Cherry tomatoes soaking up that summer sun!
Last week ushered in the first day of summer a.k.a the Summer Solstice a.k.a. the longest day of the year. The plants have been soaking up 15+ hours of sunlight a day. The people of Four Root Farm have been out in the fields not quite that many hours a day, but sometimes it feels like it. Greens have been appearing on our farmers’ market tables and online ordering platform. Kale, chard, chinese broccoli, and lettuce mix are all available now and should remain available into the fall. There may be a quick break between our spring and fall successions, but the break will hopefully be brief and filled with other delicious produce!
And speaking of other delicious produce, the summer favorites - tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and more - are well on their way! Want to know when to expect them? Here’s a quick look into our fields for a vegetable status update:
Peas: We’re now in peak pea season, folks! They’re here en masse this week, and we expect them to stick around for about another 1-2 weeks. This year, we have sugar snap, shelling, and snow peas to share with you. Once the summer heat really sets in, these plants start to die back. Pea season isn’t long, but it is delicious. We hope you’re enjoying it!
Summer Squash: The season of squash has begun. We brought the first of the squash to market last weekend. If you missed out, don’t worry. There’s plenty more where that came from! We have yellow squash, green zucchini, a green and yellow hybrid, pattypan squash, and more! And we should have it through mid-August. Get your spiralizers ready.
Cucumbers: The first cucumbers are here! We split the first one 7 ways amongst the whole team last Friday. There should be some on the market table this weekend and (hopefully!) many more to follow through July. Check them out winding up their trellis!
Eggplants: The Fairy Tale eggplants are in the ground. They’re tucked safely under insect netting to give some protection from pests. Once they’ve grown bigger and start making little purple flowers, we’ll uncover them to let pollinators do their thing. The other eggplant varieties were recently planted in one of the high tunnels. August is likely when all these purple pretties will be available to eat.
Baby pepper plants are the cutest of all the baby plants.
Peppers: We were a little behind on pepper planting this year. There are rows and rows of young pepper plants out in the field now though. Our usual purple peppers and sweet red and yellow peppers should become available in mid-August. For our fans of spice, we plan to harvest the first of the hot peppers this week or next! Also, we planted an entire additional bed of hot peppers this year. If you were waiting for a sign to start making your own hot sauce, this is it!
Tomatoes: Okay, I’ve kept you on the edge of your seats long enough. Tomatoes are looking great! They receive weekly pruning and trellising to keep them healthy, happy, and directing as much energy as possible toward fruit production. You can expect cherry tomatoes in early July and then more tomato varieties in the one to two weeks that follow. It’s tough to say how long tomato season will last. These plants are quite particular and prone to disease if the weather doesn’t go exactly their way. With a bit of luck, we’ll be eating tomato sandwiches well into September. Keep your fingers crossed!
-Kiersten
