Author Archives: Russo Family Farm

Snap Peas in 9 Weeks

Posted on 04/19/2014 by Russo Family Farm

I am working on an excel spreadsheet that lists vegetables, earliest planting dates for region, field locations – essentially anything and everything that is required to plant crops. Snap peas are one of the earlier crops that can go in … Continue reading →

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Re:generation

Posted on 04/16/2014 by Russo Family Farm

These potatoes are from the Hawthorne Valley CSA in Oct 2013, which wintered comfortably in a bag on my kitchen floor. Eyes started to sprout from them in the winter, so I figured I’d be patient and wait for spring … Continue reading →

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Spring Greening

Posted on 04/13/2014 by Russo Family Farm

The temperature rose steadily during the week and reached 80 on Sunday. There was a little bit of rain over the week and the garlic seems to be thriving. You can just make out tiny green clumps to the right … Continue reading →

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Breaking Ground

Posted on 04/06/2014 by Russo Family Farm

We checked out the rototiller. But it rained on Friday night, so the ground was too damp to properly till. So we waited until Sunday. The temperature was perfect, the soil was workable, and we checked out the tractor. Ah, … Continue reading →

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It’s a Garlic Life

Posted on 04/05/2014 by Russo Family Farm

You can see evidence of autumn labor with garlic shoots breaking through. This was garlic planted on a whim, when I spotted forgotten hardneck garlics that looked like it had spilled from a crate by the barn. I wasn’t sure … Continue reading →

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What Will It Be

Posted on 03/23/2014 by Russo Family Farm

I ordered seeds this weekend, about 60 different vegetables. What did I choose and why? I mostly picked open-pollinated varieties, which means there is a possibility of saving seeds for the next season. Growers who develop hybrids can boast certain … Continue reading →

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Start the Adventure

Posted on 03/01/2014 by Russo Family Farm

Spring is just a few weeks away. As the ice mounds in New York City thaw slowly, enabling cars to properly perform parallel parking, our thoughts turn to the upcoming planting season at the farm. I have 4 seed catalogues and … Continue reading →

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Buried in Snow

Posted on 02/22/2014 by Russo Family Farm

It has been a seriously cold and snowy winter for New York this season.  There is about 2 feet of snow on the farm.  It’s times like that a high-riding vehicle is all one can think of.

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NOFA Farming Conference

Posted on 01/25/2014 by Russo Family Farm

I joined the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) and attended the annual winter conference. Hearing from real farmers and agricultural researchers helps to clarify some of the concepts I’ve been reading about in books and online. Small farm startup planning and … Continue reading →

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Taking Better Stock

Posted on 01/20/2014 by Russo Family Farm

Let me just begin by telling you I don’t know my farming tools. It took some googling to figure out this is a Rotating Tiller. Then I looked on youtube on how to use a tiller. Now I am adding … Continue reading →

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