The post Christmas haze has lingered a little longer here for Fox Briar Farm as the shore has been blanketed by snowfall for much of January. But it's in this liminal time, when the normal order of our days is disrupted, that the first seeds of the year are vernalized, transformed by the cold and stillness of the season into something that can bear fruit in the new year.
The work of this portion of the year is mostly spent at my dining table, behind a laptop, with a cup of coffee at my side. And with school off a good portion of the month, the sounds of some TV camp in the background. It's a lot of spreadsheets, planning each different planting through the season, budgeting, assessing the mistakes of last year and thinking of ways to make the next one better. It's also the time when I spend the largest portion of my budget for the year, and your support by purchasing a CSA share early in the season is essential to making the season sustainable.
Here are a few important things I am investing in right now:
Seeds and plants- Usually around $7,000 for the year.
Potting Soil - two 1 ton pallets, around $1600
Organic Soil Amendment Blend - 1 ton bespoke blend to feed my idiosyncratic soil needs with an emphasis on feeding microbial life and long-term fertility, $2700
Germination Chamber - $789, this one I am really excited about. Using a germination chamber should make my seed started much more efficient, and hopefully pay for itself quickly. I can get 100% germ on tricky crops like beets or spinach, grow my own onions from seed rather than buy plants, start peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant earlier and faster. It might also make my dream of growing artichokes come true.
Changes in the 2025 CSA
I decided this winter to tweak, yet again, the format of the CSA for the coming year. Rather than three 8 week seasons, I have divided the year into two 10 week seasons, High Summer, and Fall. One of the challenges I keep facing in the year is negotiating fall planting season while also dealing with the logistics of CSA shares. Giving myself a good window in August to focus on the planting was a priority in thinking about the coming year. Fall planting dates are unforgiving to get successful crops of some of my favorite veg, like radicchio, broccoli, and cauliflower, so hopefully this change will help bring more of them into your Fall shares.
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