Leafy Greens in Abundance

Village Farm Team,

We’ve got a new addition to our irrigation system: upright wobbler sprinkler heads. We’re testing these out to help water in a mixed row of turnips and radishes along with a few rows of clover cover crop. The wobbler head works by creating a uniform and instantaneous application pattern over a large area at lower pressures with low evaporative loss. A benefit of this setup is that it is easier to install and move around compared to our drip irrigation lines. We’re eager to see how it might affect crop germination and growth rates.

Leafy greens are certainly in abundance on the farm. Last week, we harvested 56 pounds of arugula from a single row! We were able to make quick work of the harvesting with the aid of a greens harvester machine. In addition to arugula, we’ve been harvesting mustard greens, chard, baby kale, and rainbow kale. We’ll start harvesting White Russian kale and our lettuce mix this week so watch for them at the veggie wagon on Saturday!

Like our broccoli, the cabbages are beginning to follow suit and form their heads. We have a mix of cabbage varieties planted, some of which will yield the quintessential round heads and some Chinese varieties (pictured below) which will produce an elongated head. We’re most excited for the Merlot Chinese Cabbage which is similar to the Red Dragon variety we grew last year. It produces striking purplish-red leaves that are perfect for slaws and salads.