-Erika Rumbley

The Langwater landscape is shifting as we enjoy the longest days of the year. Until recently, the farm was a patchwork of tall, lush cover crops- grasses and legumes that farmers plant to cover and build soil between plantings. At Langwater, we work extra hard to incorporate cover crops into our crop rotations because we take soil stewardship seriously. The benefits are huge! Here’s a couple: preventing erosion, providing habitat for pollinators, increasing organic matter. Some cover crops even draw nutrients and micro-nutrients up from the deep. Powerful plants!

Spring was a magnificent procession from the deep green of rye and winter wheat into the wild, lavender masses of vetch. Before cover crops produce viable seed, they are mowed, chopped and incorporated into the soil to make way for the next planting. Right now, this shift is in full swing as we transplant the last rounds of summer crops <pepper, eggplant, melon> and the first fall seedlings <Brussels sprouts!>

As we enjoy these long, sunny days, we’re hustling out in the field to keep up. Not only do our fruits, vegetables and flowers flourish with abundant sun, the weeds are taking off as well. Stay tuned to future newsletters where we’ll tackle the art and strategy of keeping the weeds at bay on an organic farm. In the meantime, take a look at those shifting fields! It’s a gorgeous time of year and the abundance is only beginning.