SP25 (W3): The Farm Walk

Mar 17

Dear Farm Community -

Spring officially begins Thursday and every crop on the farm knows it! I want to take y’all along on a ritual we do several times a week: the farm walk. The ol’ looksie. It’s how we keep the big picture in mind—checking on each crop to see how it’s growing, estimating availability for wholesale orders, CSA, and market harvests. We look for signs of progress, like how soon something will be ready to harvest, how much we can expect this week, or if we’ll need to flip that bed soon. We also keep an eye out for issues—like leaky irrigation, too much water, too little water, flooding from recent storms, or loose landscape fabric. It’s all about staying in tune with the farm and being prepared for what’s next. Come along on a little farm walk….

The seed house is looking great! Tomato seedlings are starting to size up (we’d like for them to be a little bit bigger by now but our germination rate is great!), peppers are all germinated and growing, and the summer flowers that we seeded a few weeks ago are taking off. Lookin’ good in the seed houses!

Let’s continue our farm walk over to the flower high tunnels where we just added some shade cloths. Shading our flowers encourages them to stretch upwards for those long stems! There are so many blooms right now - ranunculus, poppy, and anemone all producing like crazy and looking very happy. Hortonova netting has recently been placed over top some of our flower plantings, like our snapdragons, on the north side of the farm. As they grow upwards and through the netting, it will help support their stems as they grow taller and taller, ensuring they don’t fall over.

As we start walking ‘round our veggies in the tunnels and the fields, there are several baby veggie plantings we’re keeping close eyes on, like our sugar snap peas that are so itty bitty they aren’t yet reaching their trellis! Our fennel plantings are looking strong and should be ready to harvest soon enough—same with our field leeks. The new high tunnels we filled with lettuce are lush and healthy and already seeing big harvests.

We’ve put in a lot of hard work this winter and it shows! The farm is in great shape and we’re looking forward to continuing this trend through the year!

For your CSA’s this week we’re harvesting little gem lettuce for ya! This sweet and petite lettuce is a favorite among chefs - and for good reason! The nooks and crannies in their leaves are the perfect carrier for your favorite salad dressings, and it maintains its crispness even when charred! It pairs incredibly with citrus like in this charred little gem citrus salad or in this well-loved little gem salad with lemon vinaigrette. As a bonus, it’s also the perfect size to pop on a burger or a sandwich to add a little crunch!

Our Know Your Farmer this week is Sandra! Sandra is one of our unsung heroes of the farm - where would we be without her! Working in the pack shed, she is part of our superstar duo who processes all of the veggies that come in from the fields. She’s got a big task - taking dirty freshly harvested veggies and transforming them into something ready for your kitchens - something you’ll see at market or in your CSA’s and say “YUM!” We’re so grateful to have Sandra as part of our team. Her quiet cunning and sweet disposition make her a cherished part of the farm. We hope you’ll read on and see that she’s sweet as a strawberry!

Know Your Farmer:
Sandra

What is your role on the farm?
I start vegetable and flower seeds in our seed houses, wash and pack vegetables for our CSA and markets, and prepare wholesale orders for our restaurant partners. I also wash dishes, weed in the fields, and do other farm chores.

Please share your farming journey!
I joined Diamond Hill Farm a little over a year ago after spending 10 years as a full-time mother. I've been passionate about agriculture since childhood—my father is a farmer, and we always grew vegetables to eat and sell for some extra money. Coming from a family of nine siblings, we harvested most of the food we ate, and we always had organic vegetables at home.

What makes you passionate about organic farming?
I love planting seeds and watching them grow. I imagine they are little babies, and then I get to see them transform into vegetables ready to eat. I'm very curious and enjoy learning the names and flavors of everything we grow.

What do you like to do when you're not at the farm?
When I’m not at the farm I like spending time with my family.

What’s something you’ve done on the farm that you are proud of?
I am proud that I always try to give my best! I do a great job in the pack shed washing and packing vegetables (well, I think so!)

What’s your favorite crop?
I love cucumbers! I can eat them alone, in a salad, or with just a pinch of salt and lemon juice - it’s delicious.

What is a small thing on the farm that you are grateful for?
When I arrive in the morning, sometimes there are beautiful sunrises. The sun coming up is a sign that we have another day to work, and I thank God. I am also grateful to see all the other farmers and our boss, Mr. Carter, who is a very good boss. I think we all agree on that.

If you were a fruit what would you be and why?
I would like to be a strawberry, because strawberries are pretty and sweet.

What do you think about when you’re washing and packing in the pack shed?
I imagine someone enjoying our fresh vegetables, preparing a delicious recipe to share with their family using what we’ve grown.

In your opinion, what is the best season and why?
I like them all but I think spring is the best!

What is your favorite way to pass time weeding with other farmers?
I like to talk to all of the farmers and learn more about things related to vegetables and flowers (they are all very good at teaching).

What are your aspirations on the farm?
I would like to continue learning more about what we do and try to do better every day.

We’re all in the pack shed finishing up a big market harvest and you’re handed the AUX. What do you play?
Romantic pop music, maybe Michael Jackson.

What is your favorite Diamond Hill Farm memory?
Last year we had a very dry summer, there wasn't much rain. One afternoon it rained and I saw my coworkers take off their shoes and dance in the rain. We were happy, it was finally raining. (Revisit this memory on our blog here!)

You’ve got a week off from the farm an no budget limit! What are you doing?
I would be on the beach sunbathing!

What is your favorite thing about Diamond Hill Farm?
I really like working here, but what I like most is knowing that we work doing something as essential as harvesting organic vegetables.

What is something you want people to know about our farm?
I want you to know that all of us farmers and our boss do our best so that our customers can enjoy fresh, organic vegetables and decorate their homes with beautiful flowers.

Happy Spring!
Diamond Hill Farmers

We love to share!

shop CSA