A Note From Layton | Summer Solstice at Quail Hill Farm
June 21, 2023
By Layton Guenther
SummerSolstice brings about the longest days of our growing season here at 41°N,ushering in a whole new pace and tenor to our workdays. Now several months intoworking together, you’ll see our crew working about the farm in smaller teamsexecuting important and highly skilled tasks critical to keeping the fieldsclean and cared for: transplanting, irrigating, handweeding and soon, stakingand stringing our earliest tomato round.
OnJune 17 we welcomed members of all stripes to Birch Hill for a riff on ourclassic farm breakfast, Coffee and Community! After a stormy night and earlymorning, we gathered under brightening skies to enjoy baked goods, coffee andjuices, and to catch up and meet new members. Many, many thanks to all whobrought a dish to share, and to Kathy Masters for organizing this event!
Ifyou’ve spent time in the peas this spring, you’ll notice an abundance ofladybugs crawling about. Anecdotally, farmers and entomologists are callingthis an “aphid year,” on account of the glut of aphids we’re seeing on ourspring crops. Ladybugs are a beloved beneficial insect and happen to lovegorging themselves on aphids – one source I read shared that they can eat up to50 aphids a day.
Otherinsects you’ll notice out and about include the dreaded Colorado Potato Beetle.Taking but a few steps into our potato fields, you’ll likely notice the adults,small, ovate with a copper-colored head and pinstripes on its back that wouldmake Beetlejuice jealous. Counterintuitively, however, the tiny offspring ofthe CPBs are what farmers fear the most. Voracious eaters, the CPB larvae canquadruple in size in a matter of days and can defoliate a vigorous potato plantin as little time as well. To control for CPB larvae, we treat the plants witha combination of Azadirachtin (active ingredient in Neem oil), Pyrethrin(insecticide found in a certain species of Chrysanthemum) and Spinosad (asoil-based bacteria). With any luck, we’ll keep the hungry masses at bay longenough to get a decent spud crop. If you see them about, give them a squish!Your farmers thank you.
Enjoy the coming weeks on the farm– you’ll start to see the (literal!) fruits of our labor in summer squash and zucchini, and soon, cucumbers. And please, thank your farmers – this year’s crew has worked tirelessly to keep the fields abundant and beautiful.
Happy Solstice, and see you in the fields,
Layton
Layton Guenther
Director, Quail Hill Farm
LGuenther@PeconicLandTrust.org