April will be a busy month at York Fresh Food Farms, especially because the spring weather has been wet and cold and put Farm Manager Bruce Manns back about 2 weeks. We need to get the broccoli, cabbage, onions and lettuces in the ground as soon as possible. These plants are getting pretty big in the heated greenhouse. But the ground can’t be prepared for these cooler weather transplants until the soil is not so wet and the daytime temperatures are little higher.
Work to prepare the high tunnel for 500-600 pepper plants is moving ahead. Inside the high tunnel it is warmer and dryer. Landscape cloth will be used for weed control. Miller Plant Farm is growing most of the pepper plants and they’ll be ready to pick up soon.
The tilling, laying out the rows, laying plastic mulch and drip irrigation tape will all be done with new farm equipment. The new blue tractor “Boomer” was purchased with a grant from The David H. Hogg Family Foundation, Inc. and a loan from York Traditions Bank, and the new tiller has been made possible with a grant from the City of York – Bureau of Health. This new equipment is not only better than what the Farm has been able to rent, but Farm Manager, Bruce Manns, will have the flexibility of using the equipment when and as it is needed and save on equipment rental costs. Thank you to our donors for funding the purchase of this important farm equipment.
Look for York Fresh Food Farms on Saturday, April 21st at Go Green in the City – we’ll be located on the lawn of the Colonial Courthouse at Pershing and West Market Street with tomato, pepper, squash, eggplant and lettuces growing in bags. We hope to have the “Boomer” with us as part of our display. Also on April 21, the Red Lion Rotary will be at the Farm planting 75 asparagus crowns and strawberry plants. Thank you Red Lion Rotary!
On Thursday, April 26 from 4pm to 7pm York Fresh Food Farms will have a table at the Resource Fair at Wm. Penn HS. If you are attending please enter at door 15.
York Fresh Food Farms is proud to be participating in Give Local York, York’s annual online giving event. Please support York Fresh Food Farms at www.givelocalyork.org during the 24 hour giving day on May 4. The real success of Give Local York will not be how much money is raised but the tremendous impact those dollars will have when participating York County nonprofits put the dollars to work to benefit the community. To support York Fresh Food Farms’ campaign, go to https://givelocalyork.org//designee/york-fresh-food-farms on May 4.