April! Here We Are, No Fooling!
Friends of the Farm!
So much has happened the past two weeks! Some snow melts. More snow falls. The real spring seems far away. Fortunately, there is always a lot that needs to be accomplished indoors before the vegetables can be planted in the gardens. For March and April, the bulk of the work goes into maintenance of the seedlings in the basement. Watering is a constant job, and will continue to increase as more seeds are planted and as more of the current seedlings mature. The key for healthy seedling growth is to keep the moisture content of the soil at a stable level. Not too wet, and not too dry. With a basement floor covered with flats and seed pots, this job can seem very daunting at times. In order to reach all plants, one has to carefully step from one open floor space to the next. It is almost like playing the game twister and having to contort your legs and body each step without stepping on any of the seedlings. By mid-April, I am hoping to have many of the cold hardy plants transitioned to our new greenhouse. But, the good news is that all seedlings are healthy and growing well. At this point, the following vegetables have germinated - Onions (3 varieties), Alto Leaks, Tomatoes (3 varieties), Peppers (3 varieties), and Lettuce (2 varieties).
On the animal front, certain projects such as structural repairs take priority well before any of the animals arrive on the farm (The piglets are not expected until mid-May, and the chickens, which currently reside at our house, will not be moved to the main farm buildings until after the snow melts. This summer, the majority of the pigs will be kept in a new building (aka 'The Pig Palace'). The Pig Palace, once a sugar shack from my father's mid-1990's sugaring operation, is currently undergoing heavy repair. Thanks to the old man, it now has a new roof and soon will have compartments for easy swine feeding! And then there are the chicks... Growing quickly, they are close to graduating from their current Tupperware bins in the house. Tomorrow's job is to dig out the 'Pullet Coop' at the farm and haul it with the tractor to the garage.
Some shots below from the past two weeks!
Cheers. Paul.
So much has happened the past two weeks! Some snow melts. More snow falls. The real spring seems far away. Fortunately, there is always a lot that needs to be accomplished indoors before the vegetables can be planted in the gardens. For March and April, the bulk of the work goes into maintenance of the seedlings in the basement. Watering is a constant job, and will continue to increase as more seeds are planted and as more of the current seedlings mature. The key for healthy seedling growth is to keep the moisture content of the soil at a stable level. Not too wet, and not too dry. With a basement floor covered with flats and seed pots, this job can seem very daunting at times. In order to reach all plants, one has to carefully step from one open floor space to the next. It is almost like playing the game twister and having to contort your legs and body each step without stepping on any of the seedlings. By mid-April, I am hoping to have many of the cold hardy plants transitioned to our new greenhouse. But, the good news is that all seedlings are healthy and growing well. At this point, the following vegetables have germinated - Onions (3 varieties), Alto Leaks, Tomatoes (3 varieties), Peppers (3 varieties), and Lettuce (2 varieties).
On the animal front, certain projects such as structural repairs take priority well before any of the animals arrive on the farm (The piglets are not expected until mid-May, and the chickens, which currently reside at our house, will not be moved to the main farm buildings until after the snow melts. This summer, the majority of the pigs will be kept in a new building (aka 'The Pig Palace'). The Pig Palace, once a sugar shack from my father's mid-1990's sugaring operation, is currently undergoing heavy repair. Thanks to the old man, it now has a new roof and soon will have compartments for easy swine feeding! And then there are the chicks... Growing quickly, they are close to graduating from their current Tupperware bins in the house. Tomorrow's job is to dig out the 'Pullet Coop' at the farm and haul it with the tractor to the garage.
Some shots below from the past two weeks!
Cheers. Paul.
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| Thanks, Elizabeth for the sign! |
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| Seedling Spread in the Basement |
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| Medford and Rutgers Tomotatos |
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| One HOT greenhouse. And that Gore Mt. backdrop! |
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| Black Seeded Simpson just germinated |
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| Prepping the raised bed and greenhouse shelves... |
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