A New Season

So. A new season, and we begin again. New hopes. New ideas. New goals. We’ve enjoyed our winter respite, including a getaway to Hawaii, but feel again that sense of enthusiasm rising in us like the first pioneer plants now rising in our soil, harbingers of the 2013 that will see this land flourish anew.

We’ve set to it: Dawn planted her first seed flats two days ago. Onions get the first nod. They are presently sitting happy in a 21 C. propagation room. Paul began cleaning and repairing tools, and fretting about the weathered signage that needs to be redone. Yesterday, beneath crystal blue skies, we spent a few hours at the Holland property, uprooting the vestiges of broccoli and cabbage plants, weeding, preparing the first beds. Dawn was buoyant, a kid at a carnival. Paul was contemplative, a rewarding quiet. Both were thankful. It is true: Farming is not easy, and it does not pay well. But our hands touch the earth, and our hearts, well, they are lifted up.

We have strong hopes. The bounty of this amazing Earth will spill into all our lives…and our stomachs too! 

Paul 

My Farm Stand September 6, 2012

It's been so long!

Yes, it has been forever since I posted anything on this blog. Busy, busy, busy!! 

What a season! It started off quite promising with a mild, relatively dry May. Everything was growing great. Then June hit! Oh my, rain, rain and more rain combined with cold temperatures brought everything to a crashing halt. It is very difficult to keep the breaks on when there is so much to be planted, but thank goodness I have a greenhouse where I could put transplants until conditions were better outside. And things did get better! We have had a glorious Summer.

The new tomato house at the Art Farm in Langdale is fabulous - the cherry tomato vines are up to the ceiling and producing like crazy. The heirloom tomatoes at the other two greenhouses are ripening nicely - three cheers for luscious Black Krim tomatoes! :o)

We didn't plan on doing potatoes for sale this year because it was such a nightmare last year with the blight, and when I do the math determine that there is no money to be made in potatoes. So we didn't buy any new seed potatoes this year, instead Paul planted out the baby leftover potatoes from last year. What do you know - we have fabulous potatoes this year, particularly the rose fingerlings - now we have too many for our use and will be selling some after all. :o)

There is so much to report but I have to get going to set up our farm stand. I want to post a bunch of pictures too - soon!!

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Best Laid Plans

This week I transplanted out a couple of hundred beautiful snap pea seedlings that I had started inside a few weeks ago. I planted them in one bed in one of the greenhouses. I've learned from experience not to direct seed at this time of the year for two reasons; one, often when it is cold and wet like it is now the seeds can rot before germinating, and two, the rats dig up the seeds and eat them!

Well, yesterday I went to check on the seedlings to discover that the rats (yes, I know it was rats because they left behind some telltale signs - poop!) had dug up every single plant. yes every single one. There they were, all the plants lying neatly in a row not touched, with just the remains of the seed pod eaten! I was quite impressed by how orderly it all looked, if I had had my camera with me I would have taken a photo.

There is always something new to contend with when farming that you hadn't expected, always. There has never been a year yet when something new hasn't thrown my plans for a loop. So I'm now a little later than I planned in getting my peas going, but no worries, there is lots of time yet. But I so wanted early peas!

It's that time again...

...planning time!

It is only the beginning of February and yet I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed with everything I need to do right now. I have spreadsheets galore that need to be completed this month, for both Sunshine Seedlings and Backyard Bounty. Sometimes I'm tempted to just ditch the spreadsheets and wing it, so to speak. But I've learned from experience that taking the time to carefully plan out the year pays dividends when you are in the midst of planting time. It is amazing how you can just entirely forget to plant something, or you miss the small window of opportunity open when you should start something, or worse you start a bunch of lovely seedlings and then discover you have no space to put them anywhere!

I've had lots of laid back relaxation time this Winter, lots of time to knit, read, sleep. Physically I'm rested, so it's time to get back to the trenches and I'm feeling ready for it! :o)

Each year at this time I love seeding inside when it's cold outside. I've started some cold hardy greens, onions and leeks. They have germinated nicely!

We are still eating salad from the overwintered greens from the greenhouse!!

another greenhouse!

With a lot of hard work you can go.......

from this

to this.



Before,


and after.

It all started when CSA customers Jeremy and Ginny offered us an old quonset hut that was on their property. Because it had a good solid steel structure we thought it would make a perfect greenhouse.


We spent a day taking it down.


Chad and Sandy of the Art Farm kindly let us use their space to build the greenhouse.


ready to go!


another day to rebuild it, a hard day that is!

Paul is now putting the finishing touches on with his trademark recycled windows. And I hauled in manure and planted with salad greens. Beautiful!

People

Me, setting up our farmstand and extremely happy with the broccoli this year!

Paul working super hard dismantling a donated quonset that will be used as a greenhouse, he is in his element recycling and building.

This is Drew. He is 10 years old and wants to be a farmer when he grows up. Every week he comes out to the farm and volunteers with his mom, Kathy. He is an awesome worker. I love this pic! One day I arrived at our farmstand to see somebody leaving on his bike with our garlic sticking out of his backpack. His name is Dave. He and his wife are regular visitors to the stand.