Our Milpa Experiment & A Mid-Season Survey 🌽

ORGANIZED CHAOS IN PLOT 4

Our milpa experiment in the fourth plot is absolutely taking off, and I thought it deserved a little spotlight. Maybe I'll have time this week to put together a quick video, but in the meantime, sometimes the photos tell the story even better than words.

Back in February, on a whim, we decided to add a fourth plot dedicated to the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. A friend offered us saved seeds of beans and corn, which felt like reason enough to give it a try.

We're growing four rows of Dakota Black popcorn interplanted with nine rows of nine varieties of bush and climbing beans. The climbing beans are beginning to work their way up the corn stalks. Every other row is planted with winter squash, Delicata, Baby Butternut, and Red Kuri, each one bringing something different to the garden.

It's a planting system that’s been grown for generations. The corn provides a living trellis for the beans. The beans help feed the soil. The sprawling squash shades the ground, helping retain moisture and suppress weeds.

At this point in the season, the corn is growing what feels like a foot every week, the beans are flowering, and the squash are covered in little baby fruits.

It's certainly not perfect. Because this plot followed a spring cover crop instead of our usual fall cover crop, our perennial weeds have been much harder to manage than in the rest of the farm. The relentless wind has also done its best to flatten everything, but so far the garden has won. Watching the corn hold its ground through those gusts has given me new faith in the strength of root systems.

Whether we'll repeat this project next year is still an open question. It takes up a significant amount of space on a quarter-acre farm, so we'll have to weigh the harvest against the land it requires. But there is something deeply satisfying about watching this community of plants work together, and I'd love to find a way to keep some version of it in our crop plan in  following years.

The final bed in the plot might be my favorite. It's filled with Mammoth sunflowers, birdhouse gourds, and Scarlet Runner beans, plants determined to become as large as possible. They are remarkable biomass producers, growing bigger every single day, climbing on each other, a jungle gym of green chaos. So fun to watch.

If you're curious to see it in person, come by the farmstand on Mondays from 4:00–6:30 p.m. We'd be happy to give you a little tour of the garden.

WE WANT YOUR INPUT ON WHAT TO GROW NEXT YEAR!

For better or for worse, it's already time to start planning our 2027 growing season.

I have pages of ideas brewing about what I'd like to do differently next year. Honestly, writing them all down and making a plan is probably just as much for my own peace of mind as anything else. Maybe then I'll stop worrying about the lack of carrots in June.

But while I have plenty of ideas, the most important perspective isn't mine, it's yours.

We'd love to know what you enjoyed this season so far, what you could have done without, and what you'd love to see us grow in the future. I know its early… we’re not even close to wrapping up but we're always looking for ways to better serve our community while growing food that's unique, delicious, and truly useful.

If you have a few minutes, we'd be so grateful if you filled out our anonymous survey. Your feedback will directly shape the future of Tomorro Farm and help us plan for next year!

WHAT’S ON THE TABLE

We’re excited to finally have tomatoes rolling in from the fields. Our slicer tomato, the Stupice variety, is producing well right now. These are slightly larger than a cherry tomato, with a sweet, juicy flavor that makes them perfect for slicing, snacking, and adding to summer meals.

We also have two cherry tomato varieties:

Sepastopol Red — a larger cherry tomato with a juicy, classic tomato flavor.

Citrine — our favorite orange cherry tomato. Sweet, tart, and bursting with tropical notes.

The first of our beefsteak tomatoes are beginning to ripen! We’ll be highlighting those beauties in future emails as they become more abundant.

Persian cucumbers are also here! These thin-skinned cucumbers are crisp and crunchy rather than watery, making them perfect for snacking, salads, and pickling.

Zucchini continues to thrive in the summer heat - a true summer staple with endless possibilities.

Sweet peppers are starting to slowly roll in, they are loving this heat!

Greens:

Mellow Mix

Endive (is back!)

Spinach

The last of the kohlrabi for a while (thanks for enjoying this funky veg with us)

Herbs:

Tulsi Basil

Italian Basil

Thai Basil

Tarragon

Cilantro

Dill

Thyme

(Find our fresh herbs now at the Co-Op in slo !!!)

See you at the farmers market on Thursday 2-4:30, our Farmstand on Monday 4-6:30. And find our fresh deliveries at the Avocado Shack on Mondays and Thursdays!

Thanks for everything!

Your farmers,

Jake & Jesse :)