When I was working on the farm yesterday, I noticed the cherry tree was blossoming, very nice! Later in the day when I was watering down in that area, the fragrant smell of the blossoms was drifting through the air and made me stop and be fully aware of the moment. The phrase “stop and smell the roses” is a very appropriate one, especially in our busy lives. For me, this was a Zen moment. I was busy planting, planning, work work work all day yesterday and the smell of the cherry blossoms hit me like a Zen Master’s stick…. “rush, rush, rush… thinking, thinking, thinking… WHACK! empty mind and completely in the present moment!”

Actually, a great many things “down on the farm” bring me into the present moment. The songs of the meadowlark, or red-wing black bird. Raking the beds to get them ready for seeing, planting seeds…

Remember that Alfred Hitchcock movie? Pretty scary stuff. Well, I have a little issue with Magpies. Or I at least believe Magpies are the culprit. Jenny & I planted a dozen or more Calendula plants throughout the garden last week. Within a day one was missing… plucked from the soil! This weekend Tracy mentioned that almost all of the Calendula plants had been “harvested” by some unknown critter. “Magpies!” I said…. “those damned Magpies!!!” In previous years they had ripped out every seedling I had planted in my garden in Eldora, (and usually just left them there to die) so what else could it be?

So for the solution we’ll just cover everything with floating row cover to keep them from ripping up plants. The row cover is also helpful in creating a micro-climate for the seeds that are sprouting, helps keep some moisture in, and when the bugs hit, it keeps the bugs at bay.

Jenny, Tracy & I have transplanted all of the seedlings into bigger, roomier flats, and boy do the plants love it! Everything is taking off and are looking happy and healthy. When we transplanted the basil (around 300-400 plants!), by the next day they had already grown about a quarter inch.

In the micro-greenhouses we have at least six varieties of tomatoes, three different eggplant, tomatillos, two types of basil, three or four varieties of bell peppers and close to a dozen different hot peppers. We also have various other herbs started and probably some stuff I’m forgetting.

Out in the garden we have a few successions of cool weather crops in and popping up. Some things seemed to be germinating much later than the seed packet stated, but they finally popped, so that takes some worries off.

So far we have planted two types of turnips, two or three types of spinach, a TON of arugula, three types of radishes, three types of carrots, two types of beets, Swiss chard, collards, kale, broccoli, broccoli rapini, sugar snap peas, and somewhere around a dozen types of lettuce. That is the main garden… in the perennial/herb/permaculture garden we’ve planted asparagus, raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, mint & catnip (both in pots to keep from going wild), fennel, rosemary, sage, chives, garlic chives, chamomile, skullcap and valerian… as well as various marigold and calendula.

It has been a few weeks since I last updated this blog. A little wintery weather kept us out of the garden on and off, but things are moving along. Over the past week or more, Tracy planted some sugar snap peas, carrots, radishes and lettuce, and Jenny & I planted spinach, kale, Swiss chard, more lettuce, arugula, beets, turnips, more carrots, broccoli & broccoli rapini, asparagus, raspberry, blackberry, as well as various culinary and medicinal herbs! Woo hoo! And the seedlings are coming along in the micro-greenhouse. Today we transplanted some into more spacious accommodations.

Today Jenny & I also worked on setting up the drip irrigation system. We blew out the main header to get out any dirt that may have gotten in there, and checked the head for kinks and ease of flow. Later I attached the drip lines and tested that out. It all looks good!

Oh! And I can’t forget Jillian! Jillian is back to overseeing the farm project, and she & I laid more weed barrier Sunday in the drizzle. Neal also came out to brave the drizzle and lend a hand as he is known to do. Jillian also tidied up the garden shack and it is looking great! Well, I mean.. for a garden shack, ya know.