March 21, 2018
It's Spring After All
By Derek McGeehan

Just like last year we enjoyed a late February spring tease followed by a month of March winter weather and are about to endure another Nor'easter one day after the official astronomical start of spring. Endure feels like the perfect word to describe life on the farm during a wintry March when cabin fever can ail us all. We're itchin' to begin our work outside, plowing and planting into dry ground on nicely made raised beds during a chorus of spring peepers and catcalls of the eastern American toad. Last year we weren't able to plant outside until April 11th, a week later than planned, and this spring is looking similar. But do not worry - harvests should begin on time thanks to the benefits of minimal season extension technologies such as floating row cover!

We began sowing the seeds for future food in our heated Greenhouse during the final week of February. It is now home to around 50,000 plants nestled in their warm trays. Plants from the first week of seeding will soon be one step closer to outside exposure; we'll move them to our unheated Hoop House to harden off. This will allow them to get used to spring weather in Bucks County before they go to their final locations in the soil in the field.

Starting next week we'll loosen and prepare the soil in our Hoop Tunnel and High Tunnel for early season beets, salad radishes, and tender hakurei turnips which will accompany the first few rounds of CSA shares. Hopefully the week after we'll begin preparing soil outside in the fields for the multiple acres that will need to be planted in April. It's almost time to truly hit the ground running, but right now we must endure another round of winter weather!