Rain and cold and more rain and cold!  We are experiencing what is known as a late spring.  As a result, our planting and eventual harvest dates get pushed back and many of the seeds that have been sown will germinate late or not at all.  This isn’t unusual.  Some of you may recall the spring two years ago when we had low temperatures in the teens this time of year.  That year it was especially disastrous because it followed a warm spell that caused most of our fruiting trees to blossom. Fortunately, seeds are relatively cheap.  I will probably just end up planting right on top of the ones I planted in March.

Other news:

•    I have an entire fencing system coming in the next day or two.  I’m looking forward to having a deer free zone to plant into.

•    Karen and I ended our negotiations with the county on creating enough parking space for Monday nights.  We had originally hoped to create parking along the road but that idea wasn’t popular with the county engineer that we talked to and we had some safety concerns.  On March 31st,  the county put in an entrance so that people can park on the grassy hill just east of our place.

•    We had just enough dry weather before the rains to enable me to plant a first round of spring crops in late March.  However, given the cool, wet weather we may have to push back our opening day to May 11th or even May 18th.

•    I can use some extra hands on some of the weekends coming up.  If you might have a Saturday afternoon free and don’t mind some (wo)manual labor, please let me know and I’ll add you to the small but growing list of possible weekend garden helpers. Vajo came out last Saturday and helped me dig, clean, move and organize some of the thousands of bricks we have where gardens need to go.

•    Ana is selling tomatoes again this year.  Send her an email to anacurtis@macomb.com if you would like to order from her this year.  She will be growing some of the favorites from years past plus some new promising varieties.

Karen and I hope you are all surviving these last winter days. Spring must be just around the corner though, the first robins are back and feeding on hackberries outside of our window as I write this.

After much back and forth, Karen and I have decided that we are ready to try a much simplified version of the CSA this year for a limited number of people. The truth is that we can?t bear the thought of not seeing you all on a regular basis during the summer. Another truth is that I need some seed money (literally) to get things in order to run a more full-blown CSA here in 2010.

Our thinking right now is that we will have pickup Monday evenings and/or Thursday mornings beginning at the end of April and running into the fall. The location will be our new place (3201 West Adams) and will run like past season extensions in that members will do their own harvesting. Likewise, there will be no prepared baskets or newsletters but we will be on hand to assist and visit with you. As in years past, we invite you to stay a while, roam the gardens, and socialize. The cost will be $300 for the entire season (approximately 26 weeks).

I want to emphasize the word ?simplified?. I am planning to vastly reduce the number of crop varieties and eliminate planting some crops altogether (see below). We have a mountain of challenges to overcome as we figure out new soils, put in new water lines, and learn how to deal with marauding deer herds. We also plan to travel and be gone during parts of the summer. In short, we might be a bad risk this year (but at least we’ll have wine)!

You might also consider joining Good Hope Gardens (309) 456-3884 this summer. Many of you know Grover and Mary Jo Decounter (the owners/growers) from farmer?s market. Good Hope Gardens is just the kind of extended family operation that we need more of in this region and Grover and Mary Jo are knowledgeable, ecological and proven growers and they deliver to your door! I have just spoken with Mary Jo and know that they still have space available for new members this year. Their deadline for signup is March 1st.

In any case, we have a lot of details to work out. If you think you might be interested in joining us for this experimental growing season (or have follow-up questions), please let us know (barefootgardens2003@yahoo.com).

CROP LIST

The following crops are those that I should be able to produce in quantities similar to years past:

head lettuces
mesclun lettuce
loose leaf lettuces
asian greens
basil
cilantro
butternut squashes
cucumbers
zucchini
green beans
kales
swiss chard
edamame
spinach
zinnias

I will attempt to grow/provide the following crops but the quantities are likely to be smaller than in years past:

sweet potatoes
potatoes
broccoli
sweet peppers
eggplants
tomatoes
leeks
scallions
shallots
onions
garlic
carrots
beets
parsnips
radishes
snap peas

Because of time and (many) other constraints this year I will not be able to grow/supply the following crops for the CSA:

sweet corn
winter squashes (with the exception of butternut squash)
melons
pumpkins
cabbages
strawberries
raspberries
blackberries
apples
fava beans
asparagus
all flowers for cutting except zinnias and (possibly) sunflowers
all herbs except cilantro and basil

We are now ready to sign up new members for the 2007 season.  Please click on membership (on the right) and read the membership information.  If you are interested, please fill out a printed copy of the membership agreement form, and send it to us with your deposit. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at barefootgardens2003@yahoo.com or 254-3254. 

Chicago Tribune: Appetite mounts for local produce
January 29, 2007

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