Getting ready for Spring!

I started ordering seeds last fall as the garden was winding down. I got them out this weekend so I could see what I still need to order. The garden at the farm is big. I mean like football field size big. It probably isn't as wide but it is as long. Steve thinks I'm crazy but I want another garden that same size up the hill from it. Just enough room in between to mow hay. I would like to rotate crops on a larger scale & use cover crops to increase the nutrients in the soil.

Here is a video of the garden last spring right after planting.

(Sorry about the wind noise, turn down your speakers)

We'll see if we have time to till another garden this spring. We have a lot to do at the farm once it warms up. There are apple trees to prune, 25 one year old apple trees to graft, fence to put up between the Amish next door & us (to keep their cows, horses & sheep out of the garden) and 100 hazelnut bushes to plant while still working on the inside of the barn. The list goes on & on but it is the kind of work I like to do. Being outside in nature is so much more rewarding than sitting in an office all day.

I went ahead & ordered potatoes yesterday. I ordered twice the amount as last year since I know now that I can grow them. I grew Yukon Golds & Yellow Finn which I will grow again this year. I had a pretty good harvest but it could have been better if it wasn't for the potato bug infestation early on. Not being on the farm during the week makes it hard to keep up with that kind of thing. We just do the best we can. I added a new potato this year. It's the Rose Finn Apple. They say it's a good keeper & perfect for potato salad, steamed, boiled, grilled, roasted or fried. That about covers everything! I do want to try growing sweet potatoes this year too. Adding it to my list...

We are storing last summer's potatoes in the garage in a cooler. It works really well. The potatoes still look like when we put them in there and taste great too. The other night for supper we ate potatoes, beets & applesauce all from the farm . It is a great feeling of satisfaction to produce your own food. We know there are no chemicals, just pure food.

I still need to order raspberry bushes. We have some at the farm but they are out of control. Have to read up about growing them. Would like to get a good yield. More strawberries will be added this year too.

We have a section of the garden that's marked off now that isn't to be tilled. Eli has tilled it the last two years with his horses so we'll have to remind him not to do that section this spring. We have the blueberries, asparagus, strawberries, Jeruselum Artichokes, horseradish & some herbs planted there. I am anxious to see how many blueberries we get this year. Last year was the first year & we got a handful off of 24 bushes.

I splurged on something I have wanted for some time.

I know it isn't what most women want, but I will be able to preserve so much more food because of this. And that makes me happy! (talk to me next summer when I am sweating over the stove, canning away) This pressure cooker/canner doesn't have a rubber gasket so that will save money & it is made in Wisconsin. Yes, an American made product.