2024-06-24 newsletter

Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm,

The season is definitely winding down with fewer options. The heat
takes its toll on the crops and the time is soon to plant cover crops
and put the fields to rest. We practice a no-till system over most of
the farm. We will try to disturb the vegetable beds as little as
possible to continue building up the organic matter and beneficial soil
life. We will use a combination of weed fabrics for 4-8 weeks to smother
the weeds and crops that are specifically grown to add carbon and
nitrogen (both sequestered from the atmosphere) to the soil.

This Tuesday will be our last delivery to Sanibel and Captiva. We
thank the Sanibel and Captiva customers for a wonderful season. We look
forward to serving you again this coming fall.

We plan to do home deliveries and farm pick-up this Thursday. This
might be the last week of the season but we are looking at options for
next week but not sure yet with July 4 holiday and weekend

We will have a final Saturday market at the farm 8 am to noon on June
29.

Here is our schedule for this week:

FINAL TUESDAY HOME DELIVERY FOR SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA
RESIDENTS : This is our last Tuesday delivery to Sanibel and
Captiva. Place a preorder online by Sunday, 8 pm.

THURSDAY FARM PICK-UP & HOME DELIVERY FOR SW FL (NOT
INCLUDING SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA): Please place an order online
before TUESDAY, 8 pm. For farm pick-up on Thursday, please come to 14840
Old Olga Rd., Ft. Myers, FL 33905.

FINAL SATURDAY 12 SEASONS FARM MARKET : Saturday,
8am-noon at our own farm for the month of June. Buy directly from our
own produce stand and/or place a preorder online by Thursday, 8
pm. Use the farm entrance at ******14820 Old Olga Rd. Ft.
Myers, FL 33905
**

Orders can be placed online at 12seasonsfarm.com

If you ever need assistance while picking up an order, directions to
the farm, or have questions, please feel free to text or call Danny at
239-229-3579.

This is what we are harvesting:

• Curly Kale
• Flat Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Eggplant
• Sweet Italian Bull’s Horn Peppers
• Broccolini
• Carrots
• Cherry tomatoes
• Heirloom/Specialty tomatoes
• Daikon radish
• Flat Parsley
• Lemongrass (preorder only)
• Papaya
• Banana
• Mango
• Roselle
• SW FL Wildflower Honey
• Strawberry Butter

Paula and Wendy Fairfield with the kids at the last Saturday market.
They came bringing peaches! We sent them with some mango, which is often
referred to as a tropical peach.

We are getting ready to sow cover crop seed in the next week or two.
Here are two sacks of cover crop seed we plan to use. They are two
different types of tall grasses. This keeps the fields covered to avoid
bare ground, and they are great at bringing more carbon to the soil
which raises fertility and other soil quality parameters. We will also
combine those with the legume crop, Sunnhemp, for added nitrgoen. As a
legume, special soil bacteria colonize the roots of sunnhemp and covert
nitrogen from the “soil air” into a form that is directly utilized by
the plants. Most of the air we breathe is nitrogen but it occurs in a
form plants cannot use unless certain soil bacteria work together with
the roots.

Interestingly, the other time atmospheric nitrogen can be utilized by
plants is during a lot of lightning where the N2 nitrogen molecules are
broken apart and then bind into other forms. It becomes saturated in
rain and is like fertilizer falling from the sky. This is why you see
the vegetation greener after a big lightning storm in S. Florida.
Amazing!

Here is an example of the weed fabric. This fabric will stay on for
4-8 weeks and smother the weeds. The weeds will break down in the
absence of light. We will reuse the same raised beds as the previous
season with breaking them down with a cultivator or disc. This will be
the 3rd season of planting in the same beds. The soil quality is
improving.

Simeon helped the other day harvest 5 bunches of bananas. He is a
strong boy!

The kids helped plant a black sapote fruit tree. It is in the
persimmon family, but more tropical. I enjoy the fruit of this tree and
hope someday to offer it to 12 Seasons customers.

Here is our full-time team for summer. Kate, on the left, is a new
addition to 12 Seasons. She is recently married and graduated from
Taylor University in Indiana. We are grateful for her coming. Sammi, in
the middle, plans to continue with us as our market manager for another
season. Alexios, from Greece, will finish sometime in late July. We are
grateful for these 3 full time workers who really have labored hard and
well!

Friday break time with a much smaller team. We enjoy these moments of
refreshment and community.

Thanks to all you who have stuck with us, even with options
dwindling. Again, it has been a wonderful season and we are blessed to
have such supportive and affirming customers.

Have a great week!

Danny, Vicki, the kids, and the 12 Seasons Team