20% off