Where has May gone?!?

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May is almost over. I love May: spring has sprung, the flowers are fabulous, planting time is rewarding—you get the picture. This year, we started with lilacs blooming on May first and ended the month cutting lots of peonies. In between, we had sun, rain, thunderstorms, five days straight of rain, deluges of rain, threats of derechos and hail, cold and overcast, hot and humid. Never a dull moment!

Strawberries finally started May 21 (only about 10 days late, which considering how cold it was in April is not too bad!). Picking berries happens when it is dry, so we have been dodging the rain!

Fortunately, asparagus loves the rain and has been growing like crazy. And it is ok to cut asparagus while it is wet.

While it is raining outside, we tend all the plants inside. We are very grateful that we set up the second large heated house in the fall, which transitioned from lettuce to tomatoes by the end of the month. First, tomato plants were planted in-between the lettuce rows, staked and tied up. As the lettuce was harvested, the tomato plants grew and are now pushing 6 feet in height and producing tomatoes for harvest. The snap peas finished their fabulous production run, vines were pulled out and cucumbers were planted. The basil is very happy in the greenhouse and is producing well. It was great to be able to have basil in the shares this early in the season. The sweet pea vines began flowering in profusion and we have lots of bouquets with sweet peas.

The fava beans in their own high tunnel grew a couple of feet and are producing lots of favas. A nice treat to be able to pick those for our CSA shares.

The rhubarb, lettuce, and kale planted in the field have tolerated the weather see-saw and are growing just fine. All of the perennial herbs are back and growing well, giving us a great selection. Love having an abundance of greens for the market and for the shares!

Our second Philadelphia farmers market started May 16. Of course, it rained. Plus our Saturday market at Fitler’s Square in Philadelphia is extra busy. Now we are all extra busy with preparing for the farmers markets, packing for our special orders, planting thousands of plants outside, and helping customers select flower and vegetable plants for their home gardens. Our business partners who provide a site for CSAs for their employees or have a market for their employees are adding special orders. By the end of May, we feel like the summer rush is upon us, no matter the weather. 

~ Ruth
And, we've started a video list of what is in the shares each week. 
Make sure you check it out!




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