Busy as a Bee in Spring!

Jen came back for another visit to our hives! It was so nice that the grass was so much greener this time around.

One of the hives that had been fine a few weeks ago had died so we went on an investigation:

We were concerned as we pulled it apart that we didn't see many dead bees. It meant that they didn't starve to death, which is a common problem and would have easily explained what happened:

As we took more supers off we found a small cluster of bees, probably those who were trying to protect the queen:

We finished scraping up dead bees and were cleaning the very bottom when we found the culprit: a mouse nest. Mice pressure is a huge problem for bee keepers (along with mites and disease and starvation). Next winter we'll add something over the entrance to the hive to discourage mice but still allow the bees to come and go.

After that, we took apart a hive that was still going strong. It was pretty neat to see the queen in action and a hive waking up from winter. We need to add nectar and honey to our hives plus get ready for the four new hives to arrive in May.

Asparagus

We planted asparagus! We won't get to eat it this year, but I'm not promising I won't sneak back next May to sample a taste of our hard work.

Carlen called this the best asparagus trench ever. Woo hoo!

And with the drizzly weather, the birch, barn and horse looked extra spectacular. Such a nice day to be working outside!

So Much Has Happened!

So much has happened!

We cleaned up an abandoned lot in Lawrence, MA for a nonprofit there who farms with high school students:

The lambs learned how to be extra cute climbing in the manger (before we castrated them and docked their tails):

Our piglets arrived:

We visited the garlic we planted in the fall and it's delicious! Green garlic any day now:

More tomatoes sprouted:

I repotted the older tomatoes:

We gave the onions a haircut:

We planted spring wheat:

And Theo had a birthday:

Number 60

My favorite sheep gave birth! To triplets!

Our Veggies are Growing Up!

Who isn't excited for more tomato info?!

It was time to thin these guys and I even planted some more in hopes of expanding our home garden varieties. I'm thinking of bringing some Sun Gold seeds from home to round out the green, black, red, and yellow striped varieties we're currently growing.

As well as tomatoes for the CSA, we also seeded eggplants and peppers. We were running out of room in the greenhouse so we transported all our brassicas and chard to the cold frames. We have to harden off these plants which means denying them water and keeping them cooler so that their cell structure stiffens and they're ready for the big times of living in the fields without us to coddle them. Hopefully we'll transplant them soon!

Also, sadly, the lettuce we marked got unmarked. So much for that experiment!

Something Smells Fishy

Our onions have been in the greenhouse for a bit too long at this point but it's still a bit too cold to plant them in the fields. You can see half of them here stretching towards the other end of the greenhouse.

To combat some nutrient deficiencies, which cause the yellowing, Rebekah and I sprayed fish emulsion on them yesterday afternoon.

This is right afterwards:

Later that afternoon:

And the next morning:
You be the judge of this quick nitrogen fix worked.

Farm Visits

Last Friday we went to New York to visit two farms. The first was Hawthorne Valley, a biodynamic farm that focuses mostly on its dairy operation. See if you can decide what that cow is wearing on its horns. We sure couldn't.

They also had the world's all time cutest piglets.

And strangest looking sheep/goats/wooly things.

After a wonderful lunch at Hawthorne Valley (everyone should have some jalapeno sauerkraut in their lives) we drove a half hour south to Copake Village which is a farm for special needs residents. They have quite the operation going on there with a weavery, stained glass workshop, candle making and it's the home of Turtle Tree Seeds. They also have the most beautifully laid out Healing Garden. I tried to take some photos of it but I'm sure I didn't do it justice. It was quite the place to simply enjoy walking around and dream of summer.