We are finally getting some much-needed rain… admittedly a lot all at once, but we’ll take it! The weather is also forcing me inside for some “computer work,” so this feels like the perfect time to share a few overdue farm updates. CSA and market season are officially underway, and I’ve been harvesting from the fields for the past couple of weeks. I hope you all have been enjoying everything so far. Around here, we’ve been finding plenty of creative ways to eat greens with every meal.
This spring, farm infrastructure and building our systems have been the top priorities. The deer fence is finally up and now surrounds our two-acre growing area. I set the corner and gate posts in concrete, and Sam and I hand-pounded nearly 100 t-posts. My old boss and friend Rob also came out to help get the fence up and properly tensioned. It was our first big project, and one I was very happy to cross off the list.
Our irrigation system has also been essential during this very dry spring. I had pretty limited irrigation experience, but with lots of helpful advice from friends, I was able to figure it out a system that fit our needs. We’re pumping water from a creek at the edge of the property and travelling 1,400 feet up to the field. I learned so much and now know every part of the system top to bottom! Plus, I’ve been enjoying the walk along the woods edge to turn the system on and off.
But possibly my favorite addition to the farm is the new tool shed. My friend Stephen from Potomac Vegetable Farms built it for us. Around the farm community, he’s known for collecting other people’s unwanted things (aka-trash, old windows, broken refrigerators, bicycles, scraps of wood, you name it) and transforming them into unique and beautiful structures.
He built this shed using materials gathered from farms around the region: wood from a farm auction in Lucketts, roofing that blew off a barn in Rappahannock County, and cedar trim salvaged from the devastating barn fire at Next Step Produce. He is one of the most talented and creative people I know, and I feel incredibly grateful to have such a special — and extremely useful — piece at Red Plate.
Despite this being my seventh season farming, I actually haven’t spent much time at farmers markets. This year, though, we’re at the Middletown Market every Thursday from 4–7 pm. It’s a great little market that works perfectly with our schedule and couldn’t be closer to the farm. Come check it out! It feels like we learn something new each week, and I’m looking forward to growing into the role of market farmer and meeting more people in the neighborhood.
We’ll also be popping up at the Canco Market in Baltimore on Sunday, May 31st from 9 am–1 pm at 2400 Boston Street. It’s a new market with lots of great vendors, so stop by if you’re in town!
We’re definitely keeping busy and gearing up for the summer heat. I managed to get all the tomatoes trellised yesterday before the storm rolled in. The potatoes are looking huge and healthy despite being set back by the April frost, and onions, beets, summer squash, and cucumbers are all on the horizon. Growing season is officially in full swing.
I feel incredibly lucky to have a community that’s so eager to help and see us succeed. It’s not lost on me how important that support is when getting started. Thank you for being part of it in whatever way you are.
Red Plate Farm 
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