Spring is near!
Outside the sky is blue, the temperature is above freezing and the icicles on the roof are melting a steady drip-drip-drip in the warm sun. After a dark and wintery hiatus to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming one, Eva Mae Farm is starting up our second season! Go to our CSA page to register for 2015 membership.
The first job in the new season is starting seedlings, which will first spend some time indoors, then move out to the brand new greenhouse, then finally be transplanted into the soil in the garden. Peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and organic fertilizer are mixed in large tubs and then a soil blocker is used to press down uniform blocks of soil onto the wooden pallets that serve as seedling trays.
Next the seeds are measured out and individually placed into the soil blocks. Depending on seed size we use either a vacuum seeder or drop them in by hand. Little hands can be helpful with tiny seeds.
Once the seeds are tucked into the soil blocks and misted gently with a spray bottle, they sprout under UV lights in the basement.
Our broccoli seedlings just popped up 2 days ago. They're our first sprouts of the year. Longer, warmer days outside and the first veggies of the 2015 season sprouting means spring is just around the corner. The end of another Canadian winter is always joyful, but the start of the farming season and the anticipation of all the good food ahead makes me all the more excited for spring.
Interested in learning more about membership in our farm for the upcoming season? Check out the CSA page.