With the help of our annual crew of volunteers (moms and friends!) we have been keeping up with our greenhouse seeding schedule. So far we have seeded onions, leeks, cabbage, kohlrabi, fennel, shallots, kale, and the first lettuce and Salanova. In preparation for the field work to come later this month we have also been receiving deliveries (fertilizer and potatoes have arrived!) as well as placing more orders for additional supplies such as row cover, drip tape, and plastic mulch. We have also been working to hire our remaining positions as well as writing up policies and procedures for our incoming crew. Our friend Charlie recently came down for his annual spring tractor maintenance visits to help get our equipment in top shape for the season. He and Lise got the Ford tractor started (electrical issues are the trickiest for us!), put the belt back on our deck mower, and checked the bucket hydraulics. Implements and tractors were greased, oil levels checked, and engines run. It must be spring!
Next week we are welcoming our two new assistant growers, Brian and Sarah, as well as our returning field crew member Rebecca for her fourth season on the farm! They all come with years of farming experience and we are excited to have them here. Projects will include farm orientation, invasive removal from our blueberry patch, and of course lots of cleaning and organizing. Together we will be seeding flowers, high tunnel tomatoes, bok chop, and basil, lettuce, Salanova, eggplant and peppers in the greenhouse. In the fields next week we will begin plowing for many spring crops and seed the first carrots of the season! To prepare beds for carrots we will chisel plow, disk, lay fertilizer, and rototill. Once we have our flat beds for seeding we drive over them with our cultivating tractor that marks where to seed and use our walk behind seeder on three (hopefully) straight rows. After seeding we will cover the beds with row cover to speed their growth and protect them from the cold. We hope to get all this done before a nice light rainfall and then we will wait patiently to see them coming up in just a few weeks. Wish them luck!
Lise and Charlie do some mower maintenance.