One morning in late April, I woke up to birdsong. I’d never heard that melody before and it lifted me out of sleep and onto the front porch to see where it was coming from!
It’s safe to say that Spring has arrived on our little farm in south central Michigan. We continue to have a few worries — overnight temperatures might still dip into the 30’s — and 80 degree days might rough up the new transplants. But we take each day as it comes and do what we can to get every plant safely in a nutrient-rich environment. Growing is a risky business.
Hurrying
I’ve been “hurrying” to get tomato seedlings into pots, letting dahlia tubers face a sunshiny window, decide what gets put in the planting beds (this year we have over 50), and move soil and compost around so that every bed gets a refresh!
Okay, there’s probably more than that to the hurrying, but you get the idea.
Waiting
The waiting can be scary — when 500 flower plugs arrive in trays and it’s too cold to get them in the ground, for instance. I’ve been waiting to divide the dahlia clumps because I’m new at the whole process and I want to take the time to think it through carefully.
Doing
For a few weeks now we have left “hurry up and wait” behind us and started making things happen. There is a new chives bed, greens and lettuce are in, and we keep shooing the hens out of the strawberry beds. We have a lot of planting, direct seeding, and irrigation to set up. When June arrives we will be in full growing mode — and it will be time to share!
Shares
This year I will be delivering to 20 shareholders! The first veggies will be asparagus and rhubarb, spinach, kale, arugula, and lettuces. Herbs will be ready, and flowers will start to bud and bloom. We have a healthy flock of hens who love scrounging for bugs and worms in the cool of the evening. And we will have plenty fresh eggs.
Enjoy the birdsong, warm days, refreshing rains, and growing things!
Gwen's Greens 