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May Farm Tour Photos / Farm Work Day Info

Aug 23 , 2006

Fall Falling - Thaddeus

Aug 30, 2006

The nights have been cool lately. The intense summer heat is only around for the afternoon and as soon as the sun disappears behind the hills the entire world cools down quickly. This is the time to plant all those crops that melt in the heat: lettuces, bok choy, carrots, spinach and broccoli raab. The summer items are still holding on, there is another tomato planting that has yet to yield fruit – it will be doing so shortly. The melon, cucumbers and summer squash are still plugging away.

The big news on the farm is the table grapes – they are gorgeous this year. The vineyard is about four years old and this year they have started acting mature! One of the varieties was so packed with fruit that the metal legs of the trellis gave way and several rows of the grapes fell over. It was quite a sight, not necessarily a good one, but the kind of thing you can't help but be amazed by. We purchased about 100 pieces of 2x4 wood and propped the fallen soldiers back up – they lean a little to the east now but that is better than the nap on the ground they were taking. Once we harvest this fall's crop Chris and I have decided that it will be necessary to add some more supports to all of the rows of grapes. The plan is to put about ten more 4-inch metal posts in each row – that should be enough to keep the vines upright during the heavy years of fruit set.

The irrigation canal is beginning to get lower. That is a sure indicator that the summer is slowing to fall. The irrigation canal provides much of the agricultural water for Yolo County . During the peak summer months the water level is lapping at the edges of the canal and moving so fast that it is a wonder that the sides of the canal stay intact. As the summer ends the speed of the water slows down and then the depth in the canal slows down; this is evidence that the agriculture crops in the county aren't drinking as much as they used to because the weather is cooler or because the crop has been harvested and there is no more need to water it. For our farm this means it is the time of year to being getting ready to put a pump into Cache Creek. Soon the day will come when the will of the majority of the farmers in Yolo County will no longer need water from the canal and it will be shut down until next spring. The few farms that still need water into the fall (like us) will need to find and alterative water source. The options are the creek, if you are so lucky to be near it (we are), or getting the ground water pumps ready to being tapping into the local aquifer.

Enjoy your box this week - Thaddeus

Farm Tour Update
Fall 2006
Get ready! We'll be hosting a work party on the farm in the fall. We
hope to see new faces along with familiar folks getting their hands
mucky in Capay dirt. Stay tuned...

We look forward to seeing you!

Please contact: Georgette at Georgette@farmfreshtoyou.com or call 800.796.6009 to
reserve space for you, family and friends.

Plan on arriving at the farm early in the morning, as close to 8am as possible. There will be actvities and walks planned for the whole family.

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