The Start of Harvest Season
After working all year toward a large harvest, we are starting to bare the fruits of our labor. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going out to the farm to work on a few things. The first of which was to discuss some of the great products we plan on bringing to market this fall, more on that later. Second, we added some tie strings to our tomato plants to help them grow even taller. Third, we picked a large bounty of several types of tomatoes and peppers. All of this activity has me reflecting on my first year of participating as a Victory Gardener. I’ll include some more information on each below.
A Great Day at the Farm
We started our work day by meeting to discuss all of the wonderful products we plan to bring to the market. While providing fresh tomatoes, peppers, and herbs is important; we wish to also provide a line of farm fresh products that can be bottled for preservation and distribution. We will be sharing more about what products will be available as the harvest comes to fruition. I am very excited to tell you all a lot more about this subject when the time is right. Announcements on the first products that will be available are coming soon. We are currently working on some testing processes to get things just right before we do.
We then headed out to the large garden plot in the front of the farm. Laura and Becky worked on providing higher tie strings on our tomato plant structures. This allows the plants to be supported as they grow taller. Some of our Ivan tomato plants have grown to heights above eight feet tall. By providing a higher structure and carefully connecting branches from each plant, we hope to maximize our tomato crops. The process was fun as we also got to pick a nice selection of Ivan and other tomatoes as we checked each plant.
We also picked a whole lot of peppers that were ready. We plan on offering some of them in the products we create as well as having some fresh peppers at the farmer’s market come September. The Nepalese Bell Pepper is having an especially bountiful crop. We certainly look forward to enjoying some in our meals soon to come.
Reflections
This has been a marvelous year for me personally. I have just begun to learn about this whole process. We are building a business that will offer products in several different forms. By offering plant starts, plants, produce, and products we create from our produce we aim to waste as little as possible. We believe in offering locally grown plants and food to our community at affordable prices. As we grow our product line, we aim to be environmentally conscious every step of the way. It isn’t difficult to work very hard towards goals that are beneficial to our customers and our community. I know that this is just the beginning and I am excited to work towards moving forward with our business.
Today was more than just another work day at the farm. It was a peek into the future and a smile about tasks accomplished thus far. Throughout it all, I work with the kindest crew once could ever hope to build. Becky and Laura have taught me so much and have done so with such graceful demeanor. Our families and friends have come to help out along the way which has helped us all grow together. I know that this is the Non Gardener’s Guide to Gardening, but I feel I am moving closer and closer to earning greater distinction. Thanks for taking the time to share my journey. Happy gardening to all of you!