Hello farm friends!
The crops are growing well, with new additions being planted almost every day right now. Today my sister Charlotte helped me set out hundreds of little flower seedlings and I sowed multiple rows of sunflowers and zinnias.
I’ll have kale, collards, arugula, swiss chard, baby mustard greens, and radishes available at Renfrow Hardware on Wednesday and Saturday this week. They’ll be set up inside the store as a mini-farm stand until we open the real farm stand starting on Tuesday, June 7th.
In the Greenhouse
We’ve been working on a few new ideas for the Renfrow Hardware greenhouse for this spring busy season, and they’re all focused on helping our customers to make informed decisions about vegetable varieties, find exactly what they’re looking for, and to have fun planning out their gardens!
Mater season is officially here!!! For those gardeners out there who are well-trained to wait until Tax Day to plant, the first big summer planting week is finally upon us!
The farm’s tomato and squash seedlings made it through Saturday night’s freezing temperatures nearly unscathed. My tiny green bean seedlings didn’t survive, as I used a much thinner row cover on them than the squash and tomatoes – the two to three degrees of additional protection made all the difference.
Here’s a brief breakdown of what I plan on planting at the farm during the next few weeks. I stagger multiple plantings of many of these crops, so these days are for the first round:
tomatoes, squash, zucchini, green beans, lima beans, edamame, most herbs, sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds
May Day:
eggplant, okra, peppers, cucumbers, popcorn, basil (these prefer nights above 50 degrees F)
Various types of our produce are also back on the dinner plates at Sante Restaurant, also in downtown Matthews.
Renfrow Farms Events Calendar:
The April editions of the Family Food Garden Series are on Tuesday, April 19th at 6:30pm and Wednesday, April 20th at 10am, taught by Jeff Rieves. Email me to reserve your spot!
The Organic Gardening Primer
You CAN grow fresh, healthy food at home without a lot of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. This class has something for beginners and experienced gardeners alike – a “fresh, healthy” approach to growing more food for your family!
We are going to be part of the annual Gardeners’ Garden Tour this Mother’s Day weekend, May 7 & 8, hosted by the wonderful Myers Park treasure, Wing Haven Gardens.
My dad and I are teaching another SkillPop class! Backyard Chicken Basics is this Thursday, April 14th at 6:30pm at Renfrow Hardware. Pre-register here.
Happy gardening and happy eating this week!
