earth day weekend

what a nice spectrum of days from friday to sunday.  we planted a couple hundred more feet of shelling peas and storage onion sets on friday.  in the evening we saluted earth day with a big ol' campfire, lots of food and horsehoes. there'll be much shoe throwing this season. if you like that, come down and join us on the river some evening. the bugs weren't out yet and the temperature was pleasant.  


easter is mainly a celebration of the land waking up in the springtime for our family.  here's our eggs this year.  some are food dye, and a bunch are done with onion skins and plant imprinting.


HEADS UP
may's group garden day and potluck is may 7th.  more word on that next week.


best-flip and bob

'you spin me right round'

What an EXTREME April.  

We're amidst a jigsaw of rain, wind and sun- trying to fit our pieces of the puzzle (seeding, fencing, landscaping), inside this ever changing frame.  As long as the rain shares the stage with the sun, we'll make out okay.  I hear murmurings that it's a la niña year.  If so and the summer brings wetness, we'll be thankful that our various plots (down at the river and up at the road), give some versatility.  

Here's the brassicas and lettuces, happily growing out at Carolyn's. 

Then there's the water creeping around the borders of our riverside garden, hinting at trouble.                                                 

view into park from garden

How about some bright, sweaty sun eh?!  -flip-

April Garden Update

This update has been a long time coming. We hoped to write last Sunday, but the week flew by. It's been quite productive with much collective energy in and around the gardens.

Starting last SATURDAY, the initial "first saturday workday" of the season, 9 of us spent the morning opening bags of leaves and boiling down sap.  We celebrated with warm soup and desserts covered in fresh maple syrup. The afternoon was spent seeding all of the spring brassicas in Carolyn's greenhouse in DeKalb (they've already sprouted!).
No rest on SUNDAY, because we had onions starts to plant. With the forecast calling for showers in the early part of the week it was well-timed to put in the transplants. With the help of four SLU students from the Nordic Ski Team we prepped 3 beds and put in over 3000 onions. The rain did come and everything, including the onions, are better for it.

This past FRIDAY we transplanted (24) 6 year old blueberry bushes from my previous farm and also expanded the asparagus patch to include another 80ft. of crowns. This makes for a total of 250ft of asparagus. Once again the Nordic Team stepped it up and happily helped out. Once everything was watered in we shared a meal and played the 1st game of horseshoes of the season.

Thus far, yesterday (SATURDAY) was the most transformative day of spring. The morning started with another round of boiling sap, a mix of shareholders and students fencing in the garlic area and opening up the last of the leaf bags near the barn. This could not have been more timely.  As soon as we pushed the leaves onto their new spot our neighbor showed up to plow and prep two new areas. It is fair to say that the area around the barn and along Miner St. are starting to look like an actual farm. It is really something when imagination and visualization become reality.

We can not be more grateful for all of the assistance we received this past week (and every week for that fact). On the surface it may appear that we get an enormous amount of "free" help. On some level this may be true, however based on the feedback we receive and the tone of the workdays it is clear that everyone has something to gain by our shared experiences. It should also be noted that in order for the work to flow and remain enjoyable for all, alot of prep and forethought goes into each day. We all have something to gain, and as a community project, it couldn't be done without the many contributors.

THANKS AGAIN and we're excited to see you on May 7th if not sooner.

be well,

bob

 PS we will try and write updates more frequently to keep them shorter and current.