July 2013 Update

Pick Your Own Blueberries starts July 9th. Follow signs to the blueberry picking where you can get your containers and pay for what you pick. There is a 3lb minimum. Blueberries are also available by the quart already fresh picked at the store. Pick Your Own Strawberries has ended. In other growing and gardening news, all of this rain has certainly helped in some ways and hurt in some ways. While you haven’t had to water the lawn or garden much, we also haven’t had a lot of sunshine which plants need in order to process the soil nutrients and grow. You may have noticed brownish-red splotches in your lawn. This is most likely due to the heavy rains leaching nutrients from the soil. An application of 10-10-10 or organic fertilizer will help replenish those lost nutrients. We carry both conventional and organic fertilizers and compost products in our farm store. The red splotches can also be a fungus known as Red Thread for which fungicide applications may be necessary and require consultation from a turf grass professional. Your garden may also be suffering from too much water. Is your soil now saturated and heavy? You’ll need to cultivate and loosen up the compacted soil to help aerate the plant roots (don’t dig too deep or too close to the plant which can damage roots, just a gentle soil loosening with a cultivating tool). You may also need to work in some light fertilizing to help replenish diluted nutrients. Damp wet weather is also a recipe for plant fungus problems. Tomatoes, potatoes, squash and pumpkin plants may need fungicide applications to ward off blight and powdery mildew problems. Fruit trees may need extra fungicide applications as well. We carry several fungicide products in our farm store for home garden use. So just because you haven’t had to water your lawn or garden doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done! Good luck and happy gardening. ~Smith

June Update 2

Over 3 acres of Strawberry Pick Your Own starts June 9th, 7 days a week, 9am to 4pm, weather permitting. If in doubt call the farm store for picking conditions at 508-378-2270. Follow signs to the strawberry picking shack for information, picking containers and for payment. Note there is a 3 pound minimum amount for pick your own. You can of course pick as much as you like. There is no entrance or parking fee. Please pay for all you pick. Single qt boxes can be purchased in the farm store already picked. Thank you and happy picking.

June 2013

Early STRAWBERRIES are now available in the FARM STORE already picked. Stay tuned for Pick Your Own dates... Is it summer already? The temperature sure seems to say so. The threat of spring frosts has passed and its now time to plant your garden. We still have plenty of flower and vegetable plants and seeds available. With temps in the 90s and 80s though, your plants can end up with transplant shock. Its best to cycle them in and out of the sun for a few hours each day for a couple of days to acclimate them to their new environment outside of the greenhouse and plant in the evening or on a cloudy day and water well. Monitor your potted plants or seedlings for adequate moisture. Potting soil can dry out quickly in the hot sun and wind and we are not responsible for your plant dying if you forget to water it!! We also carry fertilizer (organic and inorganic), compost, insecticides and other gardening items.

April 2013

It looks like spring has finally sprung here in south eastern MA. Although we are still susceptible to frost/freezing temps well into May, the daffodils and forsythias are blooming, the fruit trees are budding, the garlic cloves planted last fall are sprouting and soon it will be time to plant your flower or vegetable garden. We are open for gardening supplies, plants, onion sets, seeds, seed potatoes, and more. Also, we are trying out a new donut making machine and will be having FREE CIDER DONUT SAMPLES AVAILABLE ON WEEKENDS!! (*while supplies last*). Why wait for the fall apple season to enjoy one of these classic New England treats? ~Smith

Spring 2013 Store Opening

The farm is opening Thursday, March 28, 2013, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm. There will be an Easter Egg hunt Friday & Sat. 11:00- 3:00 pm. We will be closed on Sunday for Easter, re-opening Monday at 9:00 am and regular hours from then on. Hope to see you soon!

March 2013

Another winter storm is howling outside as I write this but daylight savings time begins this weekend so the end of winter is in sight. Since you probably have a severe case of the winter blahs, why not cheer yourself up by visiting us at the Boston Flower Show this March 13 thru 17? By now you’ve hopefully got your flower or veggie garden planned and are itching to get dirty. Before you get started however you need to consider several things. First is indoor seed starting and how long it takes for seeds to germinate. You don’t want to start plants too early, which makes for difficulties transplanting into the garden, nor do you want to be so late that you don’t even have a crop before the first fall frost! Timing is also important for the first outdoor planting. You need to keep in mind soil temperatures, moisture and nutrient levels (including pH) and spring frosts. Soil testing is available via the UMass Extension service and pH meters can be found at your local hardware or garden center. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather report for frost warnings once your plants are outside. We may be a bit premature in talking about outdoor planting since the ground is hardly even thawed in some places but March is the time to get outside and prune your fruit trees and blueberry bushes! Instructional videos are available on the UMass extension website as well as in numerous books and online writeups. There are numerous methods and theories on pruning and depending on the type of tree some methods work better than others. It is best to do as much research as you can since over- pruning or incorrect pruning can, in extreme cases, weaken the tree/bush and lead to its premature decline. We carry a selection of fruit trees ready for home planting should you wish to start your own orchard. Keep in mind you need two different varieties of apple trees (and most other fruits) in order for pollination to work and produce a crop! Happy Spring and hope to see you soon. ~Smith

Winter 2013

Happy 2013! So far this winter has been pretty good weather-wise. Its certainly not as nice as last winter when temps were mild and no snow fell at all, but compared to some recent years , we’ve been pretty lucky. However the fact remains, you cannot go out in the garden and pick a nice fresh tomato – so what can you do? Well, my mailbox has been full of seed catalogs lately so its obviously a good time to plan this year’s garden. Also, consider attending a gardening conference – SEMAP has a nice program coming up in February (semaponline.org). The UMass Extension service usually hosts winter meetings/demonstrations for home gardeners’ as well so check out their website for more info. On the farm we will be maintaining our equipment, planning our fields and orchard expansion/renovation as well as ramping up our seed starting in the greenhouses. We still have fire wood for sale, winter squash, apples, cider, jams, jellies, and honey (while supplies last). So stop by and say “hi” and thank you for your support of local agriculture. ~CN Smith Farm