July 16, 2026

Blueberries entering their magical pearlescent pink stage. July 16, 2026

(By Skylar Bodeo-Lomicky) The morning started bright and early with another round of spraying. Again our tank was filled with fermented plant teas, kelp extract, and lots of water to top it off. I may be improving at my job because we partitioned the spray almost perfectly among the trees at the Finley Lane Orchard, so that when we finished, we had almost no spray leftover. After a shower (not fully effective in eradicating the fishy smell) and breakfast, I joined Cammy in weeding the blueberry terrace, bringing the brush to the BRC and distributing it. It doesn’t get tossed just anywhere— it’s far too valuable. It doesn’t get thrown into the compost heap— the plants we weeded out are far too likely to reseed wherever the compost is later used. So, we found a spot in the corner of the BRC to lay down the brush and prepare the soil for future years’ plantings. 

In the afternoon, I ‘glazed’ a few more windows, a term I just learned to mean setting the panes into the frame. Friends and family often ask me what it is that I do in my work here, and it’s almost impossible to accurately answer. Our activities vary greatly from day to day, as well as within the day itself. After glazing and gathering more brush for the BRC, I spent a couple hours researching and devising a plan for monitoring the apple maggot flies that are likely to be arriving at the farm.