April Update
Wow, April is flying by! Those sunny 70 degree days have felt great, too bad we’ve had so many cloudy 50 degree days sandwiched in between. The response to our CSA program has been fantastic and we are now officially sold out of shares! I’ve had several inquiries about shares for next year so I’ve started a contact list for anyone that was not able to join this year, so we can notify them when 2015 shares become available. If you know anyone that would like to be added to the list, please let me know.
2014 share pickup times are initially set as follows:
| DAY | AM | PM |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 10:00 - 12:00 | 5:00 - 7:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 11:30 | 5:00 - 6:30 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 11:30 |
Chickens – Chicks are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday April 30! Our initial batch will consist of 25 Cornish Rocks and 25 Freedom Rangers. I’m very interested to compare the feed consumption, growth rates, and taste of the two varieties. Our chickens will be housed in the recently completed mobile chicken coop, which will provide secure shelter but allow us to pasture them in different locations. We had lots of help framing, roofing, and painting the coop. Big shout outs to: Noe and Ethan Contreras; Dan, Mae, and Vincent Clark; and John, Kate, and Clare Decker for all of their help.
Hoop Houses – We finally got the plastic on Hoop House #1, thank you to Tim Datsko, Shannon & Adam Smith, and Mom & Dad Decker for all of your help! It’s now plenty warm (74 degrees inside while 46 outside) but still too wet, hopefully it will finish drying this week as several of our early tomato and pepper starts are ready for their permanent homes. I started laying out lines for Hoop House #2 on Tuesday, it will house the strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries that are arriving this weekend, so getting it framed and plastic on is high on the priority list over the next two weeks!
Orchard Work – Cindy, the kids and their cousins had the “privilege” of spending two days of their spring break at the orchard hauling brush from all of the winter pruning. The cold spring has delayed leaf and bud emergence but green tips are finally showing up on the McIntosh!
Seed Starts – All of the transplant vegetables and herbs have now been planted. Big thank you to Dan, Mae, and Vincent Clark and to Clare and her friend Maggie for helping plant the last 200+ seeds! Our south facing front room has been re-assigned to greenhouse duty.
Just a reminder, farm activity updates as well as additional pictures and other news can be seen on our website at http://www.deckerfarmandorchard.com/ and on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/deckerfarmandorchardllc
-Wade