Greenhouse is "growing" strong...

The greenhouse is GREEN!

There is so much growth to report on! The first rounds of tomato plants are getting stronger, and taller by the day. Soon they'll be moved outside to get acclimated to the weather.

Jamie the resident greenhouse guru is also busy growing a plethora of starts for the Wilmington Flower Market! SIW grows starts for the Flower Market every year. Since 1921 the Wilmington Flower Market has been raising funds for a wide range of charities throughout the state of Delaware that support children. If you'd like to support a good cause and get your hands on some of the SIW starts head to their website for information on the big sale!

The fig trees are growing nicely as well as the zinnias. The stand will have shorter zinnias this year (12-18inch length stems) which will be perfect for any bouquet to decorate your home with! The sunflowers have been planted also.

The lettuces are poking their heads up as well. Making for some gorgeous color in the greenhouse. The sweet candy onions are coming along nicely, they look like chives right now!

The praying mantis have hatched and are growing. The praying mantis is used as a natural pest control method on the farm. Waiting for the nests to hatch has proven to be an event on the farm!

We're excited that Spring has arrived and can't wait to share more updates on the greenhouse and growing season's progress! 

Crop Mob #1 of 2016

We held our first Crop Mob of the 2016 season on Saturday, March 26th with the DCH. 

We had perfect weather for the day. It wasn't to warm but there was a nice breeze as well. It was the perfect day to get your hands dirty. There were a few things that were tasked to get done during the Crop Mob. So with the tasks given out the volunteers were sent off to "work in the fields".

The Dark Red Norland Potatoes as well as the blue potatoes needed to be planted. The rows were already prepped for the volunteers to plant the seed potatoes in. Be sure to look for the the creamy Red Norlands and the solid blue potatoes on the stand later in the season. Fun fact about the blue potatoes; they are one of the few blue vegetables that keep their color once cooked!

The garlic is well on it's way. To help it along further some of the volunteers helped weed the garlic. This prevents the garlic from losing any nutrients. 

Another group of volunteers were sent along to tend the raspberry canes. They are trimmed back early in the season to promote new healthy growth and more fruit. 

The volunteers put in hard work to help get some of the needed tasks done around the farm. Once lunch time rolled around, they all sat down to talk over a delicious lunch from Talula's Table. 

Even Willow joined the group for lunch!

We would love to thank everyone that came out to help! If this looks like a fun day to you, join us at the next Crop Mob on April 30th! Email siwveggies@gmail.com and let us know you're interested in attending. 

Garlic, Onions, Sweet Corn & Crop Mob?

Spring is upon us at the Farm...

Although, the first day of Spring brought us some rain and cooler temps (even some snowflakes!) we're seeing green on the farm. The birds are chirping, the resident farm cats are on the prowl, and the fields are being prepped for the upcoming season.

The garlic that was planted in November is beginning to sprout and is well on its way. Although, it still has a while to go before it'll be harvested. Things are moving right along; peas will be planted this week, onions will go in soon and in the next three weeks the first sweet corn will be planted.

We're gearing up for our first Crop Mob of the season. SIW will be holding its 6th annual Crop Mob with the Delaware Center for Horticulture on March 26th and April 30th from 9-12 am . This is a chance for participants to learn about some of the processes on the farm such as; "why onions are grown in plastic". Once the "work" is complete we all enjoy lunch from Talula's Table in Kennett Square. It has been a huge success in past years so we are excited to get to work this year! Spots fill up fast, if you are interested in helping us out on March 26th please email us at siwveggies@gmail.com no later then Wednesday, March 23rd, this will guarantee you get a delicious lunch!

PEONY SEASON IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING!

You Know Spring is just around the corner when we start to talk about:

Styer's Peonies

 Some of these beauties will become available for Mother's Day!
They will be online for delivery!
www.styerspeonies.com

   




We are looking for a few great hard working people to work for a month or so to harvest our beautiful peonies!
If interested please send an email to siwveggies@gmail.com

Spring is on the way!

With the warm weather we are having this week we've seen a lot of growth in the greenhouse...

The tomatoes are coming along well in the greenhouse. In just a few short weeks they'll be moved outside next to the greenhouse to go through a process that is called hardening off. The process of hardening off is to prepare plants that have been started indoors (the greenhouse) for the change in environmental conditions they will encounter when permanently moved outdoors. This strengthens the plants to be able to withstand any dips in temperature since we are having some pretty unpredictable weather these last couple days. 

