Happy Friday! I’m so glad it’s finally here, but probably not for the same reason most of you are. To some, Friday night may mean the end of the work week and the beginning of a relaxing weekend off. However, for others including us here at Kirby’s, Friday means you better have everything prepped for the beautiful weekend ahead. It means the truck should be loaded to the brim, ready to head off to Rochester Public Market at 4:30 in the morning Saturday and Sunday during May. The weekends are absolute craziness and I love it!
Anyway, on a lighter note… Apple trees are still blooming! Hopefully you’re not sick of seeing so many fruit blossoms, because I know I’m not. These baby apple trees are the SnapDragons, which may hold the title of Chad’s Favorite Apple. It’s a tough decision though, there are so many great varieties. Along with the apples, Strawberries have joined in with the fun! The stripes of green plants in between the golden straw have acquired thousands of white beautiful little flowers. Similar to other fruits, the earliest plants to bloom will be the first ready to eat! That’s how I like to look at it anyway. We prefer to plant three different varieties, that ripen at different times, so that we can be harvesting and selling strawberries for an extended period of time.
The sweet corn is looking just gorgeous! Can you tell which row was under the row cover and which was all on it’s lonesome out in the cold? (The more luscious, taller green stalks were under the cover in case you were wondering) Both of these rows were planted at the same time, however one was nice and warm under the row cover, while the other was left out. This is a great example of how row cover is supposed to work. Sometimes if you’re not careful, it can actually cook plants while they are “protected” under it, or so they thought. Fresh transplants can get severely damaged if it is placed on at the wrong time. The row cover we had on this sweet corn was one of the thickest you can buy. We also have very thin row covers that are designed for keeping bugs out as opposed to warming the soil. This is what we put on our radishes this Monday. I had just seeded the radishes Saturday, and before they popped out of the grown, we got them covered. There are two pests we are primarily keeping out: flea beetles, and a type of root maggot. Flea beetles come in droves and literally chew holes right through the leaves of lots of different brassicas. They really love radish leaves and asian greens/vegetables. Root maggots are nasty little boogers that drill holes in the roots of radishes, turnips, and beets. These are a few of my least favorite things! Luckily doing a good job of covering the radishes will completely take care of them, so we don’t have to use any insecticides!
These lush, vegetative, and flourishing raspberry plants are among the crops we planted this week. Don’t worry, they actually are about to be lush and green. If you saw the powerhouse of roots that are on the bottom of these stark naked stems, you would not be concerned. They come as bare root, dormant plants ready to be put in the ground and take off. I’ll be posting more pictures as they grow. One way raspberry plants reproduce is by their roots. Once they spread through the ground underneath, they send fresh shoots up into the world. The plastic we have them planted on is going to give those roots a really well watered, warm, and weed-free space to grow.
Nasturtium seedlings! Aren't they the most adorable dicotyledonous seedlings you've ever seen? They definitely are mine. These are one of the seven edible flowers I seeded last week. They have all come up wonderfully. I can't wait to get them planted out in the cut flower garden and get a taste of them all!
That's all for this week, thank you for reading! See you back here next Friday.