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ABILENE TX (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene Fresh, or as they used to be called, Hug-a-Root Farms, is a locally based farming group that aims to provide access to fresh, local, naturally grown food for all.
Most recently, they acquired a plot of land just one block off of South 14th at 1226 Marshall Street that used to be the McMurry soccer field. But they’ve traded in the goal posts for greens, providing the community an opportunity to learn to grow fresh food on their own all while feeding the surrounding neighborhoods.
Near the end of January, Josh Casey, executive director of Abilene Fresh, and his “Grow Green” team began planting over 40,000 onions and leeks in the field. These two vegetables would have comprised their first harvest for this new addition to the Abilene Fresh family had it not been for the sudden freezing temperatures.
“We actually finished a week ahead of schedule because of the amount of volunteers that showed up, we were super stoked. Last Friday I was watching the morning news and they started talking about a polar vortex coming in this weekend and I was like, ‘Ooh that doesn’t sound real pleasant for our onions,'” said Casey.
While the average temperature was around 80 when they had the idea to plant, it’s since dropped to below 30 and is continuing to descend through the weekend.
According to KTAB/KRBC meteorologists, the kind of forecasting that would show a freeze like this weeks in advance is just not reliable enough to predict before you plant.
In a final effort to save his $2,000 crop Casey and his team flooded the field early Thursday morning. This technique insulates the young leek and onion bulbs in ice, which can only get so cold, unlike the air which can be unforgivingly frigid.
Once insulated in the ice, the vegetables would theoretically be kept at a constant temperature as the thermometer dropped down to zero through the weekend.
If the crop survives, they will be able to harvest around June. If not, they will take the $2,000 hit and resupply at a loss.
Undaunted by the rocky road ahead, Casey remarked “Whether it works or not, we’ve gained a ton of experience. You don’t become a leader at anything without going through tough times. We want to be the voice of reasonable agriculture in the Big Country.”
If you want to support their mission by donating you can join their Give green team, or if you like to get your hands dirty you can join the Abilene fresh Grow green team to volunteer your time learning to grow fresh produce.
February 12, 2021 at 11:15AM
https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/sudden-freeze-threatens-abilene-fresh-crops/
Sudden freeze threatens Abilene Fresh Crops - KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=fresh&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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