Farm Update

I thought I'd give you an update on what's happening here at Burns Best Farm.    Here are my thoughts so far:

• Tomatoes - We have planted almost 30 varieties this year.  On the 19th and 26th of April we had planting parties and got ninety percent of them planted.  I still have several plants in the greenhouse that need to be transplanted - mostly the striped varieties.  We have just about every color planted - purple, pink, red, yellow, reddish brown, greens, orange and even a couple white varieties this year. The plants are looking pretty good with very few lost since planting.  I did some early pruning of the lower stems again this week which should help them grow even better.  The plants are 1-2 feet tall and I'm beginning to see some blooming.  I went a little overboard on certain colors like green and certain varieties like Japanese Black Trifle. 
• Squash - so far we have about 100 squash plants in the ground that were started in the greenhouse.  They are putting on good foliage.  A couple of new varieties this year include an Italian round zuchini and Zephyr.  We'll plant more in a few weeks by direct seeding.
• Peppers - Lots of peppers this year with five varieties - Islander, Sweet Italia, Jalapeno, Ancho, Green Bell
• Lettuce - several varieties of reds and greens, arugula, chard, Napa cabbage
• Beets - two types of reds and a golden
• Other Crops - Three types of radish, green onions, broccoli raab
• Peas - Spring green peas (three varieties), plus snow peas
• Yet to be planted - okra and french filet beans, cucumbers (Diva and Marketmore), cantaloupe/muskmelons, Sugar Baby watermelons
• Weeds - yep we are growing lots of weeds!  Actually things look pretty weed free at the moment but I know if I blink that will change.

Overall, we have more variety planted at this time than ever before.  We tend to rely a lot on our berries which are looking pretty good this year despite last year's record freeze out.  We've been blessed with some well-timed rains which means little irrigation has been required.  We are looking forward to seeing our customers again at our various markets and outlets.  Also, we may try a couple new markets during the week closer to home.  This might include a weekly farm stand with posted hours.  We'll keep you updated as decisions are made.