April In the Garden

Our first time growing celery here at The Farm. So far so good.

Kohlrabi starts, purple on the left, green on the right.

Greenhouse cucumbers blooming prolifically. 

Lisa transplanting tomatoes into their own 4 inch pots. They will be living in an unheated greenhouse as they add to their sturdiness and not their height.

Mexico Midget is one of the 31 varieties of tomato plants we are growing this year. This is one of 7 cherry tomato types we have. I love that they have such a great root system.

Other tomatoes to be transplanted into 4 inch pots. They are in an unheated greenhouse so they don't grow too fast. Their roots will continue to grow and they will get stocky. 

My nephew, Andrew, has plowed and disced this additional piece of land on the west side of the row of tea plants. Scott, another nephew had cleared all the old, left behind equipment that had been parked in the berry vines for the past few decades. We will have more space for planting this year. I am getting ready to rototill. Thanks to both Andrew and Scott!

This plot of land had been the location for dump trucks of compost and other storage. It hadn't been planted for years. We decided we needed more space for our onion patch. So here they are! Florencio shoveled this soil into raised beds. The onions are happy to be out of the greenhouses which have been getting pretty hot for them with just average sunshine.

Florencio moved the ages old 3, yes, just 3 raspberry plants from this long row and planted in the strawberries from their crowded raised bed area. These will have plenty of water and if (when) the birds are trying to snack on them netting can be draped over the lower wire to protect them.

Waldo berries are budding. 

Don't you love it when little sweethearts get to pick out their gardening attire for the day? So cute!

Sylvanberries are in just about in full flower. The little green center of the flower is one indication that the flower is healthy. If we were to have a hard frost, the center may turn black. Usually a sign that the flower will die and no berry will form.

Cauliflower that was started in the greenhouse a couple months ago. We are hoping to have these for the first harvest box.

Red kale and green kale.  All of these raised beds have drip irrigation in place.

Large rhubarb leaves. Peas climbing the trellis between the raised beds.

Continuous days of very cold weather took its toll on the artichoke beds. Only two of about twenty plants survived. This used to be full of healthy artichoke plants (they look like thistles). We started new ones from seed, but alas, these were very old and prolific. Probably 10-15 year old plants. Results? There won't be artichokes in the boxes this year.

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower starts have been moved to the field. We are succession planting. We hope to have plenty of these this year. The first week of every month these have been started in the greenhouse. Beginning in February. These are the third interval of plants. 

Asparagus popping up. Drip irrigation in place. Once again, a very old asparagus bed that Dad put in many years ago.

The green bunching onions on the left are starting to flower and then will set seed pods. We may try an experiment with them. The purple violets down the row a bit started as one plant in the raised bed. Their seeds have spread and add to the garden. 

Flower pods look like hats! These empty beds will be filled shortly.

Red beets and then golden beets. Started from seed in the greenhouse in February. More plantings since. Again with the hopes of never running out of them.

Parsley is loving this weather.

Colorful Swiss Chard.

Spinach is spreading its leaves.

Cold frames are a stepping stone for plants going from the greenhouse to the field. These help protect the plants from the wind and also helps keep them a little warmer. These plants are working their way to the garden beds.

"Ohhhh looky, there is a green and black lady bug!" Actually it is a cucumber beetle on the Swiss Chard.

Greenhouse loving cucumbers on this end of the 2 rows and tomatoes on the other end. The bamboo stakes are attached to the structure of the greenhouse overhead. 

Tomatoes to the right, flowering petunias, just germinated morning glory seedlings that look like fireflies, and flats of peppers. They all love the heat of this greenhouse. Far left are more cucumbers climbing.

These golden leaved plants are Love Lies Bleeding. An amaranth that will grow about 4 feet tall and have dangling red strings of flowers.

Clumps of green tomatoes are flourishing in the greenhouse. 

This is a different variety of greenhouse tomato. They have more uniform clusters, like what you might find in the stores. These should taste waaaay better!

These are a field tomato that we are growing in the greenhouse. We did have early success with it last year and hope to this year. You may be able to see the little green tomatoes in the background. Without pollinators in the greenhouse (very few critters find their way in) tomatoes need to do their own "thing" to get the flower to set fruit. Sometimes we help out by flicking each flower so the pollen will spread.

Blueberries out in the field are forming little green berries after the white flower has fallen off. Good news!

Grapes are starting to leaf out.

