Trumpeter Swan Farm CSA News - Summer, Week 7, July 12
---- Cabbage Arrives ----
This week, cabbage joins the line up. Time for Cole Slaw! We grow a smaller variety, so the heads are not too large. So far, cabbage worms have not been much of a problem. Maybe they got started late because of the May 10th freeze we had? Green beans are just starting, so there will be few to go around. But plenty more to come.
---- Long Live the Queen! ----
A month ago, one our hives "swarmed". That is when the bees decide its time to split the hive - so the current queen plus half the bees head out for a new home, leaving some behind along with some cells with a future queen to emerge. Apparently the plan did not work, as there was no sign of a new queen several weeks later (no new eggs or larvae). The queen, upon emerging, makes a mating flight (to mate with a male drone), before returning to the hive to start laying eggs. Sometimes, a bird or dragonfly will pick her off before she makes it back, and then the hive is queenless and will slowly fade away. So I bought a new queen, introduced her to the hive last Friday, and we'll see if they hit it off.
---- Spotty Rain ----
This time of year, our rain is in the form of thunderstorms, that can be hit and miss. Lately, we are on the "miss" side. We've been doing serious watering to keep things happy. The last two weeks, the rain approached and then veered off an missed us. Tonight is out next chance - forecasters say "90%". So here's hoping. Onions, potatoes and sweet corn could really use a nice rain to "finish them up".
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Thanks,
Phil.
