What a strange year it has been so far; I remember saying that last year although the challenges were polar opposite.  Last year, dry and hot Spring, this year, cold and wet.  We are grateful for the moisture, but things are just growing so slowly in the field, and we have flat out lost some plants in the harsh weather.  Seeds are also slow to germinate in the cool soil, and transplants are hard to get into the field when the ground is soaked and you can’t work the soil.

We have officially postponed our open house/first CSA box pick up to May 29th.  We hope that the arrival (finally!) of warmer weather and gentle rain (quite different from the ice/snow through late April) will create a thriving environment for our plants to grow.  Now we hope for this nice cool weather to hang around for awhile, as we are ready for all those cool weather loving crops such as lettuce, broccoli, and kale who don’t care for the heat of summer.  We appreciate all of the patience our CSA program members have had with us (and the weather!), and we hope that before long we will all be swimming in vegetables.

The next month is going to be very busy at 26th Street.  Not only do we have some spring crops still to be transplanted, but now our summer crops will need to be sowed in the field, and market will be starting in less than a month.  Time sure flies in Spring.  We would love to have a few volunteers join us at the farm for some planting parties, so if you are interested in a hands on experience of work at the farm, we will provide you with some produce!  Send us an email (26thstreetfarm@gmail.com) if you are interested in volunteer days.

One more quick note- Will and Hannah were interviewed at the farm for a brief feature on the GMO debate.  Check out NTV news Grand Island sometime on Saturday to hopefully see some footage of our farm.

Things begin building quickly in the Spring.  Our CSA program is nearly full, the tulips are beginning to break through, and the hens are laying lots of eggs.

After a winter of rest, travel, and planning for the new year, the farm work is beginning to build up again.  The first big project of the year was recovering our greenhouse.  We had to work through some chilly mornings, but thankfully with the help of my sister Martha, and only a minor stapler finger injury, we were able to get the project done, and create the ventilation sides that we wanted. (Thank you Martha Keen!) Last year, the heat built up in there so fast in May that even with opening the doors wide and running fans, we could not keep the moisture in the plants.  This year, we will be able to roll up about two feet on each side to ventilate during the afternoon when the heat builds up, but the plants will still be secured safely out of the wind.

Today I spent the afternoon soil blocking in the greenhouse and it was hot!  We will now be able to start even more transplants and pot up some of the plants we have started already.

Now that March is here we will be beginning to start more and more plants, and hopefully sooner than later the ground will thaw and Will will be out in the field on the tractor prepping the soil for planting.

 

 

…all despite the cold, wind, and slush!