I like to say that the harvest season still has a long way to go and that summer still has a few spectacular days left, but these are risky – or at the very least, incomplete – statements. Harvests are but one of the many things that keep us busy at the farm these days. Field preparation for next year is also on our agenda, a task for which the window of possibilities diminishes with every passing day. For each field harvested, there remains a large chunk of cleaning to be accomplished, much harrowing to be completed and countless green manures to be sown in haste.
I say a window that is fast closing
because from September onwards the days of sunlight shorten and plant growth slows. Which is why one has to hurry and sow one’s green manures as quickly as possible, by mid-September, say – and hope for clement weather for the next few weeks. I will refrain from being too dramatic, as green manures can be sown into October, but the yields of organic matter will decrease proportionately as the calendar continues to roll forward. Sowing too late means ending up with a thin carpet of ground cover, in contrast with sowing early which results in a thick and long shag rug which will weather winter well. So much for a brief overview of Green Manure 101 …
Suffice it to say that in your baskets this week you will find a mix of summer and fall.
We look forward to seeing you all again.