March 28, 2010

Happy Spring!

I had intended on posting this shortly after St. Patrick’s day but the stretches of sun had me taking the prime opportunity to prepare all the raised beds for the season. This put us about three weeks ahead of our planting schedule. Hopefully this will work out and we won’t see a hard frost we’re not ready for. Just before St. Patrick’s day it snowed one morning up at the farm. We’re somewhere between 500 – 1000 feet and are definitely vulnerable to frost this time of year.

During the break between Winter and Spring CSAs I’ve been finalizing the crop plans and getting last minute seed orders in. I spend a lot of time looking at soil temperature maps and pacing around the farm waiting for my chance to get the initial tilling complete. I only bring the tractors on about three times per year: once in the spring to prepare the beds, planting late spring and early summer cover crops, and finally planting  fall cover crops. The rest of the season, it’s just worked by hand tools and the occasional walking rototiller.

While we were waiting to get the spring tilling done, we busied ourselves building a new mushroom cultivation area.  We’re also building some pretty fancy chicken tractors for our new chickens arriving at the farm in the next few weeks. These will complete the egg-laying flock.

What We’re Growing: Seed to Table

During the harvest season this space is reserved for what we’re harvesting each week and recipes. I thought during the next few weeks I’d update with what we’ve been planting coming up to the first harvest in May.

I save a great deal of my own seed and when I do purchase seed, it’s from sources I know are providing me with seeds that have not been treated or genetically modified in any way. If you are on the hunt for some spring transplants for your own garden, we sell them to friends of the farm for around a dollar a piece. Let me know what you are looking for, we may have it!

The seed suppliers I use (and recommend highly for the home gardener too):

Uprising Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply

Here’s a sampling of what we have been planting during the sunny breaks over last few weeks:

Schweizer Riesen Snow Pea

Beautiful purple/pink bicolor blossoms are borne on sturdy 6+’ vines. The seemingly endless harvest of snow peas stay tender and sweet even as the pods mature and swell. An heirloom native to Switzerland, the name translates as “Swiss Giant”.

French Breakfast Radishes

An oblong, blunt-tipped radish, half red on top and white on the bottom.

Seascape Strawberries

Planted in early March, these lovely berries are already putting on a lot of growth. A cross between popular varieties, Selva & Douglas. Seascape is very productive all season – including the first season – with large fruit and excellent flavor.

Walla Walla Onions

Famous for its sweet flavor and fresh eating, Walla Walla is a medium to large mild onion with white flesh and light brown skin.

Suyo Long Cucumber

Started a few early in the green house. Suyo Long is a Cucumber that can grow to 15” long with a sweet flavor and crisp texture. This “burpless” variety can be used for fresh eating, pickling or even cooking as it is traditionally prepared. Fruits are spiny when young, and become smoother and less ribbed at peak maturity.

Cosmos Diablo

A different species than the taller more common cosmos, Diablo showcases bright scarlet/orange, semi-double blooms atop short bushy 3′ plants.

Nigella

The beautiful purple passionflower-like blooms make an outstanding and long lasting cut flower filler. Very delicate and abundant sprays with flowers that contrast from deep purple flower petals to dark purple centers to magenta stamens. Once the flowers are spent, the seed pod swells up into an unusual and quite ornamental balloon.

Snapdragon – Black Prince

A beautiful flower well suited for growing in the Pacific Northwest, it can be wintered over with blooms arriving in late may.