Serendipitous timing has been the story of our season.  We had light rain to water our spring plantings, dry weather to ward off downy mildew and other fungal diseases in the late summer, and a nice, warm September that had watermelons and tomatoes growing into October.  Now, with just one week left in the CSA season, we had our first frost.  Hanscom Airport, one of our closest weather stations, observed air temperatures of 24 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday night.  Luckily, we were prepared.  We covered many of the cold tolerant crops that remain in our fields, and believe it or not, some crops like kale and spinach, actually produce sugars and sweeten after temperatures have dipped close to freezing.  We’ll let you be the judge.

What a great season it has been.  It didn’t all go perfectly to plan, but it never does.  Most of all, we learned a lot.  The farmers before us warned us about many of the obstacles facing us, and their warning allowed us to make informed decisions and create a plan that allowed us to achieve success this season.  We have plenty of refining to do, and we already know there will be plenty of weeds to fight for the foreseeable future, but we could not be more excited to start planning for improvements next year.

It was a rewarding growing season, and it was a pleasure to meet many of the shareholders, their friends, and many others interested in all the happenings, plans, and hopes of the farm.  It is the neighbors and stakeholders that give this place purpose.  Caring for the land and growing food would mean nothing if it wasn’t for the community of people that share in the food and in the story of this place.  It has been my pleasure to begin to get to know many of you, and I look forward to meeting more of you as we continue to build this amazing community.

Thank you for a great season.

– Tim Hines, Farm Manager