Good Thursday everyone! It feels good to be back this week as I (Jane) was not able to write the last couple of newsletters. As much of a chore as writing can be, I really did miss putting together a weekly farm update for you all. Thrilling things happening out here!
It seems that we have all adapted well to the flow of preparing for Friday pickups. So much so that we’ve been able to sneak in a few, seemingly last-minute trips to Meigs. This week we made the journey twice already to harvest various fruits(peaches, grapes) and vegetables offered up by the generous community of researchers that interact with the student farm. You all should’ve heard the excitement in Chris’ voice when he got a call asking if we wanted to harvest sweet corn today. Meigs has been a popular destination for the student farm workers this lovely Thursday. I’m currently on my way for a second time today to harvest more sweet corn and peaches! I hope you all are craving sweets! 🙂 Personally, I will be making a refreshing vanilla peach cake with mascarpone and buttercream icing.
This morning, I had an interesting conversation with Chris that I thought would be worth mentioning in the newsletter this week. It started off as we were discussing some disease problems we’ve been having at the farm this season. Particularly those caused by a soil bacteria called Xanthomonas(Black Rot) which tends to prefer the brassicas(cabbages, turnips, kale, etc.) and really enjoys temperatures in the mid 80’s. This year has been particularly hot and humid for a long period, which has encouraged this specific bacterial soil pathogen. This isn’t the only pathogen that thrives in the hot climate; our zucchini are also experiencing a brutal death by powdery mildew. But don’t worry! We aren’t giving up. We are planning on re-seeding as much summer squash as we can grow before the weather gets too cold again. As for abiotic methods of vegetable torture, we’ve also been seeing signs of heat stress in our tomato tunnel. While many of these problems are minor issues, they could still be attributed to environmental factors like long-term, extreme heat and humidity. High humidity along with the heat is likely inhibiting transpiration of water out of the leaves, leading to a decline in the movement of vital nutrients and ultimately causing cell death at the very tips of leaves.
Conversely, the last two summers were incredibly dry, which sported a whole other host of issues for vegetable production. Despite how concerning it may feel, I found it deeply interesting to witness the results of two different climatic extremes these past couple years. It’s satisfying to come to an understanding of why things are the way they are, and it’s even more exciting to experiment with ways of adapting to change. I do have to acknowledge that I’m lucky to feel this way; the student farm is primarily an institute for education. While we are supported financially by our yields, some loss due to (a)biotic factors is not an all-encompassing concern. I feel lucky in the position I’m in to feel intrigued and curious about the root causes of these losses first before feeling concerned for the state of the Student Farm.
Chris here: I have been fretting immensely over the tomatoes this year even as they have been incredibly productive for the farm!