Field Notes

Notes from the field

For years I wrote to my farmshare members every week: what was growing, what was failing, and why. Field Notes continues that letter for anyone curious. Seasonal advice for Upstate gardens, the occasional hard lesson, and the reasons behind all of it.

Fall-color farm rows at Horseshoe Farm
Just-pulled radishes laid along the row they came out of, a worker still harvesting in the distance
August 1, 2026

Starting a Fall Garden in the Middle of Summer

The hardest part of a fall garden is that you plant it in the worst possible weather. Tarps, flame weeding and shade cloth for germinating cool-season crops in Upstate heat.

A wheelbarrow of soil and a shovel standing over a cedar bed part-filled
August 1, 2026

What's Wrong With My Plant?

Most mystery plant problems in the Upstate are one of three soil fertility issues, not a disease. Tied-up nitrogen, nitrogen burn, and asking too much of one bed.

A harvest bin of peppers, squash and eggplant carried down the gravel path between beds
August 1, 2026

Heat Stress, on Plants and on People

Peppers and tomatoes do not love a 100 degree heat index either. What July does to transplants, to a to-do list, and to the person holding the hose.

The letter

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Seasonal advice for Upstate gardens, sent when there is something worth saying and not on a schedule. No pitch, and one click to leave.