Sprout Farm Newsletter Oct. 24th 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9- 5 for one week only

Hello Everyone,

We were up at 5:00 this morning and watched the temperature go down and down until it finally reached 30 degrees. That was the signal to pick everything still in the garden and get it into the cooler.

The carrots are all picked, the Eastham turnip sold out today, and there are some small peppers to round out the feast. We have lettuce but the heads are small. We picked up some butternut squash to go along with the acorn and carnival squash. We have lots of apples and some cranberries and cider. We will have tomatoes right up until closing. They may be on the small size but at least the greenhouses keep them from freezing even when there is no furnace. There are a few odds and ends that may show up but I don't promise anything.

Our supply of honey is now: 8oz jars and 5lb jars. Our perennials area now 75% off. We started them from seed this year so it's up to you to get them in the ground so they can 'vernalize'. They weren't supposed to bloom this year but they did anyway. We have red and bronze mums and a few mums in hanging baskets. They came though those windy days just fine.

Once the rows were picked, Ken went to work with the big mower and chopped everything up. Then he went over everything with the tiller. It will get planted to winter rye this week. There are a few chores left to do before we can put the farm to bed for at least the winter. For decades we would pile up brush from trees that fell and planned to let them dry out until winter and the burning season came around again. This year I look at the fields, bordered by the deer fence and realized that there's no brush stacked along the edges waiting for that cold January day. Back in 1977 when we purchased the 'lot across the street' it was a forest of very tall white pine, pitch pine and oak trees. We cleared just enough to set down the house foundation and driveway. Every year after that we would clear a little more space and then came hurricane Bob in 1985 that brought down 15 trees and other assorted limbs. That was a big bonfire that year.

We are still looking for someone who may want to farm and run a farm stand. That would be a very special person or persons. We'll keep looking.

The kitten report: Goldie played with his first live mouse, in the living room this morning. At first, I thought it was a dead mouse that Mom had brought in for him to practice with. I didn't see it move. Then it dashed into the office and Jay said, “The mouse is alive.” Well, that explains why the kitten ran. Jay got up, stomped the mouse and tossed it out the back door. The kitten started going everywhere crying and searching for his mouse. I had to ask Jay if the kitten was crying because he has such a small squeaky meow that you can barely hear it. He got that from his mother. Goldie calmed down eventually, then James came home with a cool squeaky toy mouse and 5 seconds later it was like non-existent. Will he grow up to be a good mouser? I hope so. He is growing up and developing a very thick coat but he still nurses from mom and she lets him. I've never seen that before.

I'm sorry these last few letters have been so short. There's not much to say and too much to say at the same time. Don't forget to vote. It's a privilege. Don't waste it.

We're not going anywhere so we look forward to seeing you this week and in the future, whatever that holds for us all.

Stop by and see what we have growing for you,

Jay and Phyllis Sprout