Scatterbrained

I was all over the place today, both mentally and physically.  I was a busy-body and completely unable to focus.  I wish Ritalin were available over the counter.  Here are some snapshots of my scattered day.

Mama Mourning Dove is sitting on two eggs.  She is fierce.

All three elderberry bushes are fruiting!  We planted "Variegated," "Thundercloud," and "Emerald Lace" two years ago.  Here's a photo of the "Emerald Lace."

"Thundercloud"  has pretty pink flowers.  The birds eat the berries as soon as they appear.  I will never see their glory.

I picked strawberries today!

The "Gaviota" are the first to ripen.

This puts a smile on my face.

The butterhead lettuce is enjoying the weather.

The red butterhead lettuce is ready for market.  We'll offer both red and green this week.

I'm off to feed and walk the boys now.  If they weren't around to keep me on schedule, I don't know if anything would ever get done. 

 Dog is totally my co-pilot.

Everything at Once

It's getting busy on Fat Bear Farm.  It seems as though everything is happening at once.  We have a lot of projects that are up and running, and spring has come on in full force.  Here's a just a sample of what's brewing.

Asparagus

Five-hundred asparagus crowns are scheduled for arrival tomorrow.  We ordered them from Walker Brothers.  I'm pleased with their customer service, and the crowns we ordered from them last year were really nice.

The first spear from last year's planting popped up yesterday.

 I love this thing.

Ben took the tractor through last weekend.  He tilled, then used the sub soiler.  I went through with a hoe today and deepened the furrows a bit. 

I hope the crowns arrive early tomorrow because I'm super-ready to plant them.

Chickens

Look at me Mom!

The chicks are doing well.  They're one week old today.  We've named three of them so far.  We now have a Judith (Judy), a Eunice, and an Iris.  I can tell them apart by the patterns on their beaks, and Iris is the runt.

The door just needs a handle.  We'll have to choose and extra-special one.

Their house is almost ready.  Ben still has a few more finishing touches to add before I paint.  The roosts are up, and the nesting boxes are done.  I hope the ladies like it!

Greenhouse

An heirloom tomato

The blueberry whips I started are leafing out.  I'm surprised at their rate of development.

Kitchen Garden

Snap peas, beets, carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, and arugula are currently growing in the garden.  Here are some highlights:

Pea shoots

 Lettuce
 

The prettiest of all lettuces

One lovely beet

I should have a lot to share with you about the asparagus this week, and stay tuned for an update on the blueberries!

Greenhouse Update (Oh, Joy!)

I have very exciting news!  The blueberry whips that I stuck in peat moss last week are alive and kicking! The leaf buds on almost every single little stick are swelling nicely after just six days, but they have a very long way to go.  Even after they leaf-out, the roots won't start to develop for another several weeks or a few months.  But I am very optimistic.  They seem to like it in the greenhouse, and the peat moss/sand mixture holds moisture well without getting too soggy.  I'll be pleased if we get just 50 successful plants out of the of 260 we started.

The hops are growing quickly.  The Nugget hops are huge compared to the others.  At this stage of growth, I can see differences between all the varieties that are not apparent during later parts of the season.  Right now, the Nuggets are the most beautiful shade of  purpley-beet red.

Nugget Hops

Willamette Hops

Cascade Hops

Lettuce:

Happy and smiling.  Just a few more weeks until the salad days begin.

Tomatoes:

Still small, but thriving.

Artichokes:

Low germination rate?  Whatchu talkin'bout?

Miles Giles guards the orange tree against peasant intruders.

Can you beat that view?

There are a ton of other things going on in the greenhouse.  See the side bar for a complete list.

Happy growing!