The Barn, with the Milkhouse nestled in a corner, and the Drive Shed on the left. These classic farm buildings don’t have all that much to do with small veggie farming, you can only use so much space, but they do come in handy. And they’re easy on the eyes…
Veggies
Early lettuce expands
Lettuce started indoors weeks ago, transplanted to the unheated greenhouse (hot days, cold nights), and now finally kicking in with expansive growth. It’s Simpson Elite upfront, Granada (red) and Sierra in the middle, and Two Stars in back (and Optima just out of sight).
Thin green lines
Notice those lovely, hazy green lines. The first signs of direct seeded crops is always on your mind. You can’t cultivate the soil for weeds until you know where your veggies are. If germination is slow—because of cool weather, dry conditions, or both—the weeds can easily get ahead of you before you’ve seen anything at all.
It’s a start…
Peas planted in early April finally poking up. These are Sugar Ann snap peas, you can eat the pod and all.
Sunny day
When it’s raining, you wait for the sun. After a few days of sun, you look out for some rain. Cloudy and dry isn’t much good for growing, but it’s perfect for working in the field, ideal for transplanting, and better for germinating seeds as long as it’s also warm. Windy isn’t helpful: even in a stiff breeze, sprinklers are way less efficient and steady wind will dry out the soil, and plants, faster than anything. Then again, air movement moderates temperature, spreads pollen, and generally keeps things moving. So you kind of need it all…
Spuds arrive
A small load of seed potatoes just delivered off a very large truck! 350lbs of Norland, Yukon Gold, Gold Rush, Purple Chief. (The boxes holding the bags are from Holland, not the potatoes.)