Pruning Tomatoes and Trialing Squash

We’ve been focusing on the task of pruning and trellising our tomatoes to keep them healthy and supported as they grow. When it comes to pruning, we’re removing any of the lower vegetation that touches or is close to the ground in addition to what are called “suckers”. Tomato suckers are small shoots that grow from the point where the main stem and the leaf of a tomato plant meet. These suckers can draw energy away from the main stem which can lead to a decrease in the overall productivity of the tomato plant. While pruning we noticed that most of our tomato varieties have begun to set fruit so we’re even more eager for the start of tomato season!

We’ll be trialing a couple of new squash varieties in order to see which plants perform the best in our climate so that we can save their seeds. As these squash grow, we’ll be taking note of various qualities and marking accordingly with flags such as early fruit set, flavor, and overall performance. Ayote squash is a green-fleshed winter squash with a flavor similar to a butternut. Nanticoke squash is a winter squash that produces fruits in a variety of colors, textures and shapes. These two squash varieties are referred to as “landrace” crops which means they are cultivars that have been improved by traditional agricultural methods but still show a wide range of genetic variability.

Looking for beautiful local produce for your holiday weekend? Don't forget that the veggie wagon is open every Saturday morning from 8am to noon with a selection of freshly harvested produce like this vibrant rainbow chard.