Early Spring

 

Winter is behind us.  Spring has officially set its foot in the door.  This is a spring that I welcome with open arms. It has been a long winter and as the snow continues to melt out of sight I find a new energy in the warm air.  In early February eleven piglets arrived on the farm.  They survived nights of sub zero temperatures huddled together in the barn.  In mid-February we welcomed baby chicks to the farm.  They are growing rapidly and the word “baby” is already a stretch.  These are our egg laying chickens.  April 1st marks when our first meat birds will arrive as day old chicks. 

Chicken Tractors in January

The greenhouse has been fired up and inside it are the first seedlings.  Onions, scallions, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and herbs to name a few of the things that are slowly filling up the greenhouse.  They are tiny sprouts right now but hold promise of thousands of pounds of produce in the months to come.  We have spent all winter planning and preparing.  We built 4 new hoop houses or “caterpillar tunnels” which will extend the season for our beets, carrots, tomatoes, basil and greens.  We built more feeders and waterers, chicken tractors and fences so that we can continue to grow the number of animals on the farm.  The pigs can currently be seen frolicking around the pasture and if you have never taken the time to watch a pig frolic, I highly recommend taking a peek.  We finalized our crop plan, and in January large boxes of seeds arrived on our doorstep. 

And now we put the plan into action.  It is time to plant the crops and then watch over them.  The ground is drying out and soon we will incorporate the cover crops that we sowed in the fall, prepare beds, and plant our early fields.  We will spread compost on our later fields, lay down mulch, and transplant crops.  The farm is taking shape and coming to life.

Greenhouse in January

Late Greens Last Fall