Last year we saved some seeds from one of our butternut squashes and early in the season I planted them in tiny pots in the basement. Those 15 seeds turned into about 100 squash! So exciting to watch them grow through the season. And, right now, with this warm spell, they are continuing to flower […]
The new area in our backyard now has a nice cover crop mix of peas and oats. In late June we planted buckwheat, which matured through the season and was cut and tilled in during the month of August. After that Spink drilled in the mix of oats and peas, which will fix nitrogen, build […]
Wow, the buckwheat we put in as a cover crop has reached ~3 feet tall and is full of pollinators. It is just an awesome experience to both watch and listen to all the activities by bees and other insects now that the buckwheat is flowering. There are so many honeybees out there! We put […]
Another experiment! We built a hugelkultur bed in the back yard. This is a raised bed that is composed of dead wood, grass clippings, sod and dirt. The benefits of this type of bed include nutrients from the composting materials, water retention, and aerated soil. Right now we are trying to grow cucumbers in the bed. […]
Summer is definitely here and the high temps are in full swing. Luckily we have also had intermittent rain storms, so most everything is growing super well. Here are a few pics showing the progress to date at the homestead. The small patch we planted in the spring is wild like a jungle and the […]
Since we started this journey in 2010, we have tried growing all sorts of lettuce varieties and there are numerous choices out there. To date, our best performing lettuce is Johnny’s Salanova. Seeds come pelleted for easy planting. We plant in soil blocks and then transplant in the field. When we harvest, we mix the […]
Here’s an update on the veggies growing in the backyard. We have a slight infestation of cucumber beetles. Every morning and evening, I go out and kill these by the dozen and we have sticky traps out to try to catch them. They are so devastating to the cukes and squash, but hopefully they will […]
We are now starting to call our operation a micro farm after reading this term in a great new book: The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming by Jean-Martin Fortier. This is a must-read for any new farmer just starting out (and even for those with some experience under their belts will probably […]
Last year we prepped part of our backyard for planting by tilling the grass in and planting a cover crop. This year we are actually planting in this area! We planted potatoes (thanks to generosity of farmer friends), butternut squash (saved seed from last year’s crop) and cukes. This weekend we will plant tomatoes in […]
The winter has been long and cold. I learned new weather terms….polar vortex, anyone? Yesterday we experienced a Northeaster and the ground is once again covered in snow. Getting a later start for sure this spring, but starts are going strong in the hoop house and are ready to be transplanted. Today’s sunshine was welcome […]