Harvesting Cucumbers & Experimenting with Beneficial Nematodes

Village Farm Team,

We made the first harvest of our second succession of cucumbers this week! We’ve got the Max Pack pickling variety which we also seeded and harvested on the first succession as well as a new variety for us called Diva. The Diva cucumber is a thin-skinned variety that works well for slicing and snacking. These cucumbers are incredibly sweet, crisp, and seedless without any hint of bitter flavor. Make sure you come snag some at the farmers market this Saturday so you can try them for yourself.

We’ve been experimenting with spraying beneficial nematodes on specific locations around the farm over the past few weeks to combat pests like ants, weevils, and borers. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora is a species of entomopathogenic nematode used as a form of biological pest control. So far, these microscopic nematodes have helped to nearly eradicate ants in some of the Farm Club plots as well as some of our planter boxes where they were sprayed. We’re eager to see how they combat other pests like borers and grubs.

On Saturday September 21st we’ll have a special farmers market centered around the National Drive Event. There will be an electric car show set up at the market from 9am-12pm that is free for all ages. We will also have our amazing vendors out during our usual hours from 8am-12pm selling beautiful local goods like honey, coffee, jams, and soaps. And, just to make sure there’s something for everyone, Gen Yoga will be teaching a mindful yoga flow on the event lawn from 9-10am. We hope to see you there!