From The Back Fence
Barbee Farms' Newsletter
Volume I, Issue 3 April 11, 2010
Spring Has Sprung
Since our last newsletter, spring has sprung around here. Peaches have bloomed and formed fruit, kale, collards, and other winter crops have gone to seed and are beautiful when blooming and furnishing seed for next fall. Every trailer we have is full of plants for either our own use or for plant sales for home gardeners. We like to treat all plants the same so when a customer takes them home and set them out, they are not straight from the greenhouse. We have green beans, peas, corn, okra, butterbeans, beets, spinach, chard, radishes, potatoes, arugula, mixed lettuce, and carrots up from seed outdoors as of now. We have transplanted a few onions (around 25000), both red and white varieties, for our sweet onion crops. We have lettuce and cabbage growing well at this time. We also have our entire first crop plastic mulch applied and will start setting transplants this coming week. Yes, we have been busy since the last newsletter! Also, with the past week of summertime temperatures, strawberry numbers have increased, and the asparagus that was set last spring has emerged. We cut lots of beautiful spears last week, with more on the way! The biggest problem with asparagus is that the harvest period lasts such a short period of time.
Sincerely,
Tommy, Anna, and Brent Barbee
Next On The Agenda
In the coming weeks we will continue sowing seeds for later plantings of all vegetables. For example, we will have 9 or 10 different plantings of cantaloupes. Timing of crops to keep a continuous supply for our customers is critical during this stretch of the game. Over production is wasteful and cost us dearly, whereas under production leaves us gaps with nothing to sell.
Peach thinning is only a couple of weeks away, and this year is going to be a major job. (This is a good problem.) If this is not done correctly, it could cost us 15 years of work on our oldest trees by breaking main limbs with the heavy fruit load. (This is a bad problem.)
Our spring CSA will be starting in another week, and we are excited about the possibilities that could show up in the boxes. We want to thank the ones that signed up for the spring session, and encourage summer session signups soon. This is probably the most popular session of the year.
Road Update
We have heard nothing from DOT about the Pitts School realignment lately. We have started getting letters from area lawyers that would like to represent us on this matter. They probably have the inside track over the land owner as far as timing (go figure). At this time, crops are planted in this area and will be closely guarded.
Tommy's View
One of my favorite “off the farm” activities is hunting the wild turkey during the spring season. This started about 20 years ago, when Brent was only 3 years old. Through the years, I have harvested my share of mature gobblers over a total of 4 eastern states. As Brent became old enough to go with me, we have formed a bond that only a father and son can during turkey season. I want to go every day, he wants to go every day, and neither one of us can afford to this time of year. Brent has become a very proficient caller, learning from Dad, and won all kinds of contests as a youth in the state of NC. We were fortunate enough this year to harvest a bird on the opening day of the NC season. For the ones of you not lucky enough to have tasted this meat, I am convinced that it is one of the finest table fares known to mankind. If, during the month of April, someone says that Tommy and Brent have gone turkey hunting again, rest assured that we have our work done or someone else (probably Charlie and Anna) is covering our butts. This will be our last chance for a day, or even a half day, off till October. Please enjoy spring for yourself and eat local!
Tommy |
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