Vesperman Farms
  • Track the Truck
  • Ice Cream
    • Book the Truck!
    • Our Ice Cream
    • Find Us in Stores!
    • Ice Cream Ingredients
    • Freezie Ingredients
  • Events
    • Bunny Breakfast
    • Mother's Day Breakfast
    • Sweet Corn Festival
  • Fundraising
  • Fall
    • School Tours
    • Homeschool Day!
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Unlimited Pass
    • Fall Season Groups
    • Pumpkins
    • Corn Maze
  • About
    • Join Our Team!
    • Stories from the Farm
    • Find the Farm
    • Meet the Vespermans

Pumpkin Plantin' - Summer 2018

5/27/2018

1 Comment

 
"The pumpkin is a womb" is probably the most poetic thing I've ever heard Kyle say. But I guess after 20+ years of growing, there's a lot of love between the pumpkin and this pumpkin farmer.

Today the crew is finishing planting the 7-acre pumpkin patch at the farm. We plant a few varieties, from small cooking pumpkins to bigger ones for carving. In the next week or so, the pumpkins will start to pop out of the ground, and in 95-115 days, they will be fully grown, ready for fall. ​
Picture
Planting this year has taken about three days. The rain, including the spectacular cloudburst on Friday night, delayed us a few times. But the hot weather the last two days made for a great day of planting today!
Picture
To plant the pumpkins, Kyle uses a modified corn planter - an old Case plate planter - which seats two people, each in front of a seed hopper. These helpers drop seeds into into the hopper, which disperses the seed into the furrows. It's a hot, slow job, but it used to be a lot more painstaking. Like all things here at the farm, Kyle has constantly innovated his process - today we plant more pumpkins than we ever have, but at least it's not all on our hands and knees!
Picture
Picture
Picture
When I asked Kyle about what he's learned after all these years of growing pumpkins, he said it just comes down to weather and timing. Pumpkins need a good amount of rain right after planting to establish their root structure and develop their vines, but the hot, dry heat of August is perfect for when they are setting fruit. Last year was one of the best years for pumpkins: a lot of rain in July and a hot, dry August and early September.

It was during this conversation that I learned the pumpkin itself is really just a vessel (or womb, as Kyle said, to my delight) for the pumpkin seed. The pumpkin grows the outer skin and pulp during hot weather, which in turn serve as protective covering for those seeds. The pumpkin protects its seeds until the outer portion breaks down, releasing these soon-to-be pumpkins into the ground and starting the growing process all over again.

So the next time you find a whopper in the patch, give it some credit: it's been doing a really good job. And now I have a lot of questions about which came first: the pumpkin or the seed?
1 Comment

Jordane + Ryan

5/9/2018

1 Comment

 
Whenever I think back to Jordane and Ryan's wedding, the first word that comes to mind is family. This little family had a much larger family, and everyone was so united in their happiness and love for this couple that the whole day was nothing short of magical. At the farm, we are blessed to witness many beginnings, and this beginning was an absolutely beautiful one.

​Photos by the talented Twig&Olive Photography.
Picture

One of the things I love about a "non-traditional" ceremony is that brides and grooms often choose family members to officiate their ceremonies, and this choice adds a personal and meaningful touch to these bright, happy moments. Jordane and Ryan's hilltop ceremony was an emotional one: funny, touching, sweet, and lovely. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

The music for the ceremony and reception was done by family as well. I'm a sucker for a good live band, and the Kittoe Boys were not only incredible, they provided a sweet backdrop of beautiful sound for this elegant reception. And who doesn't love a man in a tuxedo shirt?!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Decoration rentals were provided by A La Crate Vintage Rentals. 

This couple had a lot of love to give to each other, and their families a lot of love to give to them, and we just felt lucky to have been there to witness it all. Congratulations, Jordane and Ryan, from our family to yours.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

1 Comment

Behind the Berries: Planting 2018

5/5/2018

3 Comments

 
This week, we planted 16,000 strawberry plants. It took twelve hours, seven people working in shifts, one tractor, and a lot of sunscreen to plant the new fields, which cover about two acres.

We won't see a strawberry crop off these plants this year, though. These little babies will take the next year to spread through the runners and grow into big healthy plants - they'll be ready for strawberry season 2019! This June, we'll be doing a final pick on the fields by the house, which will then be tilled under for a new crop. Kyle rotates crops every 3-4 years to give the fields a break and ensure healthier plants and soil. 

Picture
Picture
The first Vesperman strawberry patch was by the white barn, located right where the duck races are now. Kyle, Judy, and Bruce planted that first field - about 5,000 plants - by hand, spending days on their hands and knees digging, planting, and watering. 

"We were younger back then," Kyle says with a shrug.

​Today, strawberries are planted by a Transplanter. Hitched to the back of the tractor, the Transplanter seats two people in some actually pretty comfortable chairs. While Kyle drives the tractor at slow idle speed, the planters grab plants from two large compartments and feed them into a wheel. Each individual plant is placed into rubber fingers. As the tractor moves, the Transplanter opens up the furrow and drops the plant in, watering it at the same time. Then the packing wheels close the furrow back up. Check out the video below for a little taste of strawberry planting!

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

We hope to see you in June! Since season dates and patch conditions are subject to change, check out our Facebook page and website for the most updated information. Happy picking!
3 Comments

    Vesperman Farms

    Fun on the farm...in blog form!

    Archives

    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    15 Year Features
    Animals
    Berries
    Bridal Suite
    Catering
    Construction
    Corn Maze
    Donuts
    Easter
    Events
    Fall Season
    Farming
    Farm Life
    Food And Beverage
    Fundraising
    How We
    How We Farm
    Ice Cream
    Maret
    Meet The Employees
    New Developments
    New Employee
    Planting
    Pumpkins
    Strawberries
    Strawberry Season
    Weddings

    RSS Feed

Picture
​Come Work with Us!

​Ingredients

​
​Blog

​
Directions to the Farm
High-Resolution Logo

High-Resolution Ice Cream Logo (1)

High-Resolution Ice Cream Logo (2)

High-Resolution Ice Cream Logo (3)

Ice Cream Truck Publicity Image (1)

Ice Cream Truck Publicity Image (2)
Ice Cream Truck Publicity Image (3)

​Ice Cream Truck
Publicity Image (4)
Ice Cream Truck Publicity Image (5)

Ph: 608.885.0314
Address: 8149 Stage Rd, Lancaster, WI 53813
  • Track the Truck
  • Ice Cream
    • Book the Truck!
    • Our Ice Cream
    • Find Us in Stores!
    • Ice Cream Ingredients
    • Freezie Ingredients
  • Events
    • Bunny Breakfast
    • Mother's Day Breakfast
    • Sweet Corn Festival
  • Fundraising
  • Fall
    • School Tours
    • Homeschool Day!
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Unlimited Pass
    • Fall Season Groups
    • Pumpkins
    • Corn Maze
  • About
    • Join Our Team!
    • Stories from the Farm
    • Find the Farm
    • Meet the Vespermans