seed starting

This year we are really trying to push the envelope a little more, after what I would call a successful season of growing during the winter. We have been starting snapdragons since Jan. and have also been doing a lot of Delphiniums as well. All of our seeds are started in the basement under 4 foot fluorescent, after they get so big then we plan to move them out into our small heated greenhouse to continue growing. The problem is we have yet to finish the greenhouse so I'm not sure what we are going to do yet. It will all work out. We also started 2000 artichokes plants.

We are getting ready to start our seeds for the plants we intend on selling as veggie starts, it's a part of our farm that I enjoy, because it encourages others to grow there own food as well as buying from local growers. After those are started it will be time for all our cut flowers, our own garden and for the csa garden. We are really excited about our plans this year for our garden and for our csa garden. In the past years it was all mixed together, which was okay, it just didn't have a lot of harmony. This year we are planning on keeping our garden and the csa garden together and using everything we have learned about spin farming to prove that we can feed 5-10 families on a small garden. I'm very excited about this. It has been such a long time since I have done a small garden for just food.

My second garden ( my personal favorite) was small and really well maintained, this one will not be as small, but it will be kept in order like with small gardens. During that garden is when I discovered that I really enjoy growing food. I am a big believer in food being the staple that keeps families rediscovering communication, by growing, cooking, and eating the veggies that they work so hard together to produce. That is why I can't give up growing veggies on our cut flower farm. It doesn't make a lot of sense on our books, it's not that the veggies don't sell, it's that the flowers sell so well. We will always grow veggies, not just for our selves, but for our community as well. That is very important to us, I always wanted to be able to help different groups of people, but never had the tools to do so, growing fresh, organic food gives me those tools to provide to not only a certain group, but to my community. And, that can be the Berwick folks, the 3 creeks people, or the city of Columbus. We are very lucky to be doing this for a real job. I appreciate everything that I have, even if it is cheap and brakes all the time, no really all the time.

Thank you

winter harvest on feb. 10

Yesterday was a day of harvesting spinach and carrots, Gretel and I harvested 30 lbs. of carrots and 30 lbs. of spinach. That was a lot of fun for us, we have missed being able to play in the dirt for a while with these big snows we have been having here. I took us about a hour to harvest all that spinach, Gretel was moving like a well greased machine, I have never seen her so focused on the task at hand, hopefully that's what we will be like come summer time. The hardest part of the whole harvest was washing everything. We don't have a heated out building, so it make sticking your hands in cold water over, and over, quite awful. But, that's the trade off, sure it's fun playing in the dirt, planting, weeding(not really), adding compost (my personal favorite), tilling, but then it comes to the washing and well its not my favorite. It all works out, and I love it. Check out our stuff this week, we sold to the Greener Grocer and to Black Creek Bistro, both are great businesses and wonderful supporters of local food

Spring will be here before I know it.

Well with a couple inches of snow and my seeds being delivered it's time to begin starting seeds in flats. We have began starting snapdragons and delphiniums, as well as leeks. Today I plan on starting 2000 artichoke seeds and more delphiniums. It's time to lock myself in the basement, where all my germination takes place. We are behind on getting our 3rd greenhouse covered, which will be the only one with heat. It's crazy how the season hasn't even started and I'm already behind.