Theme: winter

News From the Farm | February 15, 2016

February 15, 2016

It may be time for your seasonal check-in here at Full Belly. It is always fun to inform you of the day-to-day processes of farming. As you open your box each week to see what the farm is providing, the produce reflects work done and decisions made 90 to 120 days ago. We are busy this week transplanting and planting for spring boxes. The break from a wet January has us in all of the fields, tilling in weeds and some of our cover crops while we set up our work and harvest schedule for the spring.

This past week we were watering flowers, onions, and our new lettuce and broccoli transplants.  We are starting to water things like our strawberries, carrots, garlic, peas, broccoli, greens and lettuces planted last November. The produce that you are receiving in your boxes was generally planted as seed last November. Growing slowly in the late fall and cold winter it gathers strength as the days lengthen and average temperatures warm up. We do gamble a bit as we plant in the fall. There have been colder years in the past when December temperatures have all but freeze-killed even our hardiest crops and the months of January and February have ended up being pretty bleak. [Read more…]

News from the Farm | January 5, 2015

January 5, 2015

Happy New Year to all of our Full Belly Farm CSA members. We are happy to be back in action and ready to deliver your delicious boxes for 2015!

Here are a few notes from the field, observed over our break. 

At this time of year we usually have young plants growing in our greenhouses, prepared for transplanting to the field at a stage in their lives when they are less vulnerable to weed and weather pressures than if we grow them in the field from seed. This year, we have probably the largest set of transplants in the greenhouse (lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, greens etc) that we’ve ever had before. But December presented a challenging greenhouse window. Our climate is usually sunny even when it rains, but this year there were more than two weeks of very cloudy, cool, humid weather in December. This created the perfect conditions for rot and mildew diseases in the greenhouse that we have not typically had to deal with. With additional ventilation and care in watering, we were able to pull through and will be transplanting into the field in the next week or two. [Read more…]

News From the Farm | Week of January 13, 2014

January 13, 2014

Or rather, winter farm?  It’s been so warm that even the bees think it is time to come out and look for flowers.  They are finding the odd mustard flower and a few wildflowers, but it is slim pickings.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhen I was little, growing up in New Mexico, an artichoke was a huge treat.  My family of five would get one artichoke, and carefully divvy up the leaves and the heart.  The first time I ate artichokes at the farm, I was floored when a huge steaming platter of them was brought to the table and everyone ate at least 3!  It is still a huge treat, and I can’t wait for these little babies to be ready. [Read more…]

Weather Report – January 20, 2013

January 20, 2013

Given how significant this recent period of freezing temperatures has been, we feel very fortunate that we have so far made it through with relatively little damage. While we might not have seen the LOWEST temperatures ever, the recent cold snap may be unmatched in its length — dipping down consistently into the mid-20’s, staying there for many hours of the night, and doing the same thing repeatedly, night after night.

Everything that we have growing right now likes a frost, but not a freeze. Even the frost-hardy crops start to have problems when the temperatures dip to the mid 20’s, especially when the cold lasts for awhile. Cell walls get stressed and sometimes burst when the water inside starts to freeze.

Citrus grows well here, but this is the limit of its zone of comfort in terms of winter cold. Full Belly has three orchards, each with a different micro-climate, spanning a 6- or 7-degree difference in the cold that is experienced. We have never turned on the sprinklers so many times to protect the citrus from freezing temperatures as we have this winter — probably a dozen times since mid-December. We jump out of bed and turn on the water because the ice acts like an insulating blanket, protecting the trees from the colder than freezing temperatures. As the water freezes on the leaves, it also gives off heat, protecting the tree. Our final strategy is to pick some of the fruit when the temperature is predicted to drop. This year we have picked about a quarter of our crop in order to protect it.

News From the Farm | December 4, 2012

December 4, 2012

News From the Farm

A powerful winter storm passed over the farm last night bringing deep soaking moisture. By mid-morning, Cache Creek, running along the eastern border of the farm, had peaked at nearly 15,000 cubic feet per second, and was a fierce power, sweeping whole trees, piles of floating cattails, and debris past the farm at incredible speed. Our relationship with the Creek is a bit like having a semi-wild creature for a neighbor. We respect its beauty and marvel that it is a sanctuary for so many animals, birds and other life forms. Yet its power can be at times a writhing, churning, brown powerhouse, licking at bank edges, uprooting plants and trees, transporting millions of tons of sand, silt and gravel past the farm and to the basin near the Sacramento River. Within six hours the creek level rose from 2,000 to nearly 15,000 cfs, and 12 hours later was back down again — an astounding change.

The value to the farm of such a downpour is substantial. This is the best weather start to a fall season in many years. Our wells are getting recharged as small feeder streams are running full. Walnut, almond, fig and peach orchards are storing moisture deep in the soil profile, lessening the need to pump water next summer. Winter hay and grain crops are lush and healthy, off to an early start, and now with reserves to root deep and withstand prolonged cold or dry weather that may come.

[Read more…]

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