Late April to early May at the Farm

Part of the farm's menagerie. Chickens and guinea fowl. The guinea fowl can be really LOUD. These critters scratch around and eat bugs and occasionally dig up newly planted seedlings. Then they get sequestered in their coop.

The handsome rooster at the farm.

Ornamental allium to the left, lupine to the right. Newly planted sweet peas at the base of the wall. And yes, the chickens have found them.

Lilies we planted last year are getting tall.

Painted daisies are starting to show their color.

Sweet William we started from seed last year are bristling with buds. Some of them are showing their colors, too.

Peas are climbing. Notice the drip tape underneath.

Carrots are starting to come up. This is the second time Florencio has planted these. Something ate them off the first time, just as they had come up. :(

Green "Utah Celery" grows out and then starts to grow tall.

"Redventure" celery starts out even flatter. It is coloring up and starting to get some height, too.

The many colors of Swiss Chard.

Golden chard and rhubarb chard.

 

This chard has "wine" in its name. The ribbing is wine colored and the leaves are nice and tender but a little thicker than other chards.

Two different kinds of kale. Redbor is the one with ruffles.

These leaves catch rainwater and hold it.

Spinach seedlings to the left, a variety of lettuce to the right.

Last year this was "reclaimed" and Florencio planted onions here. With our crop rotation plan, onions won't be planted here for three years. This year there are gladiolas to the left just starting to poke through, then three rows of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. More will be added later.

The pots of dahlias overwintered in the greenhouses for protection from freezing. The smaller pots to the left hold this year's new dahlias.

Inside our own little "spa". Warm, moist air that smells so fresh.

The greenhouse tomatoes are climbing to the tops of their bamboo stakes.

Lemon cucumbers producing in the warmth of the greenhouse.

The green onions held over from last year have started to bloom. The honey bees are enjoying them.

Close to hwy 99/Portland Rd. the very rocky ground will grow some things. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi have shown they will grow here. Corn was planted right here last year, these crops were over to the far right last year. Crop rotation happening again.

Raspberries in their early stages.

Very early strawberries. We had our first delicious snack of these gems on April 30. Way early!

A small blackberry that we call "Dad's Blackberries" are blooming their heads off. 

Raspberry buds nodding.

Sylvanberry canes are wrapped around two wires to spread out the canes and the fruiting spurs. This also provides for more light and air circulation.

We have a few artichokes this year. Just a few.

Our attempt to grow peanuts. These are starting to push their soil up and will be showing soon. 

A little later in the day one poked through!

Another experiment this year. On the left, green okra. On the right, Burgandy Okra.

Morning glory and moon flowers have emerged. Unique kinds of leaves.

Kohlrabi to the left and a double blooming morning glory to the right.

The tomatoes have grown taller (in the week since the earlier photo) than little Avrie and her mom, Angie. Fruit is hiding inside the lush foliage.

I am excited to see how large this Hibiscus will grow this year. The colors are very vibrant. The seed packet states it may get to 6 feet tall by summer's end.

Some of the pumpkins and gourds we planted a few days ago are coming up. Notice the tag on the left. "Red Warts Pumpkin". Of course I couldn't resist trying it out this year.

Jostaberries will turn to a deep purple before they will ripen. This fruit is a cross between a black currant and a gooseberry. Notice the absence of thorns (for the most part).

Oops, this drip tape must have met up with a garden hoe or a pocket knife. Geyser time!

They found a huge strawberry.

A bee working on the prickly "Dad's Blackberry" blossoms.

They are loaded with flowers. If all get pollinated we will have many berries to pick :)

On the top of the second post is a bird. It keeps "yelling" at me, maybe a nest nearby?

Pretty purples in the sunny garden.

A purple bearded iris.The yellow stamens are what gives this the name of "bearded" iris. Looks more like a goatee to me.

The Sweet William have opened up nicely. 

One of the many colors of Sweet William.

The white margins set this one off from the rest.

This deep red one has red leaf veins, too.

Dark pink.

Light pink with many more buds to open in these clusters.

Palest pink amidst the deep red and dark pink.

An overview.

A bee on the blooming thyme plant.

Bearded iris foliage stands out among the Sweet William.

The first oriental poppy basks in the sunshine.

Blueberry clusters are filling out nicely. Their blooms have dried up into brown paper-like ends.

A Marionberry flower has opened. It will be the first ripe berry in this grouping of buds.

Another honey bee at work.

The figs are putting on size.

Apple blossoms drying up and fruit coloring up where the sun has been getting to the apples. Notice the shady side is green, not reddish.

Delphinium spires have grown tall against Grandma Daisy's south wall. She passed away several years ago at 99 but we still call it her trailer.

A deep purple delphinium about ready to burst open.

A grouping of pears.

Bosc pears have a different hue.

Some apples start out furry!

Asian pears in their cluster.

This curly little green thing is the bud for a persimmon.

Persimmon trees have a unique color. This is natural for this tree, it isn't sick.

Triple Crown blackberries produce very late in the season. There are a few buds starting to show. Very upright canes without thorns.

Canes of caneberry plants generally have a two year life. The tall, thick canes in this photo grew last year but didn't produce. This year they will produce and then die. Florencio will cut them off at the base during the winter and haul them away. Canes like this little one to the left will grow this summer, produce fruit next summer, die and Florencio will cut it off at the base. Such is the life cycle of most cane berries. 

These green fruits will become yellow plums. Many yellow plums on this one tree. Hmmm. Maybe we need more of this tree?

One of Mom's favorite things, David Austin roses. Very old school and very fragrant. I love how these colors vary from middle to outer edge.

This rose will bloom in clusters, not single long stemmed roses.

Some irises have variegated foliage that stands out in the garden.

One of the original namesake maple trees for Shady Maple Farm. A large part of this tree, located in the front yard of the farmhouse, came down in the October Storm of 1962. Wow was it loud as it brushed the front corner of the house. 

The fence post to the left might give it more perspective. There were three of these huge trees around the front yard once upon a time. Very shady.

The bunny's cart is barely showing as the oregano bed surrounds him. There is drip irrigation beneath the foliage.

Mom tried to get her hands on all the different columbine she could. This purple one has reseeded in different places. It isn't the traditional columbine flower shape, but still is a columbine.

One of the last plants Dad procured before he passed away in late 2011. This purple clematis climbs the arbor on the way into the backyard from the gardens.