After a longer than usual ripening period this season, and an awful lot of irrigation, it is gratifying to look down the rows, and through the tomato plant's foliage, finding ripe fruit.  We chose this photo to show not only the beauty of the complimentary colors of the red tomato and the deep green foliage, but also to show a couple of techniques we use to grow them.  The white twine stretched across the center of the photo is held in place between t-posts driven in between every fifth plant.  We use what is called a "Florida Weave."  A single strand of twine at a time is woven around and through the series of posts and plants in each row.  As the plants grow, additional strands are woven incrementally higher.  This method is used to support the plants, and the weight of the fruit.  Also, shown running diagonally at the lower left of the photo, is an irrigation "Drip Tape"  each tape has perforations every few inches along it's length.  We use a low pressure pump to slowly drip water directly at the base of each plant.  Not only does this conserve water compared with overhead irrigation, it targets the crop while lessening the amount of water surrounding weeds receive.  Additionally, not wetting the tomato plant's foliage with overhead irrigation reduces the incidence of fungal, and other diseases that reduce the yield.   

As you might expect from the Farm News, Tomatoes will be included this week. As we said last week, tomatoes are picked a day or two before full ripeness so you may want to let them hang out for a while if that is your preference  As a perfect compliment, (Caprece Salad for example) our Sweet Basil, pictured above, is ready to harvest for this Saturday's share.  Last week, Pablano Peppers heated things up a little.  This week, it's the sweet side of the pepper family, Cubanelle Peppers.  New Red Potatoes, Carrots,  and Green Kale will round out Saturday's distribution.