Happy Friday y'all!
The plant sale is happening and it couldn't be a more pretty time to visit the farm store. The weather is great, everything is leafing out or blossoming out, and there's just that peaceful, freshness permeating the air. Everything is young and chipper and full of potential and you kinda feel like you can absorb some of it through osmosis. So far it hasn't reversed my crow's feet, but it does wonders for my spirits.
We gratefully got some extra help over these last two weeks and not only are they pleasant to have around, but our collective load has been lightened and you can feel a sense of relief from the whole crew. Everyone was working longer hours than ever before and hustling the whole time and though spirits were good, it was a lot to ask of them. Mandy and I were averaging 95 hour weeks (each) for the last month and a half and it was starting to take its toll. We used to work whole years like that, but it hits harder when you're edging towards 50, so we're extra grateful to Grace Ferzely and Carrie Little for helping us get things done more efficiently and getting our crew's days done earlier.
For all you gardeners starting to pick up your baby plants from us remember a few things about your soil. Good drainage is essential, so don't grow in a depressed space that holds moisture or one that is clay heavy. Be cautious of manure. If the horses or cows who made your poop ate grasses sprayed with persistent herbicides, it will destroy your garden for multiple seasons. You won't know why. Your plants will twist up and wither. As little as 10 parts per billion can effect things like tomatoes and strawberries, so unless you're uber confident about the source, maybe avoid manure based composts. Also, don't use mulch around fragile herbaceous annuals and definitely do not mix wood chips in with your soil. It will rob all of your soil's nitrogen and your plants will get sick and possibly die. It also invites fungus gnats into your soil and they love to snack on plant roots and spread diseases.
We lost thousands of tomato seedlings this season by adding some mushroom compost to our tried and true soil mix. The mushroom compost turned out to be too hot for the babies and it buckled them in 24 hours. We started fresh without the mushroom compost and all went well, but cultivating life is always an adventure and it pays to sidestep the biggest hurdles from the jump to increase your odds of success.
Lastly, protect your fragile babies from frost. The forecast looks good, but we aren't out of the woods just yet. Last night, as Fedex drove off and the crew was all gone, Mandy and I were hoping to exhale for an evening and enjoy a quiet sit, chat, and maybe a beer, but the forecast had other plans. We hoisted up our britches (I may have sighed loudly) and spent the next few hours moving trays of orders into greenhouses, under tables, into the farm store, and then proceeded to put frost cloth and tarps over everything. The forecast said 39, but the last 2 times it said that, we got frost and lost all of our cucumbers despite having covered them.
We can get frost until mid April in these parts, so if you plant out right away, keep an eye on the forecast and cover your babies if need be. Alternatively, keep them in pots until the forecast says no frost danger through April 15th. Of course you'll have to be more mindful of watering them that way, but you can easily move them inside if a frost comes. Always a trade-off, so choose based on your preference.
We're hoping to reap the rewards of our deeper bench today and give the crew a relaxed afternoon with tunes, bocce ball, beer, and Comer Coffee Co's yummy focaccia sandwiches. If you hear tunes and chuckles instead of tractors and toil when you pick up your plants today, that's why.
Have a great weekend wherever you are!
Steve