NEWS FROM THE FARM |
May, 2009
May is a glorious month, and things begin to come in a flurry. Each day is filled with planting, weeding, composting, building beds, watering, and starting more seeds in the hoophouse.
Both THE BEES and the day-old chicks arrive this week. The bees are coming just in time: a few days of rain followed by warm sunshine - everything has exploded in color. The lilacs, flowering crab apples, the apple, pear and plum trees are all in bloom and ready for the benefits of our little pollen gatherers, and our field of poppies is going to be vibrant orange in just a few days.
The asparagus I planted earlier this month is beginning to poke through the prepared bed. It will be two years or so before me and my clients will reap this delicious spring bounty, but there is much to do to keep this crop vibrant and healthy so that we will be able to enjoy it for years and years to come. It's important to keep the bed weed free and to give a topdressing of compost in both spring and fall until it gets established.
The potatoes, onions, first lettuces, peas, favas and spinach are all coming along quite nicely. We'll be tasting peas by late June, and the first lettuces will be ready for the dinner plate in just a couple short weeks.