Time Flies...

Time flies, even when you're not having fun!

• Enough with the rain.
• Enough with the hungry critters.
• Enough with weed growth.

OK, I feel better now. On with the show!

We're already in our 4th week of veggie subscriptions. Despite the things above, we actually have been having quite a nice variety for our subscribers each week.

The strawberries outside are finally starting to produce. The sweet corn looks great (except where the neighbor's cattle got out and decided to eat and knock some down). The first batch of corn is in silk, and starting to make nice little plump ears.

We have gotten a few ripe tomatoes from our plants - still waiting on most of them though!

We're getting ready to plant our fall crops so we have plenty for our customers all through September and October.

We had a great day at the Morgantown Farmers Market Saturday - thanks to all our loyal customers (and especially those who bring reusable bags!)

Morgantown Farmers Market Farm Fun Day this Saturday May 10

Saturday May 10 will be a super-fun day for families who attend the Morgantown Farmers Market.

We're having a Fun Farm Day, where we'll have contests, trivia, and good old-fashioned fun at the market! Lots of giveaways for kids, and balloons, and prizes will be available.

Visit the market between 8:30 am and noon at the corner of Fayette and Spruce Streets in Morgantown, West Virginia.

And by the way, we'll have lots of veggies for sale as well! Come get spinach, two kinds of kale, Swiss chard, and more! Plus other vendors will have tomatoes, herbs, plants, crafts, and jellies.

We hope to see you there!

Morgantown Farmers Market meeting

We attended the Morgantown Farmers Market meeting last night. Was a good meeting, and nice to get to talk to other producers. We're going to have some "special market days" this summer, which I think will be neat.

For instance, we talked about a "Farm Day" at the market in May, and maybe a "Fall Fun Day" at the market in October. We're planning lots of activities on those days for kids (and adults) to learn about farming and fresh produce, nutrition and the like. If you have ideas for other fun market days, pop us a comment below.

Earlier Farmers Markets and Zone 5

Our earliest farmers market starts on May 3. We're in USDA horticultural zone 5 or so. Our frost-free date isn't until late May/early June. How can we do it?

A lot of prayer!

That, and we are using our high tunnels more and more for extending our season. What's a high tunnel? It looks like a big greenhouse, but there's no heat in there usually, and the plants are planted straight into the soil. You can roll up the sides on sunny days to let cool air blow through. You can close it up at night to keep it warm.

Last year we picked exclusively out of the tunnel for our first two farmers markets. This year we'll have to pick out of the tunnel for the first three markets at least (depending on the weather). That means we'll have to plant more intensively. For instance, we plant peas down the middle of the row, with two rows of tomatoes on each side. By the time the peas are picked and done, the tomatoes are growing up and starting to fruit. They don't bother each other, and it allows us to plant things closer together.

The types of plants we plant in the tunnel are usually pole or indeterminate varieties, rather than short bush varieties. We stake or trellis up these tall plants so we use less floor/ground space in the tunnel, and grow more vertically. (Makes picking a little easier on the back as well!)

Here's hoping that the weather warms up a bit, we get rain right when we need it, and we're able to get everything planted on time. (We can dream the impossible dream, you know!)