In this article I will talk about Michigan CSA harvest dates and share some ideas behind Farm Co-ops in Michigan and why you may want to join a CSA or Co-op. One of the first things to keep in mind is that nature varies and so do farmers, so that means no two CSA programs are the same. I recommend asking some questions of the Farmer before you join a CSA. Some farmers approach the CSA model as a sharing endeavour that is more about the ideals of locally grown produce and farming. Some farmers are pursuing a hobby and they get a great deal of reward by sharing this hobby with others and still other CSA farmers treat the program as a business that must serve and exceed customers expectations, that is the case with the Central Michigan CSA program that I grow for. The people who become members of our CSA program are feeding families, that is their first priority which is matched by the importance of feeding the ones they love naturally grown nutritious produce. Our members aren’t motivated by the novelty of eating healthy farmer grown food, it’s essential to them.
Many variables affect harvest dates on our Michigan produce farm, but it all comes back to the farmer and how they approach growing food and how they understand the expectations of their customers. So, again, the biggest factor to Michigan CSA harvest dates is NOT the weather, the variety, or even when the crops are planted, it is the farmer. Of course those factors directly affect harvest times, I’m not saying they don’t. What we do is take every step we can to optimize our program. We want to be the first to market with our products so our Members are the happiest and the first to be taking about the program. I’ve learned the best way to make folks happy with the program is to give them what they want, good food!
The sooner we can begin our deliveries the better. Some of the steps we take to increase our chances of harvesting as soon as possible include:
- Planting earlier
- Planting heirloom early varieties.
- Start with healthy plants.
- Plant transplants at the optimal time of development.
- Plant in good soil.
- Use mulch that lets UV rays through to warm the ground.
- Use row covers.
- Use hot caps to protect plants from frost.
- Use high variety high tunnel strategies.
- Don’t over water early, so root systems develop.
- Grow the healthiest plants we can. (healthy plants do the rest)
- Thinning can help ripen the vegetables on the vine sooner.
- Plant cold weather crops to increase early variety.
Notice the photo with the Green Bio-Degradable Mulch that is UV transparent. This mulch works to heat the ground by 10 to 15 degrees during the day which cause a stream of steam thoughout the night. This protects plants from frost and also build a good root system early. It also protect the plants from standing water we usually have in late April and early May. This picture was taken on the 18th of April last year, a full month before many farmers would even have the field worked. These are a few of the keys we have found to be helpful in improving the harvest dates of our CSA program. A cool spring will still set back the harvest dates but some of these methods decrease the set back. One trick we have learned is the value that having a well rooted plant by May 15th. Even though the plant may be small, when the overnight temps increase they really shoot up. This also speeds up the plant cycle which makes blossoms appear sooner. We also have honey bee hives to assist the pollination of these early blossoms. The bees are pretty lethargic during the mornings and evenings of early spring, but they come out during the day. Another benefit of having a plentiful early crop of good food is what’s left. We grow 50 to 75% more than we could possibly move through our Mid Michigan CSA, we offer whats left as wholesale fruits and vegetables. This is picked to order wholesale produce. We go out and harvest the weekly shares and deliver them to the drop off points. When someone calls and places an order, then we go out and harvest that. What doesn’t get sold, goes to our bacon makers. (Pigs 🙂 )
Central Michigan CSA Harvest Dates.
We shoot to have 5-8 varieties of produce ready for our first drop off. We shoot for the last week in May or the First week in June for our First 
harvest date. One of the things I look for is the Asparagus crop which is usually ready around this time, while strawberries aren’t far behind. We have been able to produce yellow squash, zucchini, and cucumbers around the same time using our growing method.
We shoot for an 18 – 20 week program so the early we start the safer we feel in fulfilling that goal. We also do a late planting in the event that we don’t get a freeze in September we continue with a great variety in the Fall. I hope this sheds some light on CSA harvest dates here in Michigan. Keep in mind the harvest times in Southern Michigan are usually a couple weeks ahead of Central Michigan, which is another week or two ahead of Northern Michigan.
