Week #20 - Love and Haiku

Seeds sown, wind blew hard
Love: a pair of apples trees
We need a good rain

A haiku to describe the week... 

We got much of the direct seeding done earlier in the week.

More leafy greens, peas, carrots, beets, and peas. The fields are dry... very dry. It's a bit like seeding into gravel! 

Our greenhouse is full to bursting and we planned to start moving plants outside and into the field but the wind blew like crazy today! With all the dust in the air, it looked like a giant dust storm.  Hoping that tonight will bring rain and tomorrow will have no wind. 

Today marks our twenty-third wedding anniversary. To celebrate, Farmer Phil and I went out and bought each other a pair of apple trees which we planted out back. Perhaps unconventional.... but that's us! 

Week #13 - We're growing again...

 If feels good to growing again! 

We've been seeding trays of plants for several weeks now and things are starting to come up! 

The familiar routines of checking the plants, watering, weeding, transplanting are starting up again. 

This year I'm feeling a bit more organized with a weekly seeding/transplanting/planting plan all laid out. 

Here's hoping that we can stick to it! You know what they say about the best laid plans! 

Every year we try something new.... this year we are going to give artichokes and peanuts a try! Artichokes need a long growing season so we've already seeded them and I saw them poking up this morning! 

Peanuts grow just like potatoes and are seeded directly into well drained soil. We are thinking about sticking them next to the asparagus and see what happens! 




Has anyone else tried peanuts? I'm excited to see how they do!

We've expanded our growing area this year again and are also planting more apple and pear trees. 

I'm so tempted to try apricots as my middle son devours them but not sure how they do here. We'll see what's in the truck after the trip to the nursery....

Week #7 - Plant therapy

I hit it! I hit the wall! 

Even though this winter has not brought particularly bad weather... each February usually just after Valentines Day, I hit the "I'm totally done with winter wall!

On Monday our seed order came in and the urge to dig in the soil and plant something was palpable! The yearning for the smell of freshly turned earth and sunshine on my face was overwhelming. 

So yesterday, I turned to a little bit of plant therapy.... Got some pots out and some soil and started playing! Planted some herbs, lettuce, some spinach and some edible flowers. Put some calendula in as I'm hoping to use the petals to dye our soaps and violas to add to our salads. 

Can't wait to see the green shoots pop out of the rich dark soil, reaching for the sun. It's not the same as digging in the garden but it will have to suffice for now.... spring is just around the corner!

What do you do to get through the winter months? 

Please Mum, it's time to play!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 123

It was a busy weekend of seeding potatoes, kale and swiss chard. 

This afternoon, Avery had had enough of us ignoring her and decided she was going to insist. A 125 llb dog sitting in the middle of your seeding area, tends to interrupt you! So.... we went and played! 

Seeds of spring

FFF Photo a Day - Day 67

The weather outside is getting warmer and the days are longer but the true sign of spring is when seeding begins! 

While its a hopeful and exciting sign, it also fills me with a sense of urgency and a bit of anxiety. It means that the time of renewal and pause that comes with the cold weather is almost over and the busy, frantic time is to begin. 

I look around and see all the projects I intended to finish this winter and sigh...