Fighting Mother Nature

In farming, there's no such thing as perfect conditions. It can be too warm, too cold, too dry, too wet. Each condition brings its pros and cons. This year it is too wet. It's great for most crop growth, but insects and fungus love this as well. We have been fighting, tooth and nail trying to beat the insects. When you grow organic, the fight is even tougher. There are some insecticides that would easily wipe out the insect problem and you would be done with that until you spray again. The problem with insecticides, as you know, is that they will kill beneficial insects too. Also, it is difficult if not impossible to fully remove insecticides off of the vegetables and you end up ingesting the chemicals.

Having said that, we use row covers that simply block the insects from attacking the plant, hand removing the critters and also use natural sprays, such as Neem oil and hot pepper spray. Right now, we're winning more than the insects, but the battle is real.

Now this week's CSA share will include the following:

Lettuce

Carrots

Cabbage

Yellow Squash

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumbers

Beets

Kale

Dill

Beans