Let the Season Begin…

Welcome to the official start of the 2012 growing season!  Our favorite meteorologist stated that yesterday’s temperature was the typical average for the second week in June, so it feels like our first share box should be going out the door next week already.  That would mean the fields would be full of bountiful produce, however, that is not the case.  In fact, even though the weather is trying to trick us, we are right on schedule.

That schedule involves starting our spring seeding of onions and leeks.  Last fall we constructed a greenhouse at the farm which is enjoying its inaugural season.  We are enjoying the luxury of having a greenhouse at the farm.  For the past two seasons we have been renting greenhouse space away from the farm, so to be able to simply walk out the door to work in the greenhouse is a great pleasure.  Now that the greenhouse planting is officially underway, we are more or less tied to the farm until mid-June.  The plants in the greenhouse require frequent watering and we have to get acquainted with the temperature regulation of the greenhouse.

The greenhouse is equipped with a propane heater that we use mainly at night and on cloudy days to keep the air temperature between 60-80 degrees.  It has been so warm even at night that we have not needed the heater yet. Instead, we have made a mini greenhouse-in-a-greenhouse for our onions and leeks on a propagation mat covered with plastic to keep the heat and moisture in.

We are excited for the start of the 2012 growing season, though we still have a good month before we will be planting in the fields.  These first years on our farm have proven to be very memorable in regards to the weather.  Maybe April will bring winter’s long awaited snow.  When Abe gets older, we’ll be telling him the story, “When you were one year old, you sat outside on the grass in January and built your first snowman in April!”