Ready for Spring?

The pace at the farm is quickening with the arrival of spring! The greenhouse is bulging with plants soon to be transplanted into the fields and high tunnels. More seeds have been planted and will soon be germinating in the greenhouse. It's fun to see what seedlings are peeking up through the cells in the newly sown trays. Their growth stages are really amazing to me.

John has been lightly tilling the fields in preparation for laying the drip tape and plastic mulch that we use on every raised bed. Yes, we do grow in raised beds and yes that does wonders for your plants. Raised beds warm the soil earlier in the spring, minimize erosion, keep the plants cleaner, and help to keep down weeds. But on our farm and most other Organic farms, weeds are a real issue. We try to stay after them, but what can I say--they always get ahead of us as we don't use anything but vinegar to try to keep them in tow along with a few good hoes, and a good weed eater. No chemicals allowed.

Once we start planting in the fields, we take turns riding the transplanter, for the plants that can be planted this way, the other drives the tractor that pulls the transplanter along. I have a time trying to keep the tractor straight on the plastic beds, but I get through it. Lots of things have to be hand planted here, especially in the tunnels as the tractor and plastic mulch layer cannot get inside. We go in there, shape the beds, fertilize, lay the drip tape, and transplant our plants. Most of the flowers this year will be planted on mulch instead of by hand. All of our herbs will be on plastic mulch so they will be clean when picked. Once things are planted everything has to be tended to until harvest time comes. (fertilized, monitored for pests, hand picking pests, etc) So goes life on the farm!

Thought for today "we can do no great things, only small things with love" Mother Teresa