These past few years have had wet and cold Spring seasons. Growth doesn't really happen until soil temps come up to an average of sixty degrees. This is also the temperature soil microbes begin breathing and the smell of soil is in the air. I expect by the second weekend of April we will begin smelling Spring. It will certainly be very nice.
It is a bit too wet out on the fields to till or begin making ready for planting. There are some sizable projects that need done while we wait. We finally had the time and courage needed to take down one of the larger danger trees. This tree also deprived a large portion of the Market Garden of morning light and had rotted out at least five times. It was difficult to tell which way things might fall when cut off. But we got it down safely burned the carcass almost to ashes. The project meant taking down the hand tool rack and East fence of the Market Garden. In the end the fence project compacted the wet soils we never got planted last year; they will take a bit of fixing. These repaired rows will be the first planted. We have a few new strawberry plants to go in. Moving the fence allows us to move the greenhouse to its permanent placing near the house in late Fall. In late Summer we will move the tiny home and kennel to its permanent placing behind the house. Next year will be a bit more open.
Our gardening plan is large this year. Lots of beds to create and restore. Our Greenhouse is full of plants. Everything is being held in ten by twenty inch flats. Each flat hold between 20 and 92 plants, depending on the pot. We have a great many plants ready to go and as soon as they are planted the flats will be replanted with more. We will direct sow when the average daytime temps reach seventy degrees. This will be toward the end of May. Until then we have plenty to do.
We had a litter of Basset Hound puppies in March. Nine beautiful little hounds. They are finding new families very well and Ann is doing much of the marketing. It is a happy business, not unlike the Christmas Lighting business I once did. The pups come, stay until they are the best sort of fun, but dirty. And then they go to happy families and we can get some sleep. And it helps support the Farm plan in a significant way. We need all the help we can get.
I will complete the tiny home remodel this month. The plumbing and electrical are all in and working, the walls are all covered and the flooring is bought and ready to put down. What is needed is drywall finishing and paint, the rest isn't easy, but there's not a lot to do yet. Finish work. Then, once we move the halves to the back, I will begin remodeling the Kennel and fencing off the dog yard.
There's so much happening here right now, but the days don't seem hectic or overly full. The weather keeps us indoors quite a bit. But stuff is getting done every day.
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