 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 five garden spots dedicated to vegetables, greens, root crops, legumes, melons, squash, tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, alliums, and flowers. We love growing the unique items and we strive for excellence. The Gardens This has been a busy month in the gardens. Four plantings of radishes and Hakueri turnips have been planted. Carrots, beets, arugula, Tokyo Bekina, sweet onions, shallots, Swiss chard, and cabbage have all been seeded or transplanted into the gardens. We have begun to harvest field radishes and also a few asparagus. We have also been harvesting lovage and parsley. The rhubarb is looking good. The spring onions are ready to pick. A lot of our crops are under row cover to discourage early insects. We have used up a whole tractor-trailer load of compost on all of our gardens and tunnels. The black plastic layers is getting a lot of use and we love using the rototiller attachment for creating a smooth seedbed. The High Tunnels The high tunnels are filling up with spring and summer vegetables. The potatoes are being hoed up now. We have five plantings of spinach in the ground and they are all at different stages of growth. The first two plantings of lettuce are in the ground. The first lettuces are ready to be harvested now. There are three trans-plantings of red beets in the tunnels and also three plantings of bok choi. The first is almost ready to harvest. We have planted all the early tomatoes in the tunnels (They should be able to be harvested by the fourth of July. The second batch of tomatoes has been planted and will be ready for harvest by August first. We also have cherry tomatoes with lots of flowers. They will hopefully begin to produce by June 20. The heirloom tomatoes have been planted as well. They are being strung up now and the irrigation hooked up. The Greenhouse The greenhouse is full of plants. We are organizing all the plants in the greenhouse for sales and for the field. We have a lot of different flowers that we decided to grow from seed this year. So Gregg will have a lot of different flowers for sale in May. He will also have all the usual ones – marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, balsam, calendula… There are always a couple of new flowers that I would like to have for myself so they will be available as well. This year I needed a new seeding of feverfew and rudbeckia. The violas are blooming right now and they are looking lovely sitting outside the greenhouse on a table. We will have tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and of course herbs. I had several oregano plants that overwintered and also parsley too. We are still planting basil and dill. We just starting seeding sugar cubes and watermelon seeds. It always seems odd that we are planting in April for August harvests. Fruit and Berries The plum trees have all got new growth. We cannot remember what kind some of old plum trees are. So it will be exciting to see what comes of them. We are continually mowing and mulching all the trees. The pear trees are all looking good. I think we lost one old Barlett pear tree this winter, but otherwise they have all flowered. We planted new Fall Gold raspberries just yesterday. They are enjoying this rainy day. We have mulched them and are now waiting for the new growth to begin. We lost the whole kiwi crop this year because of the 28 degree nights. The grape vines look good and also the gooseberries and currants have flowers now. The elderberries have lots of new growth in the understory. The black raspberries and the red raspberries are greening up and the blackberries are getting new leaves. We have two young persimmon trees and a couple of new pawpaws. We planted the pawpaws last fall because we knew they like wet ground and we have an area that gets too wet for vegetables. The pawpaws survived the winter and they are getting green leaves. The blueberries have a lot of flowers again this year. 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 If you signed up for the whole season and have not sent us a check yet, please do it soon! We are looking forward to the first week of the CSA beginning on Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16. We will have lettuce, spinach, lots of spring onions,. radishes, bok choi, herbs, and apples!I will send an email on Monday, May 11 about the first CSA pick up. 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 The violas in the grass are lovely. Some of them are Johnny-jump-ups and some are the newer violas with lots of colors. I have some new (for me) wild hyacinths. I am surprised at how long they last. I have a fairy ring that has been in my yard since we moved here 42 years ago. It consists of Indian pipes. They were emerging in the early part of April. Now the pipes are in flower. The sassafras trees are beginning to open their leaves and the honeysuckle smells intoxicating right now. It is by the mailbox and really smells wonderful. I still have daffodils blooming and a lot of tulips. The alliums are just about to open. It is a wonderful time when so many things appear over night. I have been doing my semi-annual house cleaning and I have frightened a number of spiders out of their hiding places. I have only 2 windows left to clean out of 27 and one exterior door out of 5. I am looking forward to being finished with it so that I can get outside and work in the tunnels on the tomatoes. I have been checking my canned inventory and making a list of what I need to can this year for next winter. I hope to can some rhubarb in May for stewing in the winter and especially to have for next March when we are anticipating the new season. But today with the rainy, damp, cold weather it is shoo fly muffins that we are enjoying! Having tea with muffins while reading a book is a great pastime for a rainy day! 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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