April 9th, 2010

Springtime Arrives at the Farm

In practically no time at all, it’s gone from cold and rainy to hot and dry here in the Northeast.  The sudden change in weather and temperature has caused a major growth spurt.  And, as you can imagine, there is much to do around the farm.  Before the vegetable garden gets planted, I wanted to try an experiment using a soil steamer.  The purpose of steaming the soil is to rid it of certain problems and to encourage the growth of beneficial elements.  I also wanted to change the direction and the length of most of the beds, in hopes of more efficient gardening and a better crop yield this year.  Please enjoy this spring tour of my farm.

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1 Making my cappuccino the other morning, I turned my head to see a most spectacular sunrise over the farm.

2 The horizon was aglow with the sun's energy.

3 The sky became lighter, revealing a low-hanging mist over the paddocks. These two trees are my often photographed ancient apples.

4 The corn crib

5 The equipment barn

6 The rows of nicely maintained apple espalier

7 My illuminated house with a waning moon

8 Spring has definitely arrived.

9 A few years ago, we planted crocus beneath the bald cypress grove.

10 The crocus are spreading nicely here.

11 When we created the vegetable garden several years ago, the beds were laid out from north to south.

12 Looking closely at the soil, you can see that we have a proliferation of green moss growing atop the beds.

13 In an effort to eradicate the moss, weed seeds, and an infestation of mole crickets, Shaun is testing out a soil steamer.

14 A large tarp is laid out over the soil.

15 Big porous hoses are positioned beneath it.

16 A thermometer is used to gauge the temperature of the soil.

17 The machine goes to work creating steam which passes through the length of hose beneath the tarp.

18 Heavy chains are used to weight down the tarp, trapping in the steam.

19 Shaun is monitoring the progress.

20 Here he is checking the temperature.

21 He's hoping to reach the ideal temperature of 160-degrees F, which should do the trick.

22 While the steamer was moved throughout the garden, I decided to change up the direction of the beds. Now, most of them are going from east to west.

23 Shaun and Wilmer worked hard laying down lines and roto-tilling the new beds.

24 Here they are, nearly complete. I hope all the effort will provide us with a healthier and more productive garden this year.

25 The pea brush has been positioned for climbing peas.

26 It's so exciting that the asparagus have begun to shoot.

27 Down in the chicken coop, we have a new supply of chicks. They came from TV and the chicken show.

28 So delicate and adorable

29 This Polish chick is already sporting a fancy 'do.'

30 Outside, Carlos is feeding vegetable scraps to the hens.

31 Ramon, Rinze, Meindert, and Rutger are really enjoying the spring grass in the paddock.

32 Just can't seem to get enough

33 Rufus, one of the miniature donkeys, is enjoying the sun on his belly.

34 Keeping up with Shaun and Wilmer - now they are planting a delivery of red bud trees.

35 The trees arrived bare root.

36 The trees were a gift from a friend of Shaun's and they should do very well here.

37 A row of thick and lush scilla.

38 Do you recall the allium bed we planted last autumn? Look how it's growing!

39 The Japanese maple grove is doing very nicely. - Acer palmatum 'Sangu-Kaku'

40 A bed of very fragrant hyacinths

41 The weeping cherries are laden with blooms.

42 A deep pink magnolia growing near the giant bird bath

43 Such a beautiful bloom

44 A sea of daffodils along the daffodil border

45 A fragrant white magnolia

46 The herbaceous peonies are sprouting quickly.

47 The carriage roads developed many potholes with all of the rain we had.

48 Fortunately, up in the composting area....

49 We keep a mound of the surfacing material - a gravel/clay mix. Gyurme is loading up.

50 Filling one pot hole

51 And another

52 And another

53 Each pot hole is raked neatly and tamped with a tamping tool.

54 Once the pot holes are filled, Chhiring passes over the roads using a dragging screen. Dragging is something we do on a regular basis to help keep the gravel distributed smoothly upon the surface.

55 The dragging screen is weighted down for better traction.

56 Down at the equipment barn, Pete Sherpa cleans out winter debris from the weather drains.

57 Fernando spruces up all of the outdoor furniture.

58 And meanwhile, some farm members don't work at all. Here is Verdi soaking up the warmth of the sun.

Posted on April 9th, 2010 in Gardens, My Home, My Pets, Photo Gallery | Permalink |

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