Summer Recap

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Pine Fork Farm

Now that all the fall plants are in the ground and things have started to slow down a little bit around here, I figured it was a good time to reflect on the summer. June, July and August were extremely wet and rainy which presented some challenges. Wet weather means blights and mildews spread more quickly, and even though the plants enjoy the extra water, so do the weeds. Despite the weather, we harvested some beautiful veggies this summer, and more fall crops are on their way. Our chickens started laying eggs in August, so keep an eye out for them at market. They have been eating a steady diet of GMO-free feed from Sunrise Farms in Stuarts Draft, VA, market left-overs, and whatever goodies they can scratch up around the farm.

A chicken sitting in her nest box.

Green onions, ready for market.

This baby Box Turtle hatched on the farm.

Sunflower.

Farmers Markets and CSA

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Pine Fork Farm

Farmers market season is in full swing now, and you can find us at two Richmond,VA farmers markets: South of the James Market on Saturdays (8am-12pm) in Forest Hill Park, or at the Carytown Market on Sundays (11am-3pm) in the Wells Fargo parking lot at the corner of W. Cary and Auburn. This spring has brought the perfect weather for greens, so stop by the market and try one of our three varieties of kale! Our shiitake logs have also been enjoying the wet weather and have provided us with a fantastic harvest of mushrooms. If you need a little inspiration for how to cook your ‘shrooms then head over to River City Good Eats and see what Michele Humlan prepared, looks delicious! Next weekend is the first pickup for our Community Supported Agriculture program, and it’s not too late to join, check out the CSA page for more info and the registration form!

Pine Fork Farm tent at the Carytown Farmers Market.

Our tent at the Carytown Farmers Market.

Fruiting shiitake mushroom logs.

Snap pea blossoms.

Chickens!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Pine Fork Farm

It sure has been busy on the farm, so busy we haven’t even introduced our new laying hens! A little over a month ago these were little more than tiny balls of fluff, but now they are maturing into real chickens. Our new flock is a mixture of three breeds: Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Easter Eggers. We hope that by early fall these ladies will be providing us and the farmers’ market with fresh eggs.

A lovely Barred Rock hen.

Day-old chicks in the brooder.

Teeny tiny chicken.

Greenhouse Season

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Pine Fork Farm

This spring is turning out to be quite different than last year. I spent some time looking back at the temperatures for 2012 in the Richmond area: the last date with temperatures in the 30’s was March 11th, and we had already experienced several weeks with temperatures in the 80’s! With nighttime temperatures forecast to be in the 30’s the next couple of days, I sure am glad to have a greenhouse. Swiss chard and Kale will survive a light spring frost, but starting them in the greenhouse will speed things up considerably. They’ll be going in the ground soon though, to be replaced by the rapidly growing tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings.

Swiss chard in the greenhouse.

Kale as far as the eye can see.

Green onions.

Dinosaur kale.

More kale.

Exciting news!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Pine Fork Farm

We’ve just received word that Pine Fork Farm will be a vendor at the Carytown Farmers Market this year. The market is on Sundays from 11am-3pm in the parking lot of Carytown Cleaners, 3300 W. Cary St, Richmond, VA. The first market of the season will be April 14th, so mark your calendars! This also means that we are able to confirm the Carytown Farmers Market as a pickup site for the CSA. Shares are still available and you can find the updated registration form and more detailed information here.

Straw mulch on the asparagus beds.

Pine Fork Farm

Chemical Free Produce in Quinton, VA

Category Archives: Farming