Thinking of Summer

The Spring has been good so far, though it has gotten a bit wet lately. We have reached the point in planting where we are shifting our focus to the warm weather crops of summer.

Seedlings were started over a month ago, and now the tomato transplants are inching closer to the fields. We put the cherry and cage tomatoes in the cold frame on Friday to give them a good week to "harden off" before planting them near the end of the month.

The peppers and eggplant continue to grow, though we have had to re-seed some due to poor germination. This week we also seeded the first batch of cucumbers and melons in soil blocks, as well as all of the winter squash. As we pull roasted red peppers and eggplant out of our freezer, and canned tomato sauce out of the larder we can taste the expectations of summer. We are out to finish last year's stores so we can make room for the 2011 harvest.


Tomato transplants in the cold frame


Soil block of melons

Work continues on the Spring crops. Thinning of the spinach, turnips, radish, arugula, carrots and beets is in order right now. While somewhat tedious there is always a nature show during the work. Our contact with the ground rumbles the soil and forces the many earthworms in our beds to the surface. They stretch out of their burrows and make their way along the surface before disappearing again to do their work.

Maintenance work and barn cleanup was also on the list last week as we have a long list of rainy day tasks to do.

Rebecca thinning hakurei turnips

Earthworm and turnip seedlings

The view from our window

Lettuce growing

Lucas working on our "new" mower

Rocky keeping watch

We also were able to do some mushroom hunting at the end of the day. We had been hearing many reports that the morels were out, and we have been able to find enough for several meals and snacks. The tree ear mushrooms are also fruiting.