The first box delivery is a month and a half away!(?(!))
With our short growing season, our main work throughout April was of course planting in the greenhouses – we start seedlings in small blocks of soil, which are later either transplanted directly into the ground, or into somewhat larger blocks of soil, which are later transplanted into the ground.
The sunlight keeps the greenhouse toasty during the daytime, and before the freezing nights, we fire up our rocket mass heater for 30 minutes to an hour. This charges up the huge clay bench that runs the length of the greenhouse with heat that is slowly and inexorably released over several hours, warming the trays of seedlings – from beneath, which keeps their forming roots especially happy.
We also planted green garlic, onions, our salad mix components, and snow & sugar snap peas in the field, wilted the rising army of early weeds with a propane torch, and set up the electric deer fence for the season – it’s not tall, but the 3-D structure is designed to confuse deer with their poor depth perception, making them hesitant to try to jump it.
We had a WWOOFer come help for a few days, but for the most part it’s just been us, settling into the land and the rhythms of Spring, which seem increasingly familiar now, on our 5th year living here. Productivity is of course lessened by our happily-mobile 1 year-old, but we’re figuring out how to best work and play with him full time – for many tasks, Kristin works solo, enjoying solitude and podcasts, as well as the freedom to think through projects without the pressure or complications of help, while I entertain Otis, keeping his voracious appetite for new experiences sated.
It’s a good life.
We were happy to live it ourselves, but it’s even better to share it with a shiny new consciousness. And we’re grateful that you’re here eating the bounty we create with our lives.
Otis helps prepare soil for seedimg 
seeding the soil trays 
tasting snow by the greenhouse 
sledding soil cubes “upstairs” to germinate by the woodstove 
sprouted seedlings on the mass heater 
vole damage in the greenhouse 
visiting the Munch Bunch 
hauling logs out of the woods 
tools of tending the greenhouse heater fire 
seedlings on the bench 
sewing covers for the greenhouse plants at night 
a new pear tree debarked and murdered by a hungry winter rabbit 
Kristin plants green garlic in the distance 
Otis on his John Deere trying mini soil blocks this year to reduce the germination space bottleneck (limited shelf space by the woodstove in our home) 
former WWOOFers B & Nora return for a visit with their little one 
Kristin making shiitake logs with her farm mentor Robin 
shiitake mushroom loggers 
looking into the greenhouse heater fuel feed 
the greenhouse heater charging up the thermal mass 
ever seen a plane flying into the shadow of its own contrail? 
first 2019 WWOOFer Madeline planting red spring onions 
planting rows of sugar snap & snow peas 
Rust Shack in the mist 
first shiitakes of the season 
Youthful brassicas 
babies on the heat bench
Here’s to a a bountiful & beautiful season for us all!