Happily, the many flats of tender lettuces, kale, broccoli, rapini, onions, leeks, herbs, and more have been gradually moved from the shelter of the greenhouse to the covered farm stand area, and are now thriving in the garden. We’re pleased to report zero veggie casualties from mid-May’s sudden blast of record heat. (What was that about?)

If you were with us last year, you may remember our nightly struggles with rabbit pillaging, followed by frequent re-plantings. This year, we got smart and installed a rabbit-proof fence around the early lettuces and greens. The greedy little bunnies are blissfully munching on field grass and clover, instead of tender early spring greens. Whoever invented poultry fencing is my hero.

 Nearly a dozen varieties of organic seed potatoes are growing; from fingerlings to red potatoes to buttery Yukon golds. They’re beginning to emerge from the ground; around 300 row-feet of them. We will have fun trying out the many varieties.  We planted long French green beans a few days ago.

Tomatoes (many of them heirlooms) are in the ground, soon to be followed by summer squashes, cucumbers and more.  Last fall, we put in a nice big section of lovely organic garlic. It overwintered quite well under its blanket of leaves, putting down lots of roots. The tops are now nearly two feet tall; and the garlic should be ready for harvest in July. It will be a nice treat with the summer veggies, and for grilling and roasting.

Sadly, we lost two of our favorite too-freely-ranging hens to a coyote a few weeks ago. We have since reinforced the lower part of the field fence, to keep the chickens safely in their pasture. With 19 lovely pullets joining the flock, we expect to have a good supply of fresh eggs available later in the summer.

The Bees:

The exact cause of “colony collapse disorder,” the widespread disappearance of honeybees across the country, is not yet fully clear to scientists. Our hives, however, seem to be thriving. We like to think that this may be at least partly due to our organic growing practices. At any rate, our bees have been pollinating everything in sight for weeks. We have noticed a definite improvement in fruit and veggie crop yields in the years since we began keeping honeybees. Our neighbor, Julie, reports seeing our honeybees in her garden, as well. Looks like spring has finally arrived!