Author Archives: annabel

Spring update

It’s almost officially summer and it already feels like it weather-wise. I’ve been behind in posting to the blog and just wanted to share some quick pictures of the spring so far. Super excited about the high tunnel. Spink got the automatic end vents and sidewalls hooked up a few months ago and they are […]

Sugaring season

In February we helped a friend tap 650 maple trees on property owned and managed by Camp Whitewood in Windsor, OH. Thankfully, we had a beautiful day and got into a nice work rhythm. Hammer in the tap, hang the bucket, put the lid on and repeat! It’s incredible how quickly the sap flows on […]

New high tunnel

Happy spring…almost! It’s been a cold March, but the high tunnel is up, covered and ready to go. We’ve managed to get some cold weather crops in the ground – spinach, lettuce and mixed greens, peas, beans and pac choi – and are working to get our processes (irrigation, ventilation) tightened up. Thanks to the […]

2017 – a look back

Merry Christmas! It’s a cold and windy day, but the sun is shining and the hoop house is up to 58 degrees. Not sure if our kale will survive the coming nights of temperatures in the single digits, though. We don’t currently have supplemental heat, so we’ve peeled back the row covers to get the […]

Soup weather and other savory ways to use winter squash

Today’s featured vegetable is butternut squash! This season we grew 7 squash plants which supplied us with an abundant crop of beautiful squash and way more than we can eat. Thankfully we grow for market and were able to sell some before the end of market season. Additionally, our customers received a squash in their […]

Fall update

Last weekend was our final farmer’s market of the season. It’s nice to have weekends back, to take a moment to breathe and start planning for fall projects. We pulled all the tomatoes out of the hoop house a couple weeks ago, transplanted some kale and direct seeded some mixed greens. Not sure how this […]

What's hiding out there?

Things on the farm are cruising along. The summer weather has been pretty amazing. Cooler temps, fairly steady rainfall (about 1/2″ a week) and sunny days. I love seeing the new growth on things like red peppers – they almost look fake on the plants because they are so bright red! Butternut squash are often […]

Farm update

A quick update on the farm. It’s been an amazing season so far weather-wise. Been getting rain on a weekly basis and lots of sunshine (mid 70s to 80s) and cool evenings. I love it! Garlic is almost ready to harvest, potatoes are getting close and beans are starting to flower. And, our paw paws […]

Spring 2017 – what's growing?!?

Spring is here and things are really cranking up on the farm. It’s definitely the busiest time of the year for us: prepping beds, soil blocking, transplanting, weeding, watering, and all things in the dirt that come with being soil farmers. Here are a few updates of some of the crops coming in. Lots of […]

Germination chamber

Last year Spink built a germination chamber complete with grow lights. Unfortunately, the lights (LEDs) produce too much heat and the chamber has no way to cool down, so he made some modifications and now we just use it to germinate seeds and then move them to heat mats to grow a bit before hardening […]