2018 Winter Prep Jan-May

The core of our CSA. From left to right: Lisa with her sidekick Cody, Anna (Lisa's daughter, Lorrie's niece), Angie (Lisa and Lorrie's niece) and Lorrie.  The four of us decided in winter of 2011-2012 after the patriarch of our family passed away to start our CSA. Lisa and Lorrie's dad and Anna and Angie's grandpa Ken passed in October of 2011, grandma Mona had passed in 2004. We think they would be tickled with what we have done with the family farm.

Checking out the orchard that has been here for many years. Picking cauliflower on January 16th was an extra bonus. Anna's youngest joined us.

Seeding Lupine in the greenhouse. We use pretty dishes, too.

We chose to plant sweet pea seeds from Floret (a flower company from Washington State) in deeper pots than we usually have used.

The bottom of the pot is very open to promote root growth.

Filled with great potting soil, these flats are ready to be seeded.

Lisa seeding these sweet peas. Every variety is labeled.

Our winter sown tomatoes to be grown in the greenhouse have started to germinate.

We wanted to add to our artichoke selection. These are sprouting artichoke babies, too.

Yellow iris seeds saved from my fall garden are getting sown today. The seed pods are along side the white dish.

Today's seeding crew. Angie on the left, then Louise who may be small but she is a big help (she is Anna's daughter) and Lisa. The greenhouse is toasty enough to take our jackets off. In the background, seedlings are looking good. 

The ladies at work. One needs a bit of a boost!

Greenhouse tomatoes are thriving.

Cody is chillin'.

It's March and the sweet peas have been moved outside. Almost dark, but they seem happy in an area protected from the wind we get here on the farm.

3 varieties of beets and 4 varieties of Swiss Chard have been moved out of the greenhouse, too.

These flower seedlings are protected in a cold frame.

Slightly older flower seedlings have been enjoying the cold frames, too.

Each flat has 128 cells, each cell has one onion seed. These take patience to seed.

The artichokes have grown well from their baby size earlier in this blog post.

These are eating peas. We didn't realize a mouse had found them. They did survive and grow back.

The family farmhouse from the garden's view.

Our family matriarch grew these golden hops that have red stems that curl.

Four of our family members watch over us. Our memory garden.

On the left the greenhouse tomatoes have been transplanted into their homes for the summer. They will get stakes tied to the metal bars overhead to help them grown tall. We over winter our dahlias in the greenhouse as our farmland tends to be very wet in the winter. They also get a jump on growing in the warm greenhouse.

Sylvanberries, one of our 7 types of blackberries, are loaded with flowers. Lots of flowers mean lots of berries if all goes well.

A way to keep track of our fields and their watering systems. Each winter all the pvc pipe that takes water to the drip tape is picked up and stored. Hopefully we will put it back where it went!

Two rows of onion seedlings have been planted in the field. Their pvc pipe is in place. :) 

Andrew (one of Lisa's sons) troubleshooting the transplanter. Two people sit on this and transplant small tomato plants through the red plastic. Drip tape is under the plastic already.

Florencio has planted the pepper patch. Drip tape has brought water to each row. We try not to water what doesn't need water.

300 foot rows of tomatoes in the ground. One tomato in every other hole the transplanter made in the red plastic. Red plastic can increase tomato production by 20%. Our dad started doing this many years ago.

See you next time on the blog.
Lorrie