Lettuce Will Be Ready For First Pick-Up

Kayla

Hi everyone! My name is Kayla Perry and I am really excited to be helping out with Marini Farms new CSA! I have lived in Ipswich all my life and Marini Farms has always been a part of my life whether it was when I was up here as a kid or when I started working here four seasons ago. When I am not working at the farmstand, I am a student at Assumption College in Worcester Mass. I am majoring in Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies in hopes of becoming a speech pathologist. Again, I am excited to start the CSA and I think it will be a great experience for all of us!

Seed Bed

We cleaned up the field of spinach today.  We did not use an herbicide on our seed bed so it is very important that we stay after the weeds while they are small. A push hoe is a very effective way of controlling the weed population if used on time.

Tomatoes

With the addition of the CSA this season we have decided to fill another greenhouse with hothouse tomatoes. Our early tomatoes always sell out fast but with the addition of 1000 plants you will all be sure to see some in your shares. We are also proud to say we have grown your tomatoes without using one drop of oil. We achieved this thanks to our new corn burning boiler.

CSA Pick-Up Details

	First Pick up:  Wednesday, June 8th Pick up location:  Pick up will be located adjacent to the farm stand under the yellow tent.  Time: 10 AM to 6:30 PM  On your first pick up all members will receive a CSA bag for your share as well as be given a tray and container, to be used to pick strawberries with your family at your convenience during the strawberry season. Late Pick up:  If you call ahead we will leave shares out between the hours of 6:30 to 9 PM. If a customer is unable to pick-up their share they may designate another party to pick up.

My First Post

FARM UPDATE:
Even though April was much cooler than last year we are off to a great start! Our first planting of peas and beans are up and growing well. All of our seedbeds have germinated and we are ready for another seeding.
Thanks to the snow cover from this brutal winter our strawberries were very well insulated and are looking very healthy. We covered a section of the field with row cover to help give us a jump on harvest time.
We have planted lettuce and onions with another planting ready for next week. Having lettuce available consistently can be a challenge especially in the warmer months. We try to over plant and plant often to secure a plentiful crop.
We are also growing on white plastic which is cooler and slows the plants from bolting.
We have planted about 30 acres of corn under plastic and another 10 acres on bare ground. The plastic corn is about 2 inches tall we will cut the plastic this weekend letting it grow through a small hole. We want to keep the greenhouse effect as long as possible so we will not remove the plastic until the corn is over 12 inches high.
This upcoming week we will prepare land for our first planting of broccoli, summer squashes, cucumbers, and pickling cukes.