Sprout Farm Newsletter October 17th, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily until Halloween

Hello Everyone,

We're waiting to see if we get the first touch of frost tonight. We rolled the dice and planted cucumbers outdoors several weeks ago. The flowers are open but I think they are doomed to die an early death. The stubborn, chilly rain is keeping the late summer plantings stunted, while the cool weather crops thrive. In preparation for closing the farm permanently, Jay had the gas service disconnected and the greenhouses cleaned out right up to removing the drip lines and everything used for growing hanging baskets. I've never seen those structures so empty. At this time of year they would have been cleaned out and filled with pallets of soil and pots in preparation for the spring garden shop season. The bags of soil are gone and there are odd boxes of pots left over in the soil shed.

The farm stand still has plenty to offer. The greenhouses still have tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. I'm more diligent in searching out the seconds for some home made salsa. The Eastham turnip is in the cooler along with the regular fall favorites, cranberries, cider, lettuce, and some odds and ends from late plantings. We have lots of apples and squash. We are ending the corn season this weekend. Bridgewater is a long trip for a dwindling demand for corn. It's fall and tastes change. We expect the season to be over for green beans, peppers and egg plant this weekend. It was a good year.

We still have some mums left. We mostly have orange and red mums in pots and more colors in the hanging baskets. We have decorative gourds, pumpkins in various sizes, honey, jams and syrup. What we don't have is a future for the farm stand. It feels strange but this is our second retirement. We retired from day jobs years ago and did what so many retirees dream of doing. We grew a little garden and sold plants and produce by the side of the road. What started out as a flat bottom wheelbarrow and a cigar box to leave money for the boxes of strawberries, grew into something we never dreamed of. Thank you for joining us on the journey. The goats, horses and chicken were a detour.

The kitten report: Wheezie is doing well. We had a very nice house call by the new vet. It was past time to have her sutures removed from her operation and the clinic is closed for the month for renovations. I do not expect that kind of service ever again. Wheezie did not like being held on her back and she flinched a little when she felt the snip of the scissors. After it was all done, she was fine. Goldie went off his food again, but he recovered after he vomited. He is sampling everything that interests him outdoors. Lovely. He looks out the window in the front door and sneaks out whenever he can. He's learning to come when he's called but just in case he ignores us; we are teaching him to go through the cat door in the basement wall. Once we gently push him into the house through the door, he turns right around and comes back out. So, he's mastered one direction. Now he needs to master getting into the house quickly. The deer fence around the fields keeps out most predators from the Woodlands but it doesn't protect the street side of the property. Goldie hasn't figured out how to climb trees quickly yet so getting into the house quickly is the best defense.

Please remember that we are closing for good on Halloween. We have always stayed open until Thanksgiving in past years but that make no sense this year. Many of your fall favorites will keep just fine if refrigerated.

That's all the news for Now. Stop by and see what we have for you,

Jay and Phyllis Sprout