It happens every year like clockwork. We talk about needing snow cover, it snows, bitter cold envelopes us, and we get cabin fever. Oddly enough, I was dreaming of the slow winter months cleaning seed, sowing new trays and just spending long, slow winter days with my family. Now that we are on day four of no school, and a possible 4th Snow Day this year looming due to wind chill, cabin fever is taking hold here. Have you felt it? I chose a selection of summer photos below, as a small comfort.
Spring is coming faster than we can comprehend on a day like this, in a white-out landscape. And I am so excited! ... and nervous. Yes! Even after (how many, 13?) years and growing, I still have anxieties. Do the plants have enough insulation? Do they have too much? Are the mice eating away my plants and seeds where I cannot see?
And other questions...I'm at capacity in my current urban lot. Where can we go? Will we move enough product this year to stay in business? We have good support, though, and keep revising and working our plans with deep gratitude for all of you.
And, because I can't turn down native seeds and with a good foraging season in 2023, we plan to have much more available this Summer and Fall! I'll let you scroll to the bottom to see what we've sowed so far this winter. Keep in mind, we still have all our 30-day trays and spring planting to do!
And yes, we are still committed to chem free practices. We've expanded our beneficial wildlife habitat, including installing beetle banks (We can't wait to plague our entomology friends with images of insects we cannot identify ;) ) At the end of the week, I'm headed to the PFI Annual Conference in hopes to encourage other urban farmers to install beneficial and pollinator habitat on their farms. It has been amazing to realize the benefits. In reviewing for the session, I was shocked just how well this strategy is performing. More on that later? Should I make my informal presentation there into a blog to share with you? Of course!
We continue to use repellents even in winter to deter mice, and other growers, check this out... We have acorns in a cooler outside with a janky, broken lid that are *un-touched*! We're still on the look-out, but our caches are looking good this year.
Our Winter Sows to Date:
(wish us a little luck for good growing conditions!) Some of these will take a two seasons before we see results, but patience is part of the perennial game.
- Ohio Spiderwort
- European Larch
- Eastern Hemmlock
- prairie pussytoes
- yellow birch
- fringed sedge
- Levenworth sedge
- rattlesnake master
- coffeeberry
- pale white gentian
- blue lobelia
- American Germander
- Osage orange
- Norway spruce
- jack-in-the-pulpit
- mayapple
- bladdernut
- beebalm (central and eastern populations)
- rock elm
Up next, we'll talk about Benefical Habitat and winter pruning how-to's! Stay tuned and stay warm!