 We are a small farm in south-central PA. We grow most of our produce and fruit. We do our best to use sustainable practices on our land. We have two high tunnels and one greenhouse for propagation. Berries and tree fruits are main crops and we have four garden patches dedicated to vegetables, greens, root crops, melons, squash, tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, alliums, and flowers. We love growing the unique items and we strive for excellence. Omar is growing. He barks almost as loudly as Chula, but with a higher pitch. He has gotten the handle on where to go and where not to go! He and Chula are always fighting for my attention. I feel as though I am being pulled in two directions. Each one wants to claim me as their property.The Gardens The gardens are waiting for the ground to thaw. We do have a good bit of mulch to lay which we are working on. The High Tunnels We are doing some major repairing in the tunnels right now. We need to replace the baseboards on three of the four sides of both tunnels. The dirt must be dug away from the inside and the outside of each side; the old wood removed; a new piece fitted in and leveled (the hard part). Then it gets attached to the rolled side frame and the bolts screwed in attach the ropes that hold the plastic sides down. We anticipate that this job will take all of January. We are still working on this. We have finished one of the three sides that need to be repaired. We need the ground to thaw on the outsides of the tunnels. The Greenhouse We have moved some excess tables out of the greenhouse and bought all the necessary germinating soil and plugs for next year’s seeding. We have turned off the gas to the greenhouse now. We are installing a curtain to divide the greenhouse in half so that when we turn the gas on at the end of February, only half the greenhouse will be heated. We are using heavy duty velcro tape to keep the sides of the curtain up. We have cut the curtain and are ready to install. We need a windless day to take it outside and fold it to the right dimensions. Fruit and Berries The new plum trees, the Asian pear trees and the pear trees have been fertilized and mulched. We are now working on the old plum trees. Many of these trees had been neglected for several years so some of them need to be cut down. We did finish all the Black Friar plum trees with fertilizer and mulch. We have used up most of the excess mulch that we had from a tree service company which gave us free acid mulch. We have mulched all the raspberries, blackberries, black raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blueberries. The gooseberries and currants have been pruned and are ready for spring. The blackberries are also ready for spring. We are planning to plant some new yellow raspberries in April. We will also be planting new ever-bearing strawberries in April also. Farm Stands and Markets Dates to Remember! East Columbia Library Farm Stand begins on Thursday, May 7 Fairfax Community Market begins on Saturday, May 9 Get ready! We are planning to have lots of greens, asparagus, rhubarb, red beets, spring onions, and great flower plants and bedding plants for your garden! We are anticipating May with great hopes! CSA We are excited about the CSA for 2026. Thanks to all of you who have already signed up to participate. We are now accepting subscribers for 2026. We have added 4 more weeks of produce and fruit to the season giving us a full 28 weeks of good vegetables and fruits. See our website for details on this change – www.handtilledfarming.com May 15 – November 21 You can sign up for the full season from now until April 1 for the special price of $900 for 28 weeks. May 14- August 15 or August 20 – November 21 You can sign up for 14 weeks for $490. Add $84 for one dozen eggs/week or $48 for one-half dozen eggs/week Check out the website for information. You can send us an email and drop a check in the mail. Please let us know if you would like to set up a payment plan. Baking, Grilling, Preserving, Canning, and Outdoor Gardening We have been enjoying peach pies from the peaches canned during August last year. I have been eating of applesauce which was canned in October. Lately we have been eating stews and soups. The cold weather seems to push us in that direction. We are still using up onions from last year’s harvest and also potatoes. We are using the carrots, green beans, corn, and peas that were canned last summer. I am making two loaves of bread every week. We love the fresh bread right out of the oven. Our favorite – honey oatmeal bread is the standard, but some times we switch up with English muffin loaf. This bread has large cavities which hold the melted butter very well. We have pruned the lilacs and cut down one trunk from the crepe myrtle. The comfrey and the loveage have been cleaned up and last week I saw a few garlic stalks beginning to emerge from under ground. I am bringing in twigs from the Red Twig Dogwood. It is so very bright red right now and it will take root in a vase of water. Then I will have other Red Twig Dogwood bushes. I also have some holly in vases as well. I have been pruning them and they add so much to the inside of the house with their lovely green leaves and red berries. We hope you are enjoying the winter season. If you have any questions about the gardens, the CSA or the newsletter, please send an email. We would love to hear from you. Have a great winter. Eat lots of citrus fruits and go outside even in the cold to get some of the sun’s rays. It will do you good! View email in browser Contact Information: Gregg & Louise Keckler 1-717-486-4653 kecklers@handtilledfarming.com http://www.handtilledfarming.com Hand-tilled Farming · 1410 Goodyear Rd · Gardners, PA 17324-9028 · USA update your preferences or unsubscribe |
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