Frost covered Brussel sprouts from a 2018 freeze. This one is slated to be much worse.



Hello Readers! It’s about to be very cold over the next few days. We’re tucking our crops in the best we can at the farm, but on a farm our size, it’s not feasible to use useful tools like row cover or tarp to protect the plants. We just don’t have enough cover, nor labor, to make this happen. Our biggest defense against temperatures like this is our irrigation, which we will keep on a steady drip throughout the freeze. Unfortunately, many of our leafy greens will probably die, but we're hoping that some of our root crops that are tucked away under ground will stay insulated enough to come out okay. Our entire planting schedule was put on hold for the week, and young transplants that had been hardening off on our plant trailers were returned to their greenhouse home, where we will crank some heaters to keep them toasty. Farmer Brenton actually went on KXAN this week to chat with meteorologist Mark Peña, and discussed the upcoming arctic blast. Check that out here.



What happens to leafy greens during a freeze? When ice forms between plant cells, the water inside the cells is drawn out through the cell walls, causing the cells to shrink. This pressure can cause the walls to break. Hopefully, crops like carrots will keep their quality. Photos from 2018.



Some of the other measures we’re taking: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week were BIG harvest days. The biggest we could muster. Many of the very tender crops we have in the fields won’t survive this freeze, and so we’re picking as much of it before the killing frosts descend. What does this mean for you? It’s possible that your CSA box contents may have to shift a bit to incorporate some of this extra harvest. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding! Another measure we’re taking is to pack CSA boxes and wholesale orders inside our walk-in coolers, whose temperatures are significantly warmer than the outside air. Once temps dip to freezing, we will also have to be very diligent about not leaving harvested bins of produce outside for too long for the same reason that you wouldn’t store your lettuce in the freezer. Our delivery drivers are being very careful on the roads are taking things slow. We don’t expect any delays in deliveries, but if you’re expecting a delivery sometime in the next 4 days, keep a lookout on your email just in case. So far, the only official market closures that have been announced are for the Waco Farmers Market. If you’re a CSA member who usually picks up at a farmers’ market, keep an eye on your email - if any markets decide to close for the day, we communicate via email. At this point, we plan to attend all markets unless they are officially closed by the market organizers. As for Monday, our harvest crew will be taking the day off, and most of our Barn Crew will be cozied up at work, but inside our (relatively) warm coolers.

Click on the link below to see Nicole from Herban Austin's advice on how to protect your plants.

If you’re looking for some more practical advice on how to protect your own garden, plants, and trees, checkout this video Nicole from Herban Austin put up on her Instagram yesterday. And if you’re looking for something to warm you up, here is a list of 21 soup recipes worth simmering.

Our harvest crew, who works completely in the elements, are working very short days on Thursday and Friday, and will have Monday completely off. Our barn is partially protected from the elements with a metal roof, but as this ice shows, it will be extremely cold working conditions over the next few days.

The cold front is at top of mind for all farmers’ in the area, and most residents also. Quite oddly, sunnier days are ahead, and despite this freeze, it’s the perfect time to think about your spring garden. If you’ve made it to the bottom of this post, congrats. We’ve got a sneaker announcement for you: our highly-anticipated online transplant sale is now live!!! Pre-order for pickup at market, or simply come out to our greenhouse sale. More details on the greenhouse sale are coming. Stay warm, stay safe and stay soup.

We've got thousands of spring transplants in our greenhouse, all seeded for our community transplant sale. Luckily, the greenhouse should keep these seedlings nice and toasty over the coming days.