Moving into Autumn at Transition Farm
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Sunflowers in full bloom at the end of Summer
The start of March signals the end of Summer and the move into the Autumn. Our Summer crops have done well in what has been a particularly dry year for our farm - we really have had only two good rainfalls since September! Hopefully the Autumn will bring a little more rain.
Our Summer CSA boxes finish at the end of March and then we will be providing Autumn CSA boxes through April May and June. Autumn is the season to "reap what you sow", with many of the crops having been grown throughout the Summer. The fields are full, the greenhouse still with late Autumn/early Winter crops to transplant and so many greens and roots taking advantage of the warm earth to grow before the cold sets in and days get shorter.
First Bok Choy planting going into the weekly boxes at the start of March
Our Autumn CSA boxes will be filled with Pumpkins, Parsnips, Carrots, Broccoli, Cabbage, Spinach, Kale, Sweet Potato, Celery, Peas, Potatoes, Celeriac, Cauliflower, Onions, Garlic, Lettuce, Bok Choy, Beet Root, Turnips and more... some of these crops we have been growing since September.
Autumn brassica plantings in the background, carrots, parsnips and celeriac in the foreground
Our potato harvest this season has been a good one and the potato crop will be harvested fully in the next few weeks.
Potatoes for the Summer and Autumn boxes
The first of the pea plantings went in a week ago and we plan to harvest Snow Peas and Sugar Snap Peas in April - we have done more work this year in preparing the pea planting area using our chicken tractors, green manures and weed management to try and increase productivity.
First Snow Pea plantings for the Autumn boxes
The pumpkins are ripening and we are getting ready to start harvesting soon - the varieties we have grown this season will ensure we get some pumpkins into the Summer CSA boxes as well as having plenty for Autumn/Winter.
Pumpkins ripening in the field
We built more chicken tractors at the end of our season last year and this has enabled us to use the chickens to do more work in preparing areas on the farm for crop plantings by working in green manures and eating the bugs and grubs.
Back paddock at the end of Summer - chicken tractors preparing the ground for the Autumn peas
Our Autumn Share CSA can be joined through the Farm Store on our website from Monday 7th March. We will be providing our Autumn CSA boxes for 12 weeks from the start of April through until the end of June.
During the Summer season we added a "one off" CSA box option for people who are interested in our farm produce to trial our service - They were able to receive a box for one week to see what they thought. We had quite a few people try this and then commit to the seasonal CSA - so we will be providing these "one-off" boxes for the Autumn as well.
It has been a bumper Summer for our Tomatoes -
We have been really pleased with the quality of our produce and the flavour this Summer. We look forward to filling our Autumn boxes with a diverse range of vegetables grown here on our farm!
To our CSA members who support our growing endeavors - Thank you!! We could not grow the way we do without you!
Our CSA has a limited number of shares each season. If you are interested, please sign up now to avoid disappointment. If you are new and would like to trial a box first, we suggest doing so sooner rather then later. Our Summer CSA sold out. More information is available on our website.
CSA Farm Pick Up
