Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or "share-holders" of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.
Communities /
Not only have my neighbors next door lent me the beauty of their sunflowers, my neighbors across town have blessed the whole community with a summer’s worth of fresh produce. Earlier this year I signed up to participate in a local farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA. From now till the last harvest this fall, the two young farmers who run the place will gather a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables for participants from the community to pick up every Tuesday. This marks the fourth week that I’ve stopped in and loaded up, and so far we’ve feasted on apricots, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, lettuce, kale, chard, sweet peas, radishes, beets, turnips, and more. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!
Neighbors /
My sunflowers have yet to grow up—the seeds I planted in April were promptly picked off by birds, and I waited too long in vain for them to make an appearance before replanting (deeper this time!). They’re still just babies at this point. But my next door neighbors planted a whole row of seeds a couple months ago, and they’ve been steadily reaching skyward this whole time. In the last couple of days, first pair opened up, right across from my own back door. Thanks, neighbor.
Pollination /
We reached a magic tipping point this morning! The cushaw squash and sugar pumpkin plants have been putting out beautiful golden blossoms for about two weeks now, but each one I’ve inspected has been male (thin neck, single anther, powdery yellow pollen). Today our first female opened up! The ants wasted no time in crowding around her sticky stamen, and I can only assume they were blissed out on nectar when I interrupted. But I wasn’t the only one to interrupt. Bees were buzzing from flower to flower as usual. Pollen with a side of nectar—jackpot. And hey, along the way, please do your thing, little ones: help this pair of flowers make a baby.
Clouds /
Ah, finally—a day of cloud cover from dawn till dusk. A break from the barrage of unfiltered UV. Highs in the nineties instead of the hundreds. I’ll take it.
Shade /
The heat is just too much this week, soaring to 100°, 101°, even 103° the last few afternoons. I’ve taken the dog to the yard with me each time I go out to water, and normally he loves to run around checking in on the latest smells for as long as I let him, but lately he just plops down right by the gate waiting for me to lead him back inside. He knows better than to linger under the midday sun. Better to water the plants quickly and return to his favorite nap spot on the cool tile flooring. So that’s what we do—me giving the bonus dose of water for my crops, him napping away the heat of the day. Along with the wilting plants themselves, we wait for the sun to set each evening so we can find some reprieve in the shade and perk up a little again.
Doggo /
One last creature of the garden to name this week: my ever-faithful sidekick, who stays on his side of the fence while I weed but always lingers and watches as if he wishes he were inside helping. Thanks for the company, buddy.
Grasshopper /
Twice in the last week I’ve seen grasshoppers in the garden, but they couldn’t have been more different. One popped four feet in the air when I started watering, apparently startled all the way up to the fence, where it stayed. That one was massive for a grasshopper, maybe two inches long, bulky and brown. A little research makes me think it might’ve been a Dissosteira carolina, by which I mean, well, the characteristics I just described.
The second grasshopper was tiny and as bright green as a new leaf. It passed me in small hops while I was kneeling in the dirt; I almost took it for a tip of grass blowing in the wind. A tettigoniidae?
Butterfly /
I’m not sure what type of butterfly I’ve been seeing among the plants while weeding these days. Maybe margined white? It’s small and pale and fluttery...
Bumblebee /
Another visitor to the garden! Bumblebees have flitted through more and more lately. Now that there are fresh squash and pumpkin blossoms blooming each morning and more flowers are on the way, I hope plenty of native pollinators make a habit of stopping in.