Seeding for Fall & Checking Sweet Potatoes

Village Farm Team,

Our fall tomato and pepper seedlings are coming along nicely, especially with the lower temperatures we’ve been enjoying over the last couple of weeks! Granadero and BHN 871 tomatoes are returning to the lineup as they proved to be incredibly prolific and delicious in the spring. They’ll be joined by Grand Marshall which is a red beefsteak tomato. As for our peppers the lineup is relatively the same as it was in the spring: Lunchbox (sweet snacking pepper), Goddess (sweet banana pepper), Mellow Star (shishito), Jalafuego (jalapeno), and Felicity (no-heat jalapeno).

Our main crop of sweet potatoes isn’t quite ready though we’ve been able to harvest a small amount from our raised beds by the model homes The main crop is planted in soil with a heavier clay content than our raised beds which can affect the development time. They’ve also encountered several different wet periods since they’ve been in the ground which is another factor that can potentially retard their growth. While we wait to harvest our main crop, we should have a small amount available from our raised beds once they complete the curing process!

Our second succession of butternut squashes is nearing harvest time. This succession is a variety called “JWS 6823 PMR” and it yields medium-sized butternuts. The vines on this variety are shorter (making it easier to walk between the rows and harvest) and the flesh is meant to have a superior flavor than most butternuts. Upon harvesting, our butternuts will be moved to the greenhouse in order to undergo the curing process. This allows the skin to get a bit harder so that these squashes can be stored for up to three months. It also allows the natural sugars present in the squash to concentrate producing a sweeter and more balanced flavor.