F&P Farm Update

Spring has really been good to us. We have avoided tornados and sever t-storms so far. BUT that also means we haven’t had much rain so watering is a daily chore now. Temps have been in the upper 70’s to 80’s most days and the soil is finally warming up enough to get planting next week.

Green house doings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to tell from the top picture but the Train Station Sale veggies are coming along. The green tray are our veggies for the garden. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, and Basil. The monster plant is a broccoli that i started late in the winter. It has one small head starting. The bottom is one of five Chinese Red Maples courtesy of Possum, who was yanking out the saplings. Three are in the ground and getting used to being here and two are in pots cause i don’t know where they will go yet.

This one is a pallet of Viburnums and Forsythias donated by Hortco Nursery for the Train Station Sale. They needed some tender loving care so they are hanging out next to our green house for some remedial therapy.

You might remember last month I started working on a Butterfly and Hummingbird Meadow as a wildlife habitat project (and to reduce the amount of grass we have to cut). After letting it sit for 3 weeks and re-tilling to get the last weeds, and then hand weeding a little more, we seeded and mulched it today. Again if you remember way, way back when we had the Maple tree in the front of the house taken down i had them leave all of the wood chips. Today the chips got spread over the new wildflower meadow. It will be about three weeks before we start seeing the wild flowers popping up through the mulch. Hopefully we WILL NOT see any weeds or misplaced grass.

Blueberries are still looking sad even with watering each day. BUT the new peaches have really taken a liking to their new home in the orchard.

We are expecting on and off showers and T-storms over th enext few days so outside work will be on hold. Next::::: The Battle of the Giant Alien Grasses. Bring your mower if you dare!!!!! <evil grin>

Grenville

It's almost here,,,,I's almost here!!!!!!

Just checked UPS tracking and our Green House left Salisbury Md. (our closest almost large city) at 6:54 am FOR DELIVERY!!!!!!

So what does that mean!!!!! Get your green cloths on for the Grand Opening Party (and you thought GOP was a bad word.....) Best plant costume contest, the great F&P Vegetable Parade, and hay rides.... What a treat. Date to be announced some day.

OK OK OK gotta go out and sit by the side of the road and wait for the nice UPS lady to get here.... OH BOY!!!!!!!

The Green House is UNDERWAY!!!!!

YES, our green house is finally started. Yesterday we cleared a section of the Wild Flower garden by moving some plants to the back of the property, creating a new circular garden (we are telling the locals that it is a Heli-Pad for our new ‘Sport Copter’.)  Today we laid out the edge of the foundation, added some sand, and layed the blocks.

Beatrice stayed busy handing me the blocks and then sweeping in the sand. Tomorrow we will finish the 4x4 edging and keep sweeping in the sand so everything is nice and tight when we start erecting the Green House.

Now it is time for some Tylenol and a good night sleep.

GTB

Home at last

When ever we go some place it’s always nice to come home again. The trip back was mostly rain, but nothing heavy. If you are looking at the weather post at the top of our blog the rainfall listed is only for today. When combined with yesterday and last night we have recorded 1.57” of rain. Possum, down the road from us, had 1.78” (the clouds like her better). On the plus side this has been a gentle rain for the most part and checking our moisture sensors out in the field has given all of the crops and the grass a good drink. Most importantly the tomatoes are staying at a nice even moisture level which is what they like.

This evening we are going to the Grand Opening Dinner of our friend, JackBear’s, newest restaurant. I am starving up for this event. Then it is back to the regular diet.

With luck the rain will end later today and it will be dry enough to check the crops tomorrow. Then fishing on Thursday.

Pruning great ideas

Have you ever had a really great idea? One that grew to great proportions, in your mind at least. Last winter (09) I decided that we should have a bigger garden. Be more self sufficient. In fact we could be a Mini-Farm (picture us in American Gothic). Since we already had a credit account with John Deere, the next logical place to go was Tractor Supply. Within a few months everyone at our local TSC (45 minutes away) knew our names. There were things we NEEDED. Sod busters, spreaders, pine rakes, and most importantly a 4' PTO powered tiller for the back of the tractor.

Next was scouring the seed catologs. Everything looked so good (to eat of course). Many dollars later we had so many different varieties of veggies we were having trouble finding room to plant them all. (Lesson 1 in Farming 101- Plants need space. They like to feel the gentle summer breezes blow through their leaves. The spacing given on the seed pacakages are not there as a suggestion). I also decided that it would be smarter to start our own seedlings than buy them, so without a green house (and just finishing a plant propogation course at the local college) I dedicated some space in the shop to a growing area complete with grow lights with timer. BUT starting 4 species of tomatoes, 5 species of peppers, broccoli, eggplant, and anything else I happen to find, was taking a lot of space, time, and electricity. Thus hatched the dream of a green house for all this starting activity.

After a long growing (and learning) season (Lesson 2- A normal person needs only ONE zuccinni plant) and a harvest of over 500 pounds of veggies, and canning and freezing, I spent the winter researching Green Houses.
Finally the perfect one was found. Only 6 feet by 8 feet. Just right for a starter table in the early spring, an area to grow salad veggies all winter, dry the herbs in the summer. And only $700.00. Of course then there was the question of where it would go. Easy, just widen the herb garden, remove some soil, add some sand, lay some patio blocks (not available in the winter) and put the Green House kit together. Oh and by the way, running some water and electric to it from the barn would be nice too. What a plan!!!! Couldn't cost more than a thousand bucks.

Yesterday as I was going over the list of what we wanted to grow this year and planning how to space them out, and how many plants we would be starting, Beatrice reminded me of how much we OVER grew last year. Of how the neighbors started to hide when ever they saw us coming with bags of produce that we would never be able to eat. Then there was all the weeding and watering and work we did to OVER produce last year. Plus the fun of freezing, canning, pickle, salsa, and sauce making. AND most importantly, how we had decided on just 2 species of tomatoes, 1 species of pepper, and eggplant this year. AND only start 6 of each plant. A lot of ands in there wasn't there. Well, after rumaging through the barn loft and finding the Bio-Dome starter box (the 60 hole one) I realized that the Green House dream might end up being a financial nightmare.

And so the great Green House idea was pruned down to a starter box in the shop again this year. Of course it would look really great on the old mantle piece I saved from the house that just needs a little stripping, sanding, restructuring, re-coating, and of course enlarging. And the grow lights could be re-hung. AND..........

Next time pics of this project.