Greetings all! Our farm is bustling with activity, growth, life and happiness right now and I thought I would take a moment on this fine May morning to update everyone on some of the goings-on here at the farm. First, our Boar Indy decided he didn't like being fenced away from his piglets and Scarlet. I looked up from the garden a couple days ago and found him on the wrong side of the fence (although not according to him). Turns out, all the fear I had about boars being aggressive with piglets was unfounded and all my hopes about the Large Black breed's propensity toward gentility and being great parents were completely realized. Indy and Scarlet make a great team. Lays on the outside of them all to protect them at night. As Tim would say, 'good going mate'.
Speaking of Tim, here he is with Indy contemplating a rodeo.
This is the result. It didn't last long but enough for a photo.
Here are the piglets, or at least as many as I could snap in a frame. They are on full tilt run here. You'll see why if you scroll down.
Mama called them over, laid down...
Supper time.
I was very excited to see the progress of the grapes. They held off from budding out until after that last cold spell last week and now they are sending out their yearly growth and you can see in this photo some of the grapes we will hopefully be enjoying in the late summer.
And our bees have finally arrived. After building this top-bar hive for last year and then not getting a bee order into Gold Star Honey Bees in time, I was very excited to get them home this spring. I had to get them Sunday from Bath and drive home with 3 lbs of bees in the back seat. Not as scary as it sounds and not as scary as getting them out of the box and into the hive. Either way, they are home.
Here they are settled into the hive having broken the queen out of her little container(in the foreground). Now I have to get that out of there. Yikes!
And here are some shots of the actual garden including things to come online for our Member's Choice Members in the coming weeks. Also, our table at the Brewer Farmer's Market will soon be a reality and the Hampden Market we started with a couple other farmers opens on May 25th in the Schacht's parking lot! See you there.
Sage that over-wintered outside!
Fernleaf Dill planted just yesterday!
An experimental pac choi. I planted it amongst many other things so I couldn't cover it with row cover. Thus, the flea beetles had a field day. This will be offered at a discount to our Members. We have some others that were covered. What a difference!
The baby spinach will be ready next week. Finally! One of our specialties...
May 16th, we spotted the first pea flowers of the season! It won't be long now.
Our attempts at replicating the Parisian Market Gardens of the last few centuries. Pink Beauty Radishes peaking up between Red Salad Bowl Lettuce, all inter-planted with a row of Sugar Ann Snap Peas. What a great system of intensive land use. Instead of three separate beds I have one with complimentary crops.
White Russian Kale in its infancy.
A quick Lettuce Crop before the Tomatoes go into the hoop house.
Australe Lettuce is beautiful and deliciously crisp.
Green Sprouting potatoes to give them a jump on the Colorado Potato Beetles and an earlier harvest. Vole Trap in the background.
What a great blog! I am so glad I came across it. Thanks for the update!
ReplyDeleteSonja Twombly of http://lallybrochfarms.blogspot.com/