Spring is definitely still here, but just for a few more days! It is now safe across the desert, including the mountains, to plant all your summer favorites! Those in warmer areas will hopefully be experiencing a nice bounty of fresh vegetables and flowers soon, and those in the higher elevations will have just planted. Luckily, we enjoy a very nice “Indian Summer” (Fall), even in some of the higher elevations, which prolongs our ability to grow such summer favorites as tomatoes and squash. Of course, our beloved basil is one of the most sensitive to temperature, so keep this in mind at the beginning and end of this summer season. Keep in mind that as you read your seed packets, it says “60 days for vegetables.” This will be prolonged as the days shorten, starting on June 20th with the summer solstice.
At Moonstruck Farms, we have had to change our transplant schedule on the farm partly due to a massive tulip season and partly due to our escalating Edison bills. We do have solar panels on the house, but even so, with the increased rates, we are still greatly affected, especially since we have a cool room running a Coolbot with an air conditioner at 45 degrees or lower year-round. Our Coolbot tricks the air conditioner into dropping down to lower temperatures without freezing up, providing a beautiful environment for storing bulbs, cut flowers, and even freshly harvested vegetables. In trying to reduce our use of electricity, we have started our tomatoes and basil and other summer vegetables and flowers a lot later in the season, hoping that the increased temperature in the grow room coupled with other changed factors will speed up the process and reduce our electricity bill, but still provide the needed transplants. We will have tomatoes and basil at the market, with tomatoes coming in mid-June and basil shortly after. In addition, we do have strawberry plants, and a few flowers have been started for those wishing to add to their gardens. By the time you read this, our peony season will be ending; I hope you had a chance to enjoy some of the Queen of Spring…she is here for such a short time each year!
Thanks to our farms coming from warmer climates, we are already seeing summer vegetables and fruit at markets. Both Wrightwood and Phelan are also enjoying the first of cherries and other stone fruits. Both the markets are outside and on their summer schedule now, with the Phelan Farmers Market being open Mondays from 2 pm to 6 pm at 4128 Warbler Road in Phelan and the Wrightwood Farmers Market being open from 4 pm to 7 pm on Fridays in the Wrightwood Community Center. Remember, both markets accept EBT/Calfresh and the Phelan Farmers Market administers the Market Match grant, which gives EBT customers up to $15 in free produce. See the manager in the floral apron for details.
