Sprout Farm Newsletter May 31st, 2025 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily

Hello Everyone,

June is bustin' out all over, to quote some famous Broadway musical composers. We get one absolutely perfect day and hold onto it as long as we can because we know a change is coming. Fire up the Barbecue, and focus on the meat because the local produce just isn't there yet. It's pretty good considering it comes from out of state but would you want to eat it raw? I'm going to wait for the local corn before I try it raw. I swear the weeds are laughing at me. I rake them out one day, it rains and they re-attach overnight . I rake them out again and hope that the sun and wind would finally kill these hyperactive plants so I can more on and do something else.

We have the seventeen year locust back with us again. You know you're getting old when someone shouts that the seventeen year locust are here and your only response is a board, “Again?” From here I have to strain my ears to hear the faintest whisper of their call. It was a lot louder in the mid 1970's when they were emerging from the forest and undisturbed ground around us. Clothes that were hung out to dry had to be inspected for locust before bringing them into the house. Clothes brought in but not inspected or folded could give a heart wrenching muffled buzzing sound in the middle of the night that was sure to disturb your sleep for the rest of the night. Over the years this area has been built up and every time the soil is disturbed, that seventeen year cycle is disturbed and the subsequent hatch is lighter. In the 1970's we shoveled the creatures off the driveway with a snow shovel. Now the only large insects I've seen are five Colorado potato beetles. We don't know if we'll be here when they come around again but we know there will be fewer of them so relax, unless they are covering your precious shrubs. Then that's something else.

From Jay: this week we will continue our 30% off on all of our perennials. It doesn't make sense to back up at this point in the season. We have also reduced the price of our 6 pack flowering annuals. The regular price is $4.49 now just $3.75 and like always the sale is limited to quantity on hand.

We are starting to cut lettuce for the cooler, green loose leaf is first, the red loose leaf and finally romaine which has some growing up to do. Jay has planted a LOT of lettuce. In my opinion, June lettuce is the best. Mimi wants you to know she has special pricing on her micro-greens. You never know what we will have in the cooler so come by and check it out. There are even some tender fresh cut herbs in the cooler.

The soil is nice and warm so it's a perfect time to plant those summer veggies. We have squash, cukes, tomatoes and other starts to get your garden off to a quick start. For those of you who will be planting in the ground and do not like weeding; you can turn over the soil and wait four days and turn it again. The first turning will kill the obvious weeds and the second turning will kill the newly germinated weeds that we just under the surface of the soil. No chemicals are involved and if you add mulch there will be fewer weeds to break through. Studies show that 90% of the weeds germinate from seeds no deeper than 2” below the soil. That's just about how deep sunlight penetrates. I think there's a connection there. I discovered a Chinese made version of my favorite Push-Pull cultivator at Home Depot. The stainless steel 'v' shaped blade is sharp and cuts through weeds like butter. The only thing that slows it down is wet clay and rocks but we don't have many rocks.

The kitten report: No kittens to report on yet. Wheezie isn't talking or showing. Mr. Scruffy or Flat head as my neighbor calls him, has returned to coming into our house and is not so shy as he was before we locked the cat door for three months. James continues to bribe him with treats until he can be stroked into a blissful fur ball but I don't treat cats on demand so he just stares at me before slinking down to the basement. He's a work in progress and we need to do something about him during the tick season. James will get there first so stay tuned.

Stop by and see what's going on and what we have in stock.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout