After a few chilly, rainy days, Environment Canada is announcing sunnier weather for the coming week. Clement skies are what we were waiting for — a heavenly window, both literal and figurative, that will provide an opportunity for us to prepare for next year’s crop rotation as we sow our fall green manure crops. In agriculture, timing is everything — as is sequencing, particularly now, as we begin our soil preparation for next year. We need at least a week of clear weather for things to dry out sufficiently in order for us to enter the fields with the necessary equipment. We have to spread manure, then harrow — once, twice, perhaps even three times — wait a bit, then do one or two passes with the s-tine cultivator…and finally sow our green manure crops in early September. Even as we still have more than two months to go with our basket deliveries, fall soil prep signals that the fields will soon be able to rest.
On another note, we’re pleased to share this newsflash with you: in their competition for best local, organic recipe of the summer, Équiterre awarded first place to an Arlington Gardens partner, Anaïs Berzi, for her delicious chocolate zucchini bread. Congrats, Anaïs!