1431 Foulk Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803

Open Tue-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5

Making progress on the work in progress

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Our new tunnel is closer to done.

Plastic is secured. Doors are on. Heater is hooked up.

Just need the exhaust fans to actually open now…. Minor detail.

But true to us, almost done means good enough to plant in.

So while tools and ladders and wires are strewn about, there’s a neat little row of kale going down the middle, and scallions and peas on the sides.

Freshly turned field with a large blue bucket, a green ladder on its side, and 2 rows of baby kale with a string running down the middle for straightness

There are some big plants in the tunnel now as well. These were growing outside and transplanted in.

Ruth has wanted a eucalyptus (or two) to live in a tunnel and her wish has finally been granted: the ones outside were dug up and put in inside this week.

And while they were digging eucalyptus, the guys decided, why not, and transplanted some calendula as well.

So between those and the lisianthus and gomphrena in another tunnel, we should be able to have a couple bouquets of fresh flowers each week for the winter.

That’s pretty cool if I do say so myself.

3 calendula plants with a few yellow flowers growing alongside the wooden base of a heated high tunnel. A eucalyptus plant is growing in between the first two calendula.
pink lisianthus flower growing up through a white netting trellis. Underneath the trellis lots of pink gomphrena flowers and leaves are growing.

That brings us to 3 permanent plants in the heated high tunnels: eucalyptus, lemon grass, and an olive tree.

The olive tree is another one of the my-grandmother-wanted-one-so-we-have-one things. We’re still figuring it out.

Long leaves of lemon grass growing from the center of the plant.

I feel like we should have a round number of perennial plants in the heated tunnels. Just because. What do you suggest for the 4th plant?

I want a citrus tree (well, like 5 trees, but who’s counting), but I don’t think that’ll happen. I don’t have the same pull my grandmother has. Maybe when I’m older.

Some seasonal inspiration:

pictured left to right, green cabbage, red beets on burlap, a pile of fennel bulbs, green leaf lettuce with just a hint of red, a basket of green mutsu apples

Order for Christmas by December 15th

We have fresh goose, duck, and turkey available. As well as cornbread, cranberry sauce, pies, and cream cheese rolls.

multicolored rripped paper with 2 strings of Christmas lights as a background. Rose, the striped buff colored cats, happily sits on a elf hat (the proper way to use a hat in her opinion). Text in the upper right corner says: "Rose encourages you to knock all hats off and sit on them." Text on the left side says: order your Christmas bird. Geese, ducks, and turkeys available."

Open Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5. Closed Sunday.

Closed Sundays & Mondays starting after Christmas.

This is one of the weekly newsletters that is emailed out every Saturday night (no more, no less). If you liked the information make sure you sign up so you can get my (sometimes snarky) writings delivered right to your inbox. You can read it on the website – obviously – but a copy of the newsletter isn’t posted to the website until several weeks later.  ~ Elizabeth

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About Highland Orchards

Completely surrounded by suburbia, our small farm has been growing beyond expectations since 1832, just north of Wilmington, Delaware.

Growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, Highland Orchards provides true “farm fresh” for the community all year. If you want to shake the hand of the farmer who grows for you, here is the farm! With plants in the ground or under cover in tunnels, we grow for every season. A family farm, we have three different generations involved in running the farm right now.

Come see us to eat fresh, eat local, and eat well!