Farm Happenings at Hillcrest Farms
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Farm Happenings for February 26, 2022

Posted on February 24th, 2022 by Mark Kastner
Years ago,a good friend observed that except that we depend on Farmers for our food, the draw of Farming could be classified as an Addiction! I admit that coming out of my winter's rest, I am ready and itching for more ups and downs, betting that this will be our best year ever, never mind the self-inflicted abuse I am about to endure. Over time I have recorded several observations and time honored superstitions that guide my growing decisions, so it's not a total crap game!
 
First, between November 10 and February 5, we are below 10 hours of daylight, and if the plant is not 75% mature with a strong root system, it will not grow; If one runs out of product as I always do, there is no recovery. I am located in southern Eaton County. The closest area with the same Latitude and weather conditions is Lysogorskaya, Russia, which is 5,649 miles away, so I compare our weather patterns with Portland, Maine...close enough! Our meteorological end of winter is February 28. (Yea!) We have a rain and snow total of about 40 inches/ year. That means some sort of supplemental irrigation will be needed. Our "warm season" is 3.7 months, or May 26--September 17, so if you want to eat during the 3.3 cold months, November 30--March 9, I need to learn how to grow in a protected environment (Hoop Houses). And I have more to offer, but just one more: plant the first potatoes on Good Friday. How's that for a moving target?!
 
Please see  the attached menu for what we offer this week. The first Spring Greens are still about 3 weeks away!