Seedlings are outgrowing their seed trays and graduating to the field.
The toddler who ran roughshod through the garden last year is now learning to gently put the seedlings into the soil. Hopefully this year we'll have another enthusiastic little helper along with her big sister.
The tiny greenhouse is full...
We're well into juggling season: moving trays of plants on a daily basis, freeing up a bit of space here and there. There are transplants in the field, some hardening off in the full sun and wind, some in the greenhouse, some in the basement. Some of those trays have enough plants to fill 100 feet of row in the garden - hard to envision now but no more surprising than the fact that each plant started from a tiny seed just a few weeks ago.
Baby chicks have arrived and are safe and warm in their brooder.
We're not producing any chickens (or eggs) for sale - these are a homestead flock for the time being. But livestock on the farm will help close a loop and allow a bit more sustainability here. The chickens will eat weeds, bugs and garden scraps while scratching out new planting areas for next year and contributing fertility.
The hoops are covered in the nick of time. An April snowstorm? No problem.
Let's hope it's a bit more delightful inside...
The snow is actually the least of our concerns. The current forecast shows the temperature going down to a chilly -7 degrees C tonight. The lightweight row cover on the hoops should buy a couple of extra degrees for the seedlings and also protect them from windchill. Maybe spring will come back in a couple of days?
The ground is finally warm enough for planting. First up: peas! Eric was on the fence about including them in our first year, but I'm an insane pea lover and with some gentle persuading (ie, harassment), he was convinced. You're welcome, fellow pea fanatics.
That said, even after I talked Eric into it, the snow took so long to melt this year that we almost missed the window for planting. I would have been a sad pea enthusiast indeed...
The snow has receded enough to put in some hoops. They will be topped with floating row cover to create a more spring-like microclimate for some early crops.
Normally I would make sure the bed is completely prepped before the hoops go up but I need to get the cover on to warm the soil the rest of the way because there's no time to spare with the first peas and spinach.