Tag: salad greens

Updates from ARTfarm, early December 2024…

Rainy gray days on the farm are slowing growth of crops. Youngest ARTfarmer must carry our one eyed cat around to keep the paws dry.

St. Croix was deluged with heavy rains in October and November of 2024. This is good, and bad.

Bad news first: the rain has been a little much for some of our crops. Persistent and continuous weekly flooding caused the topsoils at ARTfarm to be excessively waterlogged. When the tiny aerated gaps in the topsoil fill with rainwater, it causes plant roots to suffer from a lack of oxygen. Various crops are dying because of this condition. Papayas in particular are suffering and we’ve lost about a third of them. We have had to re-seed and re-plant crop successions multiple times in the hopes that conditions will improve. The cloudy conditions have also had an effect on the ability of leafy greens to grow properly. Wahhh-wah.

Season’s starry greetings. Our papaya harvest will be greatly diminished by the rains. Those that were salvaged were pretty sweet. Hopefully we’ll have more to share later in the season.
After a lot of years of intense drought, it’s quite a change to be wearing boots every day on the farm.

The great news is that we have more stored rainwater than we’ve ever had at this point in the season. Our ginger, turmeric, yams, established fruit trees and coconuts are looking great. We are also experimenting with cover crops planted near our food crops, and those beds are performing better in these overly wet conditions. Farmer Luca is experimenting with organic biodegradable paper mulch on our watermelon beds, with pretty good results so far.

Coconuts in the Hugel bed are getting more water than they probably ever have in the past.
Our fruit trees are looking pretty happy after all of the heavy rains. Some of the row crops, not so much.

ARTfarm is not giving up and will continue experimenting and learning from these epic and relentless conditions, which may be the new normal.

As usual at this time of year, we have some great new volunteers and are always looking for more helpers. Tell a friend if you know someone who might be interested in learning more about sustainable, regenerative gardening practices — we would always love and appreciate some help in the gardens and with a few other tasks as well.

Trying different mulching methods after heavy rains to protect the young plants

Stay tuned for information on when we’ll finally open for the season, and thanks to all our loyal customers who have been checking in!

The great reward for those elite few of you who have read this entire email is that we will have a salad mix pop-up on Wednesday December 11th with sweet salad greens, radishes with green tops and garlic chives. 4:30 PM to 5 PM. Regular farm stands will hopefully start at the end of December. Ho-ho-ho!

Love, ARTfarmers

ARTfarm October Saturday AM: SWEET MIX, plums & MORE… 10/5/24, 11:30am – 12 noon

Salaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Throwback photo with Farmer Bob.

It’s been rainy-ish, a perfect time for planting. We’ve got pineapple slips!

For those who just like to eat, we have fruit and herbs and a few veggies, too!

No reservations; first come, first served. We really appreciate your support.

Watercolor painting by Luca Gasperi - a paper wasp on a leaf of green lettuce
Watercolor painting (c)2023 by Luca Gasperi – a beneficial paper wasp hunts harmful pest insects on a leaf of green lettuce.

Plenty
Sweet salad mix (tender, and sweet from the rain)

Sweet potatoes

Lemongrass

Kaffir leaves

Oregano

Pineapple slips

Early Birds
September plums
Kaffir limes
Garlic chives
Sour oranges

We’re always on the lookout for volunteers to help with garden preparation. Come hang with Farmer Luca and learn some farming skills! Non-smokers/non-tobacco users please. Also – feel free to admire our new roadside sign! One down, one to go…

Stay cool, put a pinch of salt in everything, and see you Saturday 11:30am – 12pm!

ARTfarm Wednesday PM SWEEEET SALAD MIX! & Dragonfruit Popup 10/2/24, 5 – 6pm

ARTfarm sweet mix comes from many different varieties of lettuces, grown organically and sustainably with stored rainwater irrigation! We interplant to naturally deter pests. And because it’s pretty. We can use volunteers right now, if you’re a non-tobacco user please get in touch! Come play in the gardens!

Wednesday’s October ARTfarm PopUp features sweet salad mix that’s extra tender from the rain. Also a few herbs and baby pineapple plants, and a few dragonfruit and sweet potatoes for the early birds.

As usual at this time of year, it’s been just a handful of people so it’s usually a good time to bring your gardening questions and chat with Farmer Luca. It’s also a great time to ask about volunteering on the farm, or tell a friend if you know someone who might be interested in learning more about sustainable, regenerative gardening practices — we are short a couple of people right now and would love some help in the gardens and with a few other tasks as well.

Our thoughts, prayers and energy toward the people of Asheville NC and others in areas affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

Today is Contract Day in the USVI. Honor the Fireburn Queens of 1878.

No reservations; first come, first served.

Plenty

Sweet salad mix (extra tender!)
Lemongrass
Kafir lime leaves
Pineapple slips

Early Birds

Dragonfruit (white, pink, and red)
Sweet potatoes
Garlic chives

Freshly dug sweet potatoes at ARTfarm,
Tomato energy is building. Just seeded tomatoes this week!

Stay cool, and see you Wednesday afternoon! 5 – 6pm.

TOMATO FARMSTAND today Monday 3/4/2024, 5:30–6:15PM – no reservations needed!

Gorgeous, vine ripened heirloom tomatoes make incredible BLTs: sweet, juicy, and non-acidic.

Open today for farmstand shopping, no reservations required, from 5:30 PM to 6:15 PM today. Come out and see farmer Luca, and get yourself some of these juicy seasonal tomato beauties! Make all yo-mama’s recipes!!

Cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sweet red slicer tomatoes, and discounted seconds* tomatoes. Come down the South Shore, check it out!

*Seconds tomatoes are ‘scratch and dent’ – they may have blemishes or healed splits – perfectly tasty but must go into the pot, be processed into a recipe, or stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase. Great for soup, salsa, or just blend them up and freeze portioned tomato puree for off-season pizza sauce!