Steady & consistent

Starting seeds is one of my favorite things and it is so easy for me to get carried away! But I have realized there is a big difference between the joy I feel when I am pushing the seeder through the garden on a beautiful spring day and the not so joyful feeling I have when I’m staring down a 300ft row of butterbeans that need to be picked on a hot buggy summer day. 300ft of butterbeans is a lot! Butterbean picking was my chore as a little girl, and I will sheepishly admit that I used to strip the blooms off when no one was looking so there would be less of those darn things for me to pick! (Sorry Papa, I know you worked as hard to get them to grow as I do now!) This year I’m really trying to keep my seed starting enthusiasm in check. I still love the seeder, but I’ve moved on to indoor soil blocking which I love just as much. I’ve started anywhere from 200-500 seeds each week since late Jan. Some days I still think, “It’s not enough! I must plant more!” However, when this urge strikes, I remember the butterbeans, and keep sticking to my plan to start seeds steadily and consistently.      

Planting & Growing

The early garden was planted in Alaska peas, sugar snap peas, potatoes & turnips. We are already harvesting asparagus and enjoyed our first batch for dinner tonight. One of the overachievers came in at 2ft tall! I’m pretty sure it grew that much in just a day. Although there might be plenty of pictures on our Instagram account of tress we have cut down, we are purposely & sustainably planting more. Of course, the new fruit, nut & berries all arrived on the coldest day we had in late March, so they got to vacation inside with me for a few days until we could get them in the ground. Both types of elderberries we planted last month are growing well. The different growth between the 2 varieties has been interesting to compare already. 

Early Bloomers

The daffodils & tulips have already faded, but the fall planted bachelor buttons & creeping phlox are blooming in beautiful colors of light pink, dark pink, purple & lavender. I mixed the first batch of bloomers with wild white & yellow mustard blooms for a cheery spring bouquet. The carnations shouldn’t be far behind. They are absolutely loaded with buds and I'm optimistic they will be beautiful in time for Mother's Day. Today I noticed glads beginning to peek out of the ground. We had a pretty bad cold snap that took out a few flowers that had made it through the entire winter - snow, ice & all. Nature happens. I’ll plant more.

Fuzzy Baby Chicks

We spent a few days building 2 new chicken coops. Comet loves her upgrade, and her new ladder! Our 10 adorable, tiny, fuzzy baby chicks grew super fast (like all kids). They have already graduated into the outdoor coop which is right next door to Warner’s outdoor kennel. He thinks we put them there just for his entertainment & viewing pleasure.  I’m not going to tell him otherwise.

Wildlife Watching

After meeting with our local wildlife biologist we decided to alley crop partridge peas between the elderberry rows to provide additional food & habit for the quail. In a separate area, we have cleared brush on 1 acre, leaving only the largest of the trees and prepared the ground for a wildlife food plot. The highlight of the month honestly was watching the fawns frolic & chase each other around shortly before dusk one evening. Critter-wise, we have already seen 3 snakes, lots of wasps & the biggest millipede I’ve ever laid eyes on. (The millipede is an entirely different story which involves me screaming.)

Don't Forget

--->We can help you get you own garden or feed plot started! If you are local & need your ground plowed or tilled don't hesitate to reach out.

Call 804-839-3643 for more info.

---> As soon as they are available, our flowers can be purchased here.  

Red Handle Farm ~ Growing Faith Hope & Love 

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 “See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.”