Whatever it is that you do when you want to get the attention of the universe - pray, sing, chant, gaze, dance - you better start doing it.  We need rain very very very badly.  Virtually all the soil moisture is gone down to about 6 inches, which is well below where the roots of wimpy little garden vegetables can reach.  They can't grow, so all they do is hang on.  We stopped planting anything else - transplants, seeds, field corn, everything - eight days ago, thinking we could wait it out until the soil conditions are better, but that's no comfort if the rain takes another week to get here and it's hot and windy the whole time until then.  There are thousands of little plants and one frustrated farmer wanting to get things going.  So we need it to rain on Sunday.  All day.  Slowly.  No passing showers.

I was thinking that I would have to address drought in August.  Of course, that means that none of the infrastructure is in place to start dealing with it now.  We're putting out irrigation line, upgrading the pump, planting as much as possible onto plastic mulch.  But it's going to take some time to get the water flowing and to get some response from the plants.  I imagine there will be some delay in what we are able to harvest for you.  Or not.  Depends.

There's a photo contest sponsored by Mt. Vernon Creates and the Mt. Vernon Sun that needs your entries.  Here's a note from the organizer:  

Here's a chance to win a $25 prize just by entering the Mount Vernon Photography Contest. There are three categories: Cell phone pictures, digital camera pictures and pictures taken by young people (under 18). All you have to do is select your best picture that was taken outdoors, and enter it using the form on MountVernonCreates.com. Entry deadline is May 24, so enter today!

I've picked some more spinach out of the hoophouse and put it in the Pepsi cooler in the big shed.  You can stop by this afternoon, Saturday, or later in the week if you want to buy some.  Or get some from one of the other farmers at the  market on Thursday afternoon.

The registration form for the 2012 CSA is attached.  Thanks to all of you who have registered and paid.  I'm using the money to buy drought-remediation supplies!

See you later,

Laura



I apologize for the early 7am start time; however, the wind is calmest in the morning.

Before I give you the location, I have to stress that you NOT use GPS or online maps to assist you getting there. They will likely lead you down a dirt road and you could get stuck in deep mud. (Some of you may recall the farmers' market email about the folks from Chicago who used GPS...and never made it to our place.

Directions (See attached maps.)

-From Mount Vernon, travel north on Highway 1 approximately 2 miles.

-Turn right on Ellison Road.

-Travel east approximately two miles. (Ellison Road becomes 30^th Street across the Linn-Jones County line)

-You will see the frame of the high tunnel just before a curve. The road curves left and in mid-curve take a right.

-The sign cautions you about a B-grade road, but it doesn’t turn to dirt for a half mile. Park here and walk toward the high tunnel frame (about 400 feet).

-The actual address is 24501 30^th Street.

What to wear

-Dress in layers. However warm it is in town, it will feel about ten degrees colder on the prairie.

-Wear old clothes you don’t mind getting dirty (you shouldn’t get very dirty, but it could happen).

-Depending on sun exposure, you may get warm and need to peel off layers too.

-Wear old shoes or, preferably, rubber boots if you have them.

-Bring gloves and a hat just in case.

Just so you know

There is no bathroom—not even an outhouse.

There will be coffee, juice, water and hand-made croissants. And, of course, my wife's candy.

You do not need to stay until the final end of the project. If you can assist for one hour, great. Two hours is better.

If it rains, stay home. Be on the lookout for a cancellation e-mail should the forecast for mild winds change.

Thanks again.

If you have any problems finding the place, contact me at 319-310-6299 or Mickey at 319-310-6399

The market tomorrow is in Mt. Vernon, 11:00 until 1:00, at the Community Center east of downtown.  I'll be there with eggs, spinach, leaf lettuce, stir fry kits, green garlic, and maybe a little cilantro that survived the winter in the field if it's not too muddy to cut it (but I hope it is).  I'll also have very early asparagus from Local Harvest CSA.  But it didn't grow very much this cold week, so the harvest will be small. 

It's just starting to sprinkle while I am writing this.  Hope it rains a lot, all weekend.  We really haven't had a good rain since last June, and it's starting to show.  The snap peas that I planted on March 29th still haven't emerged out of the ground.  Not because it's too cold (the usual situation), but because they haven't absorbed enough water to be able to germinate.  So a good, slow drenching would be a wonderful thing.  Plus, I could stay in the house and catch up on the paperwork that is getting completely away from me.  

The next event of the Mt. Vernon Vegetable Gardening Club (needing a better name) is coming up on Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 pm.  Join us for a walkaround at Jo and Brian Nowak-Thompson's farm and gardens.  Every kind of gardener with any skill level is welcome.  If you'd like to get a reminder notice, zap a note to Charlene Vig, our communications expert, and she'll put you on the mailing list.

This might be the last market of the spring for me.  I will likely have to be in the field every sunny minute from now on (unfortunately, until October).  There will still be a little in the hoophouse if you need greens, and always there are eggs.  Just zap me a note to make sure I'll be around when you want to stop by.

Hope to see you Saturday,
Laura







Tomorrow's market is in Springville, 9:00 until 11:00.  We have a new location this week, the United Methodist Church community room.  The church is at 169 Broadway, just a block south of the Community Center where we usually are.  I'll be bringing eggs.  Several other vendors will be bringing the usual assortment.  And there will be harp music!  Hope it's not icy.

I planted the hoophouse last Saturday and have been irrigating it this week.  The soil is still quite cold, so cold that even the weeds haven't started to germinate.  But as soon as the sun stays out long enough to warm the surface, things are going to pop.  I expect to have radishes, lettuce, arugula, and chois sometime in March. 

Jackie Martin, some gardening friends, and I are working on organizing a vegetable gardening club in Mt. Vernon.  Our kickoff event will be Tuesday, February 21, 7:00, in the Community Center auditorium.  We're going to show the movie, "Fresh", swap some seeds, and measure the interest in organizing a club.  Our idea is for a gardening group that is open to everybody, no matter what experience level or what size garden, where people teach each other by touring gardens around town.  Every gardener has something to learn and something to teach; all we want to do is get everybody together.  To see where we got our inspiration for the group, check out this talk by Roger Doiron, the founder of Kitchen Gardens International.  I agree with him that we can have fun, save money, be subversive, eat better, meet people, teach kids, and improve the planet by growing some food in our own yards.  And a vegetable gardening club might make it a little easier to give it a try.  (But don't quit the CSA, OK?)  

Hope to see you Saturday,

Laura