Monday, March 22, 2010

Farm Update, March 22

I haven't said much about the farm since we built it in February. I know I need to post some pictures, but you know, eventually. So, in February, we started snap pea seeds inside and sowed carrot and spinach seeds in the garden. The peas were ready to transplant after we got home from Ireland. The spinach seedlings started showing up after that, and finally, last weekend, we started seeing lots of teeny tiny carrot sproutlets. In the meantime, we started some squash, watermelon, artichoke and purple beans inside, and sowed 2 kinds of sunflowers outside.

My neighbor and her 3-year-old daughter helped out in the garden with transplanting, mulching, and starting seeds. It's nice having help, but more than that, it's nice having company while farming.

Last week, my strawberry plants arrived in the mail. They sat in my garage for a couple of days, so in a fit of willful productiveness, I came home from work Friday evening, knowing that SNG wouldn't be home for 3 more hours (he rode his bike that day), and took the kids out back while I planted EIGHTY strawberry plants. E-baby was easy enough to watch after- she just goes into the gazebo and tells fairy tales to the play-doh. Jambuca is walking pretty well now, so I could let him wander inside the fenced enclosure of the farm. But it wasn't so easy to stop him from eating much, dirt, sticks, seedlings, and pretty much everything else. I eventually got him interested in harvesting the pinwheels we keep in the corners of the raised beds (they act like scarecrows for the birds). So as I worked, Jambuca toddled around with 2 fistfuls of pinwheel sticks, shaking them like maracas.

Saturday and Sunday we sowed more beans-- some in the strawberry beds and some in the front yard. With what we've put in the ground so far, I've got about 140 sq ft of the farm planted and about 175 sq ft left to plant later. I plan to still inter-plant some of the areas and will be moving crops out and new ones in throughout the summer. We'll sure have plenty of vegetables this summer! If half of the plants work out, it should be more than we can eat.

Today 25 asparagus roots arrived in the mail. They are perennial, so they'll occupy one of the 4x14 beds permanently. There are some things that should be planted with asparagus to amend the soil and keeps bugs at bay, but I can't remember what. Maybe it was tomatoes? Or is it that tomatoes should never be with asparagus? Or was it onions? Or should onions never go with asparagus? Oh, I'll have some reading to do.

I don't have any pictures of the garden, but I do have some cute pictures of the kiddos. Here you go!


5 comments:

PartnerInCrime said...

Well, since I saw "the farm" in person, I can attest that it is MIGHTY impressive. And those are some great pictures. I love the first one of Jambuca - he is SO MUCH BOY, it's like the baby is just vanishing. Sorta breaks my heart.

Nebeli said...

All together now... Awwwwwwwww.

Too cute!

And on a side note, 80 strawberry plants? Seriously, that is a LOT of margaritas!:)

Congratulations!

LizardBreath said...

Love hearing about the farm and the pictures? Oh how cute they are! That last one makes me laugh with Jambuca's fist in his mouth!

Unknown said...

That one of Ebaby reminds me of Australia when she stood on the bench in that dress, with that pose and declared to the Fairy Penguins that she was their fairy protector!
I can't wait to see them next week!

Cat said...

@cindy- I know, it is kind of sad, but he's such a charming boy, I can live with him growing up!
@nebeli- Aw, now you're talking. You and bboy should come see the farm after work one day!
@Lizard- I hope you're right that it's his fist, and not an acorn!!
@mom- Yes, I thought you'd like that one. She was regaling us with tales of her fairy adventures, as you could have guessed.

Eventually I'll take the bandwidth and time to upload a 3-minute video I took that same day. It's classic e-baby, all the way.