These blueberry bushes have been around for a long time. 

Marionberries are a bit later. You may be able to spot the flowers forming among the leaves.

These grapes are probably dark purple in color. Pretty leaves. The light green leaves on the tree on the left are for the persimmon tree. Their fruit isn't ready until October. The gray, ghost like branches are the fig trees.

Baby figs, leaves start on the ends of the branches.

Apple blossoms.

Pear blossoms.

The tea hedgerow is starting to show its new growth.

Florencio does the orchard pruning during the dormant season. They look so organized!

Back to the greenhouse with the field tomatoes growing in the cooler greenhouse. Little tiny tomatoes. :)

Hopefully lots of flowers will result in lots of tomatoes. These won't be moved out to the field until the soil warms up.

April 8 Many things are changing

Andrew has disced the field. Plowing first, discing second, then later rototilling.

Multiple colors of Swiss Chard are flourishing.

These large leafed plants are eggplant. They are loving the heat of the greenhouse.

Golden beets growing like crazy in the greenhouse. They will be moved out to the raised beds soon.

Tomatoes bred to do well inside a greenhouse are planted in large pots to the left. Cucumbers that will grow inside to the right. A variety of other plants include: two kinds of tomatillos in the front, tomatoes that will be planted out to the field behind them, then peppers behind them.

Dad selected all kinds of daffodils to plant at The Farm.  These ones are very fragrant.

One of Mom's rose bushes has red tinged leaves. Rain drops hang onto the edges.

One year old great niece peeks out from her stroller. Grins!

Her new little brother is slumbering in his part of the stroller. A duel person stroller. It is a pretty cool contraption.

The onions we planted in early February have grown so much they need a haircut. Jane is the "barber" for this operation.

Jane is getting this down to a science. The ones in the bottom of the photo are all trimmed. They don't look too neat as they are floppy. The greenhouse smells great.

Upon arrival, this great nephew has a tooth just dangling in his cute smile. A grown up lady, Leslie (from when I taught at Sprague) has come to The Farm for a "field trip" with her two boys. Ones of which is running in the background.

About an hour later he runs in to show me his toothless grin! It is adorable. Newly lost tooth in his fingers. My niece and her little one enjoy the show. Such good times.

She brought her mom a flower from the fuchsias blooming in the greenhouse. So pretty!

Plants climbing their stakes. So warm we have the end doors propped open.

Each yellow flower will turn into a cucumber. A few have tiny little cucumbers on them.

Sooo much greenery. And it smells good in here. Ummmm.

4 kinds of lettuce have come up. We succession plant many things so they are getting ready for harvest at different intervals. This is the third planting of lettuce.

In an earlier post there were little, tiny coleus seeds in the palm of my hand. The have grown into these pretty leaved plants. They love shade!

Sweet allysum has already started to flower in the greenhouse. Very fragrant and pretty.

The basil has graduated to the planting boxes in the greenhouse. If all goes as planned we will have this in the first harvest boxes. I pinched a few back to increase branching. And yes, those leaves will be on my pizza tonight!

Plowing finished, check. Discing finished, check. Rototilling to being!

March 31 Field prep, Bee Keepers, large plants!

My nephew, Andrew, transported my sister's tractor to The Farm as it can pull a double bottomed plow. He keeps the equipment running as he is a mechanic. It is wonderful that he helps out at The Farm. (Really marvelous!!!)

Matt, one of my other nephews, with his son. Matt is our family bee keeper. He drives 2 1/2 hours one way to take care of our bees! Thanks Matt.

Matt and his son are "walking" around the greenhouse and checking things out. Matt built his own greenhouse at his place for this spring. He and his wife have a big garden and their own bees. I was lucky enough to get honey from them for Christmas this year. So yummy!

Enjoying the warmth in the greenhouse. Sweet little man!

He is checking out the greenhouse tomatoes. They have grown a lot. 

He wants to know what EVERYTHING tastes like :)

Grins before loading up and driving 2 1/2 hours back home. Little guy is always smiling!

Peppers have gotten huge! They will be transplanted to 4 inch pots soon.

The greenhouse is getting greener and greener as things grow.

Parsley we started from seed has grown enough to be outside.

Golden beets on the right, red beets on the left. They will be okay with cold nights, too.

The "beautifulness" of a newly plowed field. We don't plow every year. This turns the soil at least a foot deep. Reddish hue of budding blueberries in the background.