(With all the rainy weather in Connecticut this past month, I wondered how this was impacting local farmers and their crops. So, I asked my farmer friend Patti Popp to write a guest post about the ups and downs of farming.)
Farming in New England is always challenging. Spurts of warm days, then late frosts, not enough rain and then this month way too much rain. So what’s a farmer to do? Well not too much. As much as one tries to plan the perfect produce year, we all come to realize very quickly that Mother Nature is really in charge. I run a 21 week CSA program here at my farm in Easton, feeding 75 families and boy how this weather has me stressed. Only in my 3rd year of farming, I too am still learning about all aspects of farming. Battling bugs, extreme weather conditions, and animals make it frustrating some days to just get through it. We are in our 5th week and my customers have been enjoying lot’s of lettuces varieties, kale, swiss chard and now a change with green cabbage, bok choy and broccoli. Watching seeds turn to seedlings and growing into produce can be an extremely rewarding experience if you are able to get through the turmoil that’s involved in the weeks between. For the home gardener, do not fret, the sun is shining now and will help to breathe life back into your plants. As a farmer, tomorrow is another day and we learn to be at the mercy of natures way. Happy gardening!!!
Editor’s Note: If you are ever in the Easton area, please stop in to see Patti and support Sport Hill Farm.