small wonders

Up here on the homestead the snow is melting quickly and we are outside enjoying the spring weather even when that spring weather is blustery and not entirely warm- but we've had some lovely sunny warm days too. It is such a thrill to watch the snow recede and seeing all it uncovers. The rhubarb is growing quickly and the herb bed looks healthy and there are a few plants that have survived the winter under the snow- a couple kale plants, some chard, parsley and a whole bunch of skinny (but hopefully tasty) parsnips.

The spring also uncovered all the work we never got to in the fall- there are still lots of plant stalks and weeds about, and much to clean up and get to. But the great thing about spring, unlike autumn, is that it is a time when we all have boundless energy for the garden, and want to be out there every minute, so the digging and compost tending and general garden maintenance tasks are welcome now. 

I spent some time building a small hugelkultur bed this weekend- this is a new idea to me- a friend recently introduced me to Sepp Holzer and his ideas seem very applicable here, so I thought I'd give a couple of his raised beds a try- though mine is just a little taller than a regular raised bed, unlike some which can stand 5-6 feet high! I don't have a picture yet, but I'll take one once I finish the job. I have big plans to make a few more of these around the house, but my back is aching after all that digging yesterday and asking me go slow- it is so easy to get ahead of myself with all the spring plans!

The kids have been so excited to be out digging and running about. They even had a stint of running  barefoot this weekend, though that didn't last long. As they work in the garden they have been playing a game called "Alex and Fonz" inspired by the couple episodes of Tales of the Green Valley they have seen over my shoulder on YouTube. I am loving this show (despite the sloooow internet up here that makes watching it a lesson in patience.) It is a BBC history show that has experts running a farm for a full year as it would have been run in the 1620's using all the traditional tools and methods. I am a wee bit obsessed. As are my children who are reenacting the reenactment here in our garden!

As you can see there is still a fair bit of snow in the fields, but it is raining hard today and melting quickly. I am looking forward to some tromps through the woods without sinking through the snow, but the kids are more interested in working on the "rivers" on the driveway, so we will be spending some time in the mud this week for certain.

Many of our seedlings are up now, I love seeing these little green shoots emerge! They are going to need transplanting soon- I am going to try a soil block maker this year and have all the assembled soil making ingredients, but the tool didn't arrive in time to get them started in the blocks so I have my fingers crossed that they will transplant into the larger blocks from these little plugs. 


I have also been doing a bunch of reading about cover crops and green manures, and have made a mix of a few different seeds (inspired again by Sepp Holzer, who has over 50 different plants in his seed mix!) and have been tossing them into the beds as I clear them, hoping that some of the seeds take. We don't usually plant until the end of May, as that is when it is typically frost free, but I am wanting to try pushing the edges a little this year and see what we can manage to get in earlier. I have plans to plant some garlic, lettuce, green onions and radishes under a frost protection this week, and fill the rest of the beds with cover crops until it is time to plant into them. Always some new experiments to try!


Our other farm adventure this week was finding 3 feet of water in our crawl space and our sump pump just sort of swirling it around in a surreal looking tempest. Perry has been pumping it out and we finally can see the ground again, and it seems to be draining well now but there is some insulation to replace and it will need some time to dry out. It was quite a feeling looking at that swirling water just a few inches from our floor!


Otherwise, things are well on the farm, the piggies are growing and rooting around and learning to respect electric fences and enjoying their daily treats and pats from the boys. We have some new chicks coming soon and have some cleaning and whitewashing to do to be ready for them. So much activity and adventure after our quiet winter- hurrah for spring!


Happy Monday, friends.