Kinda Rainy, Kinda Cold

May 25, 2025

The weather pattern these past 4 weeks has been both admirable and aggravating in its consistency.  Clear wind Monday to Tuesday, cold rain Wednesday to Friday, and a mixed bag for the weekend. A rainy spring is generally a good thing—transplants need plenty of water to get going, but the cold is a real setback. We delayed transplanting the heat-loving crops (tomatoes, eggplant, and cukes) until the plants got leggy. Then we took our chances. The crew has kept a stiff upper lip throughout these wet conditions, and I’m grateful for their fortitude. At night, though, it’s the plants I worry about. Fingers crossed it warms up soon.

Strawberry season is upon us, and who doesn’t love picking strawberries in the rain? Our CSA members certainly don't mind. Several years ago, when a cold Memorial Day rain threatened to turn the berries into jam just as they were peaking, I put out an S.O.S. to the members—COME AND GET ‘EM! I wasn’t entirely surprised when dozens of members heeded the call, dressed for a Nor’easter. Strawberries wait for no one, and when you’ve paid in advance, you learn very quickly the pitfalls of waiting for perfect weather. Since then, I’ve almost taken it for granted that all CSA members understand the ephemeral nature of strawberries. But as we stare down another cold season, the call bears repeating: STRAWBERRIES—COME AND GET ‘EM! You may freeze your butts off, but you’ll be happy you did.

We installed the tomato posts last week. Our system is unique and certainly not straight-forward. Rather than a simple wooden or metal post for every 1-2 plants, we install a split fence rail for every 15-20 plants, with several ½” conduits spaced in between. Chalk it up to our penchant for salvage. Most of our fields were bordered by split rail fences when launched the farm 18 years ago. Repurposing these rails seemed like a natural way of honoring the landscape and practicing thrift, even if it meant a less-than-practical material for the job at hand. Installing the 8-12’ rails means drilling 3’ holes with the tractor-powered auger, setting the rails in place by hand, and backfilling the holes with soil. The job can take several hours or all day, depending on the crew. Can we grow tomatoes as effectively without fence rail posts? Absolutely. Will it change the look and feel of the farm? Absolutely. Is change possible? It depends. If there’s anything my 11 months on the school board has taught me, it’s how difficult—yet necessary—change can be. Regarding future changes in the tomato field, I’ll keep you posted. Pun intended. 

CSA pickups and the Tuesday farm stand resume this week, and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone back. Jackie and Nancy are well-known to y’all, but Thomas Lennon joined in April, and he’s excited to finally match some faces to some names. Alice Sztabinski, meanwhile, has crossed the threshold from CSA kid—tagging along while mom collected the share—to CSA crew—actually cultivating the share. For Thomas and Alice especially, but for us veteran farmers as well, watching CSA members fill their bags with a hard-won harvest is the crowning moment in the farm crew experience.

 

So come wind, rain, or snow (anything’s possible), we’ll be there on Tuesday to celebrate the first harvest with you.

 

Thanks for reading,

Caroline