Hey Folks,
What's happening on the farm?
Planting
It has been a delightful week on the farm. Gideon has learned a great deal and has been a joy to have as our intern and guest. We completed planting the remaining cut flowers and herbs in the basement earlier in the week. We are now eagerly awaiting better weather conditions to finish planting our spring transplants, onion sets, and onion plants.
Over the weekend, we planted carrots, arugula, Swiss chard, two varieties of beets, French breakfast radish, red round radish, salad turnips, and transplanted spinach, lettuce mix, and paper-potted radishes/turnips for an early outdoor harvest. Hopefully, the seeds were not washed away by the heavy rain we received!
Projects on the farm
Roadside Fencing- The start of fencing in the hay field
It appears that we consistently have a lengthy list of ongoing projects. One significant project is set to commence this spring involving the construction of a roadside fence. We are likely to secure funding from NCRS or the soil and water conservation group to fence off our springs and pond from animals. This year, we have opted to discontinue hay cutting and transform our hay field into additional grazing space. Leasing out the hay cutting has become increasingly challenging post-Covid, with prices almost tripling compared to previous levels, while the cost of purchasing hay has not risen nearly as much.
Return of the Hens- A sustainable approach to chickens
While we cannot guarantee, there is a good chance that we will restock our store with a limited supply of eggs as we work on creating a more sustainable business approach with our chickens. We have purchased 24 fertilized eggs from a dual-purpose breed and hope for a successful incubation process in the upcoming weeks!
This week we have in stock:
Micros (Pea, purple radish, sunflower shoots, and broccoli)
Plants (Fig cuttings, turnips, lettuce mix, cilantro, common chamomile, candy onions, scallions, shallots, sierra blanca, leeks, red onions, and 3 types of peas)
First bunches of asparagus!