During this time of year, I hope those of you who tucked last year’s Paperwhite or Amaryllis bulbs in the garage or cold storage are bringing them out and giving them a nice moist drink to bring them back to life for this holiday season. When properly stored dry and cool over the coming year, they return year after year in your home or, if you like, in your gardens. Remember the rule of thumb when planting any bulbs in your garden is two to three times their height deep…so if the bulb is 2″ tall, plant 4 to 6″ deep in your gardens. If you are in a warmer area of the High Desert, deeper is always better to help the bulb receive the cold treatment it requires.
Some of you may have heard we took a big hit with the last storm here at Moonstruck Farms. All neighboring wind meters were pegged at 101 mph with the wind gusts, and my thought is that we hit a new record and probably hit 125 mph. It was the worst I have seen in the 20 years we have been here. The 20×40 was already damaged, so it folded like a taco, but unfortunately, even the 20 x100 sustained damage on the South end and will need to have that end of the greenhouse repaired and new plastic. The plastic was seven years old and had tears, and all it takes is one tear for the wind to catch in those conditions, and it just peels the entire layer off. Honestly, I am glad it tore off. It needs to be replaced, and if it were maintained, it would have just put more pressure on the frame, and we would have sustained additional damage. To say the least, there is a tremendous amount of work to be completed, but honestly, that will have to wait until after holiday orders are filled, family is enjoyed, and our blessings are counted.
The local farmers markets will be closing their respective two weeks for Christmas and New Year’s Day as usual; The Phelan Certified Farmers Market will close Monday, December 26, 2022, for Christmas and January 2, 2023, for New Year’s Day, and return on January 9, 2023, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at 4128 Warbler Road. The Phelan Certified Farmers Market will have their annual Christmas Raffle on December 5, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with all the vendors donating to the raffle basket, and for every $5 you spend at the market, you will receive one free raffle ticket for a chance to win. The Wrightwood Farmers Market will close Friday, December 23, 2022, for Christmas and December 30, 2022, for New Year’s Day. The Wrightwood Farmers Market will now be indoors, inside the Wrightwood Community Center, with the food trailers in the parking lot. New Winter hours at the Wrightwood Farmers Market will be 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
