Blue Gate Farm News – Volume XIV, Number 4  –  May 2011

 

 

Weather notes:

Precipitation this month: Rain: 4.5

 

 

What’s up on the farm?

 

The summer bird population continues to grow.  The hummingbirds returned in the past couple of weeks.  They are usually the last to arrive, so it seems that the summer bird gangs have all arrived.  Some of the earliest birds have already nested and the young are starting to fledge.  Awkward young birds can be seen hopping here and there across the farm.  We again have a Killdeer nesting in the upper garden, so we get a good show every time we work in the area.  That is one dedicated and overdramatic bird!

 

Progress on the new packing shed/storage building continues to move forward, due almost solely to the efforts of Jill’s dad.  The roof is on ¾ of the structure and siding is done on the east lean-to.  It is shaping up to be one big, beautiful building!

 

The prognosis on Sean’s knee has improved with an MRI confirming no unexpected damage.  The swelling has greatly reduced and Sean is again tackling his normal repertoire of chores, though a little more slowly than pre-accident.

 

The chickens are enjoying the rain-encouraged flush of fresh grasses and the buffet of warm-weather insects. The pullets have matured nicely and now just look like slightly lighter-weight versions of our older hens.  Last week we started getting the first eggs from the new birds, so by the time the CSA starts in a couple of weeks we should be flush with eggs.

 

The Des Moines Farmers Market opened on May 7th.  We have enjoyed seeing vendor and customer friends, including many current CSA members.  Due to utility and street work, our booth has been relocated – we are still on Court Avenue but one block west (toward the Courthouse) of our old location, between 2nd and 3rd.

 

The past few weeks have been a marathon of activity for the farm crew.  Thousands of transplants have gone into the fields and high tunnels including: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil, squashes, onions, leeks, shallots, potatoes, cucumbers, cabbages and broccoli, not to mention the 6,500 asparagus crowns.  There has also been much weeding, hoeing, composting and tilling to get everything ready for the season.  For now, we are right on schedule for most of the vegetable crops and even a little ahead on a few.  This is just the way we like to see a season take shape.

 

We are planning the first CSA delivery to be Tuesday, June 7, barring any unforeseen difficulties.  CSA delivery locations for the upcoming season will remain the same: Tuesdays at Ritual Café in DM (5pm – 6:30pm), at The Next Chapter Bookstore in Knoxville (4pm – 5:45pm) and on-farm (anytime after 3:30pm). 

 

New Member Orientation: We will be holding two orientation meeting for new CSA members in the upcoming weeks.  Tuesday, May 31 at 5pm at Ritual Café for new DM-area members and Wednesday, June 1 at 5pm at The Next Chapter for new Knoxville-area members.  Please make the time to come to one of these important meetings.  We will provide lots of information and tips to make your CSA experience even better.

 

 

That’s about it this month, if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know.  If you want more news about the farm and all our goings-on, you can follow us on our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and you can follow us on Facebook, just search Blue Gate Farm and “Like” us.

 

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean (and Blue & Luci)