Springtime at my Farm
My blog readers always seem to enjoy the activity going on around the farm and spring is definitely an exciting time. Plants are sprouting, flowers are blooming, and the fields and paddocks are so verdant. These photos were just taken so please enjoy springtime at my farm.
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- Shaun is smoothing this bed out getting it ready for planting.
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- Shaun and Wilmer have also planted…
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- Inside the vegetable garden, the pea brush has been neatly placed and the peas are beginning to sprout. The pea brush comes from Maine and are the trimmings from white and black birch trees.
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- There are also several rows and varieties of onions. The larger ones on the right are purchased onion ‘sets’ and the ones on the left were grown from seed in the greenhouse.
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- Shaun decided to try a new method of organizing seed packets.
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- He found these expandable accordion files and has labeled each slot.
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- Those files are stored in a plastic bin, also neatly labeled.
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- These are called Amish Snap Peas.
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- In fact, Shaun is all about labeling now.
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- At the green house, Wilmer is bringing some broccoli seedlings outdoors for hardening.
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- This tool is called a row marker from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6241-row-markers.aspx. To make evenly space furrows, you adjust the distance of the hard red plastic tubes.
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- Then, you run the rake down the length of the bed.
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- This clever tool is a design of garden great, Eliot Coleman. http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/
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- Shaun likes to try out new tools and this device is called a Vibro Hand Seeder, also from Johnny’s. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7441-vibro-hand-seeder.aspx He’s placing arugula seeds into the trough.
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- The blueberry patch is laden with blooms.
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- Another variety of blueberry
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- A cultivated variety of trout lily. Trout lilies can be found growing in the wild in early spring.
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- And the rhubarb should be ready to pick soon. I can’t wait!
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- A stalk of purple asparagus
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- And a bed of green asparagus. We’ve been enjoying a steady crop this season. The more you pick asparagus, the more they send up new shoots.
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- These are parsnips, wintered over and ready to pick.
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- The garlic planted last autumn is growing very well.
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- My nephew, Charlie, brought his friend, Kelly, to the farm for a ride astride Rinze.
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- One shade of Virginia bluebells
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- And a deeper shade of blue
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- More muscari in the woodland – this one is a darker shade of purple.
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- Princess Peony sits just inside the door, observing all of the activity going on around the farm.
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- It is located near my long pergola.
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- This is an amazing bed of muscari.
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- The dwarf Solomon’s seal is pushing through soil.
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- The ostrich ferns in this shade garden are multiplying and spreading.
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- I love how the fronds unfurl.
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- These giant hosta are also multiplying.
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- The structure of hosta leaves is so intriguing. These look tufted and quilted.
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- The crew is busy edging the boxwood allee. Chhewang picks up the excess.
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- Pete and Chhiring are clearing the bed of weeds.
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- Down at the stable, Betsy is meeting with Dr. Rosemary Ganser, the equine acupuncturist, who is monitoring Meindert’s healing process.
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- Meindert appears to have an itch.
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- Here are two apple trees in full bloom.
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- The violets out by the pond are quite plentiful this year.
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- A spectacular Kwanzan cherry tree
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- The azalea grove is about to burst.
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- A lovely shade of pink
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- A bright purple variety
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- Some pretty tulips in the tulip bed
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- A very happy bumblebee
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- The grasses are thick and required a lot of clipping.
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- Wilmer and Phurba set out to trim back all the ornamental grass beneath the apple espalier. Once trimmed, the grass will grow back neater.
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