Soon enough the greenhouse will be full of trays of tomato seedlings that will be transplanted outside to begin producing those HG tomatoes we all love! Stay tuned to see how they're progressing.

In fact HG is in the high tunnel preparing for the tomatoes right now...

The first glimmers of what’s to come…

We are just seeing the first tomato sprouts poke their heads up from the soil. You know all those HG tomatoes everyone loves? Well this is the beginning sign of them. This is where the magic starts to happen! We grow over 100 varieties throughout the summer here at SIW.

The tomatoes journey is well on its way. In a few short weeks they’ll begin to look like the tomato plants we all recognize. We will keep you updated on their progress here on the blog so you can see what we’re up to on the farm. Soon it will look like a green forest of tomato plants in the greenhouse. We’ll let you know where the tomatoes are headed after their time in the greenhouse so be sure to check back.

This is an exciting time around the farm because it signifies the start of the growing season for us. New life is emerging and that means spring is right around the corner!

And the Year is on...........

2016

The days were cold and nights were long,

But now the days have come along,

To bear the warmth to make things grow,

And here's our story for all to know.......

The weather is still cold with bursts of warm air here and there but we still have the lingering chance of snow. The farm may seem sleepy from the outside but the fun is just beginning for us. 

The greenhouse is where it all starts, literally.   Jamie has begun the very first seeds to go in soil, tomatoes. Right now the seeds have been carefully placed in soil in trays.  Each variety has been labeled with care and watered thoroughly.  The seeds like to be kept between 75-80° at this stage in order to germinate.  As soon as seeds begin germinating and stems start to show above the soil, it's critical to provide a strong light source once germination begins. The greenhouse does just that!

In order for the greenhouse to provide the proper shelter and environment for the seeds some care needs to be taken. Ernesto and Dan are hard at work replacing the plastic on the greenhouse. All of the plastic including the flooring is carefully removed revealing the frame of the greenhouse. 

They then begin lying the new flooring and move to covering the outside frame. This process is completed every 3-5 years. The plastic breaks down over time and can develop tears, holes, and weak spots, which let in the outside elements. New plastic will allow more control to provide the best chance for successful seedlings. 

Ernesto, Dan and Jamie are getting the greenhouse in tiptop shape for the upcoming growing season. They even have some help from the resident farm cats…  

Stay tuned to see the progression of the seedlings and what else is in the works...

February 29th is approaching rapidly.......

Don't forget to get in on our CSA before 

Feburary 29th........

Check our CSA Page for all the details.......

Looking forward to a Great Summer Season with lots and great vegetables and other delectables.

Come and Join Us!

Spring is almost upon us!!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to the 2016 Season

                     It's that time of year again where we are looking for a few people to support our staff for the season.  We are looking for employees that have what it takes to survive a summer at SIW Vegetables.  These are part-time positions from June through October 31st, (or a part of), consisting of a variety of tasks to be performed on and off the farm.   Some of the requirements are: 
A SMILE and  great  interaction with customers (is a must), being able to lift approximately 50lbs., can withstand snow, sleet, rain and heat and still maintain great customer service (only kidding about the snow and sleet....lol), be able to take instruction well and contructive criticism, have a great sense of humor, and have a great time doing it.  Don't get me wrong........ there are some
days we are so busy you will want to fall down, but look at all those happy smiles.  

So if you have the stamina please send a note to: 

siwveggies@gmail.com 

And we  will send back an application to be filled out and emailed back to us.  Once it has been reviewed we will call and set un an appointment for an interview.

P.S. - For those of you who will be home from College in May, I do have positions open to work with Peonies for three weeks before the SIW season begins.  If you are interested please let me know in your email.

Looking forward to hearing from you and having  a 

Great 2016 Season!

"Happy 2016"

"Happy 2016"

Plans are well underway for the upcoming season.  We are certainly busy making some changes and putting together our Events Calender for this year.  Our schedule for "Field to Fork Dinners"
will be out on April 1st.  There you will find all the information you will need to join us for an awesome evening with the, "Best of the Best," Local Chefs in the Brandywine Valley.

At this time we are looking for a part-time person for our Media position.  If you know someone who may be interested, please have them contact Debbe at siwveggies@gmail.com for more information.

Our CSA Information page has been updated to reflect our prices for the 2016 season.  If you would like to be contacted please email us.