Kristin Kimball shares the news from Essex Farm in Essex, NY:
“No complaints about the weather this week. The rain left the fields steaming in yesterday’s late-afternoon sun. The grass is taller and greener every time I cross the pasture. The farm feels young and fecund. We have been lunching outside next to the pond, and on Tuesday, Scott picked up a toad that got caught up in our circle. The toad sat still in Scott’s hand and croaked and burred his green spring desires to the world at large. We have had cool breezes and warm sun, and still no horseflies. Birds are busy with their domestic arrangements, making good music to work by. And plenty of work there is.
All the drained ground is ready now. Next year’s strawberries were planted just ahead of the rain – 3000 crowns. Sweet corn is in, too, the first planting in a series of two-week successions. If it goes well we will have sweet corn all through late summer and early fall. But that if is a big one.
Organically grown sweet corn is not an easy proposition. Beyond the usual challenges (fertility, weeds, worms, etc.), the seed is not treated with chemicals to deter birds. Corn seedlings are like bird crack. Crows and seagulls can decimate a whole field in no time. We have used scare tape in the past, with limited success; this year we’re going with a circus-like approach, adding balloons, flashy CDs, row covers, and sporadic shotgun blasts. I bet the crows will take the hint, but the seagulls — more plentiful, and not quite as sharp — will need constant vigilance…” Continue reading this Essex Farm Note.
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