Cold Spring Veg producers say season is about two weeks behind
They raise asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, sweet corn and pumpkins on about 25 acres. Normally, they start harvesting asparagus a week before Mother's Day, Russ said. This year, it was about May 18. Harvest is expected to end on time, around July 1.
Their strawberries, a later variety, also are running a couple weeks behind usual, he said.
The later season hasn't delayed the farmers market schedule. The markets where they sell their produce — Cold Spring, St. Joseph and the Minneapolis Farmers Market —each started around mid-May.
The two have a high tunnel where the annuals are planted until soil conditions are right for transplanting.
They purchased the farm in 1981 and planted commodity crops for two years.
"We didn't make any real money with that," Russ said. "We were looking at other ways to raise something on our land. Then, we talked to someone who said we should plant asparagus and berries. And we did."
Making the switch from commodity crops to produce was an adjustment, he said.
"When we were raising crops, I was working off the farm and everything was custom done," Russ said. "It was an idea to raise vegetables where you had to change your mindset and do more weeding. It wasn't just to plant it. It took more management, a higher intense management to do the weeding and to keep the weeds under control."
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