Rainy Days
Greetings, friends.
We’re relieved that, after about nine days, the sun finally came out on Thursday. The combination of ever-shortening autumn days, cool temperatures, rain and grey skies really limited what we were able to harvest and accomplish over the past week. When the soil is wet we do our best to stay out of the fields and avoid doing anything that would lead to soil compaction. The short days, rain, and cold prevented flowers from opening as much as they would’ve had the weather been nice. And, of course, when it’s cold and raining all day it’s just downright unpleasant to work outside! We managed to accomplish some work in the high tunnels, and also started making a few autumn wreaths. Not many pawpaws ripened this week, and it’s looking like we probably won’t have many more that end up ripening. The trees begin to shut down and store their energy for winter as autumn progresses, regardless of whether all of the fruit has ripened up. There’s still a lot of fruit on the trees, so we’re holding out some hope that we’ll be able to harvest at least a little bit more over the course of the next week.
As much as we moaned and groaned about the weather over the course of the past week, the plants desperately needed a good rain. Cover crops are germinating and everything benefits from a good drink of water. We’re looking forward to sunny and productive days next week! The season is nearing its end and we’re beginning to tie up loose ends and put the farm to sleep. It’ll take a month or two to get everything done, but it’s nice to know that a period of rest is in our future.
Dave, Karen, and Meg planting in the high tunnel on a rainy day.
We’re designing for three weddings this weekend and then we’ll be nearly finished with the 2023 wedding season! This year’s weddings have been a lovely opportunity to expand our design skills and enrich the creative side of our brains, and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it. We’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of delightful couples who have embraced everything that comes along with working with farmer-florists and allowed us to follow our creative intuition and do what we do best. It’s a joy to design for weddings, and we look forward to doing it again next year! If you’re getting married in 2023 and looking for flowers, check out what we have to offer.
We’ll bring the first wreaths of the season to market on Sunday.
Market
We’re back at the JFX market on Sunday from 7:00-12:00.
This week’s market stand will feature bouquets, bunches of celosia, dahlias, eucalyptus, hairy balls, and millet. The produce selection will feature edible flowers, pawpaws, radishes, the last of the shishitos, and basil.
I know I said this last week, but this time it’s real- this is likely the last week for pawpaws and shishitos at the market!
Thanks for reading!
Take care,
Amelia and the rest of the Two Boots crew
Buckwheat cover crop in the foreground, flowers in the background.
Japanese anemones are in peak bloom right now and they’re stunning and whimsical.