OCtober 11th, 2023
What’s in your share?
Salad Mix
Cabbage
Carola Potatoes
Japanese Salad Turnips
Cherry Tomatoes or Shishitos
Tomatoes, Peppers, or Eggplant
Red Onions
Carnival Squash
I mentioned a few weeks ago that this time of year is when we reflect on things we could improve upon and things we did well. One crop that we just can’t seem to nail down is winter squash. I always assumed that squash and pumpkins just grew themselves, because they are all over the place this time of year. But after 6 seasons of growing winter squash, we’ve begun to realize that there are nuances to each variety and that they need to be cared for accordingly.
Fall crops in the foreground, harvest crew getting ready to harvest these turnips in the background.
Our first season, we only grew the carnival variety that you got in the shares today. Easy enough for first-time growers who have no idea what they’re doing to grow. We only sold at the farmers markets, so we didn’t have to worry about having enough for each CSA member. Our second seasson, when we expanded our field to the size that it is today, we didn’t have room for the winter squash, so we plowed up six beds outside the fence line and planted 4 varieties there. The butternut did awesome, while the red kuri, delicata, and pie pumpkins did terribly, mostly due to insect damage. We thought that perhaps the beds outside the fence line were too wet, leaving the vines and fruits more susceptible to insects. It’s hard to know exactly.
Making the cabbage look pretty. Photo by Matt Filipiak
Coming in to our third season, we decided only to grow carnival and delicata; going from 8 beds to 4 beds, in anticipation of losing those crops and therefore, having that bed’s space be a loss for the entire season. Winter squash take months to mature, and is the only crop that can get planted in the bed for the entire season. Most of our beds get planted twice, and we aim to have each crop be worth $5/bed foot, which is our requirement for making the crop worth the time we spend tending it. When a bed doesn’t produce anything, but still takes our time, it can be heartbreaking, so we really try to hone in on what does well for us. Because of our track record with winter squash, we’ve had a hard time deciding if it’s a crop we want to keep in our field. We have such a small field, and winter squash wants lots of space. We know our CSA loves it, which is why we haven’t give up yet, but it crosses our mind every season.
Let’s jump to season 6 - this season. We fed the soil before planting, knowing that winter squash are heavy feeders and want lots of nutrients. We planted into landscape fabric not only to keep weeds down, but also to create a barrier so that when rain water splashes down on the soil, it doesn’t splash onto the vines or fruit, because that can spread disease. We foliar fed every two weeks, seeing that this practice has helped the cucumbers, tomatoes, brassicas, peppers, onions, and garlic. Then the plants started producing beautiful fruits - they were loaded, in fact! There was no significant insect damage and we were excited for the harvest. Then, a couple days before we harvested, it rained 3 inches. In hindsight, we probably should have seen that forecast and harvested even though the squash didn’t seem ready. Eventually we harvested and got all the squash laid out in the greenhouse to cure. The butternut always pulls through. It’s the only squash I enjoy growing because it always produces and they are the most substantial squash to cook, in my opinion. But the delicata was deteriorating by the minute; caving in on itself and turning to mush. We don’t know if this was a disease, insect damage, water damage, or nutrient deficiency. Naturally, we went down the rabbit hole of the internet to troubleshoot and find answers, but like most problems, there isn’t one easy answer or factor.
That said, this wasn’t meant to be a winter squash sob story, but just reality. It’s really easy to get down about crop failure and take it personally, but it’s also an opportunity to learn, to reevaluate, and to be humbled. Because we’re still in our beginning years, we’ve been mostly experiencing lots of “ups” - seeing our soil health improve drastically, having our farming skills improve exponentially, and building relationships with the wonderful people who support our farm, so it’s important for us to have these moments of reflection and truth. We wish our winter squash menu was a little more diverse for you this fall, but you’ll at least get a solid butternut and a solid acorn. Enjoy!
When you live, work, and play together, you end up wearing the same hat without realizing it until half the day has passed. Shout out to our favorite music venue in Yuba, Wisconsin! We’re digging sweet potatoes in this photo.