Photo by Scott David Gordon

What an unusual winter we've had in Central Texas this year. As a farmer, I take weather watching to an extreme, and am checking the forecast multiple times a day to see what the next week will bring us. Usually in an El Niño year, we expect the winters to be cold, wet, and harsh. However, this winter has been the sixth warmest on record in Austin, with Camp Mabry only recording 4 light frosts! We had a few more out here at the farm, but nothing like the wintry beating we took two years ago. And while the usual last frost date in Travis County falls around March 7th, our current ten day forecast shows nothing below 50 degrees.

Photo by Scott David Gordon

So, CSA members and customers, we're going for it! This week we started putting all of your favorite summer crops in the ground. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, squash, basil and more - we're taking a chance on mother nature and getting these crops in the field now, in the hopes of delivering you fresh summer crops a few weeks earlier than expected. Why are we asking you to cross your fingers? Well, these little transplants love warm weather, but will die in the field if the temperature dips below freezing. Their cell walls will burst if punctured by ice crystals even if the thermometer hovers just at 32 degrees, unlike winter hardy brassicas and root crops. We usually wait until a few weeks after the average last frost to get summer crops planted in the fields, but this year early just feels right.

A flowering hedgerow of brassicas attracts lots of beneficial insects! Photo by Scott David Gordon

Of course, while getting our crops in early is a blessing, warm and frost-free winters have some potential downsides to them as well. One in particular is showing it's face at the farm this week, and that's pests. Deep winter frosts help farmers by keeping pest populations under control during the cold season, killing off some of the bugs. Without many freezes, we're expecting the pest pressure this spring to be substantial. Just this week, Temo and I saw a number of cucumber beetles that had survived the winter. With no cucurbits to eat, they've started nibbling on our cilantro and artichoke leaves - something we have never seen before on the farm!

Luckily, Temo has been here for years and his keen eyes caught this early. We're going to get this problem under control. I'm especially excited to see the crops we've let flower for our new bees attracting other beneficial bugs like parasitoid wasps. These wasps lay eggs inside the larvae of cucumber beetles (and other pests), killing off the larvae before they reach beetle stage. Good bugs helping us fight bad bugs? I'll take it.

Transplant squad? (yes, that is Brenton in the middle) Photo by Scott David Gordon

We hope that you're planning a garden too! Today we're setting up for the opening day of our annual Transplant Sale, which starts TOMORROW morning at our Garfield Farm greenhouses! We're selling all of your summer favorites - heirloom tomatoes, basil, okra and more, along with potting soil and tomato stakes to make it a one-stop garden shopping trip. This year, we've also got a great selection of Texas fruit trees for your garden. Don't miss out on your chance to purchase table grapes sourced from our neighbor David Sides - he's given us two great varieties - a red Victoria, and a white Blanc-du-Bois. Both are disease resistant and bred to thrive in Austin gardens. We've just brought in some Angel Red pomegranates as well - we're planting these all over the Garfield Farm and wanted to save some for you. So, we'll see you tomorrow - come for the transplants, stay for a picnic and enjoy this warm weather!

Also, if you haven't heard, tickets are now on sale for the annual JBG Spring Picnic and 5k Garden Gallop!! On Saturday, March 26th, we're hosting our favorite spring celebration at the Garfield Farm, a chance to celebrate the season with your local community. Come for a fun run, stay for the food, drinks, music and dancing. We can't wait!