Farm extends growing season

The 2022 growing season has proven to be better than Seed to Table’s Executive Director Audrey Tehan hoped for.

“Wow! What an incredible season it’s been,” she said. “With a combination of our greenhouse expansions, warm October weather, and our amazing farm team’s experiences, we will be continuing the produce share through November 16. We have 110 families in our produce share. They’ve received Seed to Table produce for 30 weeks this year.”

This will make Seed to Table produce share (also known as a CSA — Community Supported Agriculture) one of the longest running shares in Central Oregon by a staggering eight weeks.

Volunteers have enjoyed the fall bounty as well, while helping harvest thousands of pounds of delicious, sweet, crunchy carrots. Teamwork has allowed the Seed to Table storage house to be filled with winter squash, onions, potatoes, beets, and carrots. Located just outside downtown Sisters, Seed to Table has shown that with hard work, years of experience, trial and error, and many skilled hands, it is possible to grow fresh veggies in Sisters Country for more than half of the year.

The Seed to Table team will be extending the growing season by five weeks with robust harvests of the sweetest salad, spinach, winter squash, onions, leeks, potatoes, hakurei turnips, head lettuce, radish, and more.

“Our farm team has been working incredibly hard this year and we’re on to a new journey this fall to explore how we can keep our community fed for as many weeks as possible,” Tehan said.

Freezing temps have come, but sensitive crops were harvested and stored, and the Remay (protective covering) has come back out to protect those greens.

Also, because of the added greenhouse expansion in 2021, all of their late successions of greens and roots are kept safe in protected structures. The added greenhouses are critical in making it tolerable for plants and humans over the last few weeks leading up to November 16.

Already in 2022, Seed to Table has donated over $100,000 in fresh produce to local food pantries and schools. It’s way more than Tehan anticipated. The Seed to Table team was ambitious and steadfast in their growth goals, allowing for food to be distributed through partnerships with Wellhouse Church, Sisters Kiwanis, Sisters School District, High Desert Food and Farm Alliance, and Neighborhood Impact.

To support Seed to Table’s future contributions, Tehan is asking folks in Sisters to consider donating at www.seedtotableoregon.org/donatetoday.