Spring at CANDOR Farm

Last fall we planted onions and garlic which you can see thriving at the farm right now. Although we planted them around the same time, the onions should be ready any day while the garlic will stay in the ground for a few more months. We planted these for our members at the West End Free Market but also because they have pest repelling qualities - most animals don’t like spice!

Things are gearing up for Earth Day this Saturday April 18th we’ll be at Part&Parcel 9-12 with plants for sale and working in the garden! I want to tell you all about our new greenhouse, but for now just know we’ve got some emerging mustard and collard greens that I just put into larger pots. They’ll be ready to go in the ground or stay in their pots to provide baby greens.

I’m back home for the first spring in a long time and am reminded of afternoon conditioning practice. Just like I was getting ready for summer, so are our plants. While it’s tempting to dive head first into spring planting, I try to remember that the point of summer conditioning is to ease into the hard part of the season. For us, it will be harvesting season. We hope to have a bountiful garden to support the West End Free Market.

For the plants this means starting them off in the greenhouse and keeping them in their original trays for 4-8 weeks. Leaving the roots undisturbed in these early stages is important for their strength and longevity. Keeping the young seedlings in the greenhouse protects them from chilly evenings. The process is slow and requires patience but it will make for better collard greens this summer and fall. These are cold weather crops that will begin to produce seeds when it’s too hot out. This process of “bolting” will cause leaves to turn bitter and we’ll have collards in reserve ready to replace them.

For me spring means pacing myself and asking for help with hard tasks. We’ve been so fortunate to have volunteers not just to help with more labor intensive tasks but also to keep company at the tedious ones. Body doubling while planting seeds in trays is a must!

Unfortunately, this also means things are yet to pick up at the West End Free Market. Our members have been waiting since December for us to open back up, but local farms are still getting started. There’s only so much room in expensive winter greenhouses and high tunnels. With our new greenhouse we will be able to supply the Market with fresh greens all season. The greens we plant this fall will last till this time next year when it's time to plant new ones.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for one of our upcoming workdays!