Here's to What Is Good, by Angela

"Biodynamics can be summed up as:  Putting one's energy into supporting the good, rather than fighting the bad."  ~Wolf D. Storl, Culture and Horticulture:  a Philosophy of Gardening

Zephyr Summer Squash

The Zephyr summer squashes (see above) went into the ground two weeks late and were leggy, brittle plants. They got blasted by a heat wave then waves of rain. To my great surprise and delight, they grew strong and came timely in the decline of the Patty Pan squashes.

Digging Potatoes

Monday's routine has included the digging of a row of potatoes for the week's share (see above). The crew and work-shares have become quite keen on how to harvest the hidden treasures. The red potatoes were initially another variety that were meant to be only small, golf-ball size. I had forgotten that the varieties were substituted, so now I smile from ear to ear to see a larger baking-size potato from the reds (see below).

Brendan with the Red Maria Potatoes

The asparagus patch is a long-term vision, as it will be another two seasons before a real harvest, but the vigor and health of the plants is excellent, as seen in the photo below of Josh next to the plants at the height of their frond season.

Josh & the asparagus fronds

The hoop houses were in dire need of some rest and relaxation.The first hoop house you see on your left when you come into the farm was sown in nitrogen-fixing cover crops this spring. It has now been straw mulched to maintain a good thick environment for healing and to allow plant materials to decay, thus enriching the topsoil for a great spring early crop to grow inside this great, season-extending invention.

Josh & Molly Spreading Straw in the Hoophouse

Visuals of the Open House & Plant Sale, by Angela

Below is beekeeper Warren Graham and his demonstration hive at the Open House

Vendors at the Open House and Plant Sale

Open House and Plant Sale, Beekeeper

Asparagus trenches--Brendan, Josh, & Angela dug ten roughly 100-foot long trenches for our nearly 1000 new asparagus plants. One-time planting with decades of reward.

Below, our first asparagus shoots

Our 420-gallon rainwater-harvesting tank

Dodging Raindrops, by Angela

From "Gode Cookery"

We love our taters!

My spring farm ambitions resemble a Thanksgiving plate filled on an empty stomach. New establishments of rainwater collection, berry-trellising, chickens, asparagus plants, strawberry plants... all in addition to the regular pre-season CSA preparations. Somehow the funnel of life condensed the climax of these projects into this week as we file the remaining zoning paperwork for the chickens with the township; welcome local handymen to raise gutters to the barn; and embark upon the planting extravaganza of 1000 asparagus plants, 600 strawberry plants, and about 1500 seed potatoes!

I have tunnel vision on the windows of weather, between the bouts of rain when the sky is not dripping and the fields are dry enough to prepare with a tractor.  It's a race or rather game of cleverness--or so I tell myself--to successfully dodge the raindrops and stay two steps ahead of the plants in the greenhouse and those scheduled to arrive.

Angela up early to catch the sun

Farming requires the flexibility of readiness when weather permits, which at this time of year seldom completely falls within the Monday through Friday schedule. For the most part, during my years of training I apprenticed under farmers who lived on their farms, and now I more fully understand the perks of their situations.

Red Hill Farm has been teaching me how to project overnight lows, so as to close up the greenhouse, as well as the efficiency of shifting priorities when the weather allows while I am on the farm. I don't live far away, but enough to make it worth my while to stay an extra hour to do tractor work in the sunshine and then sleep with ease as the evening rains arrive, knowing I've set the stage for our preparations to continue on schedule.

To the rain, I say "Bring it".... We're ready, best as best can be, taking a big bite off the plate of spring ambitions.  Oh, I smile to think of how delighted I am to share the steadily growing farm with the members in just a wee bit over a month.