This weeks notes....

   I sure was glad to hear from Still Life Farm yesterday with the 1st of some new veggies coming in as their winter crops are expiring 1 by 1! Though I try to offer what I can as early as possible, the limitations on our early season quantities is frustrating- and trying to make a subscription box lately has been a challenge. 

    With so many new gardens going in this year and the 1st steps of a new gardening strategy being implemented, I've been a tad nervous about the harvesting this season, which already eats up all of Wednesdays and Thursdays. A surprise call from an old friend & business associate offered a solution that I can't wait to see the possibilities of! Julie, formerly of Red River Farm in West Brookfield, now works for Venture Community Services helping autistic clients get out into the community. Each Wednesday, her and her clients will be volunteering on our farm! Help cleaning our rabbit hutches, gathering goods like pinecones to compost, watering & feeding animals, collecting eggs and potting up plants will take a huge load off of me 1 day a week and hopefully be something that these volunteers can look forward to. The fact that they are led by a farmer that I trust is priceless and I'm looking forward to getting started this coming Wednesday!

     Even with the cold nights ( and the extra work of covering and uncovering crops already planted), this season is shaping up to be a great one! For those curious about the new garden strategy we are implemented, you can watch The Lazy Gardener on Youtube. We have always companion planted for plant health & bug resistance, but now that our gardens are taking more permanent shape with better infrastructure, I am looking forward to combining perennial herbs, flowers & bushes interplanted with annual vegetables. This system is also no till and requires huge amounts of mulch and compost, so we were thrilled to see Northern Tree dropping us truckload after truckload of wood chips this week! Fingers crossed for our "living soil" to create larger yields and many mini ecosystems.