Howdy!
Oh, Sparkle cow, always good for a selfie! You never know, it might be something good to eat.
Thanks for reading. Check back soon!
Feb 18, 2021
March 4, 2021
Well, we made it through the snow, ice and freezing temperatures. We made it through the 2 months of rain in 2 days! All of that moisture now makes mud! We will make it through mud season as well. Farm visits are able to resume with warm weather upon us. If you are interested in our cattle, please contact us for a possible date. We love to share about our Dexters. Even if you don’t purchase from us, we love to promote the breed. Of course, we’d love for you to purchase from us!
March 5, 2021
Red clover, isn’t it a beautiful seed? It is a tiny seed coated with an inoculated bacteria called rhizobium. The clover and bacteria have a partnership. The clover supplies carbohydrates the bacteria needs and the bacteria takes nitrogen from the air to supply the clover’s essential nutrient.
We re-seed our pastures every year. Some may not need to do that but historically our farm’s soil was abused and depleted. It can also be necessary because of severe weather, weeds and winter damage. In our case it’s all of the above!
Clover seed is quite expensive so I’m very intentional about not wasting it. Our open acreage isn’t too big to walk and hand seed so that is my preferred method. The ground is also usually too wet this time of year for any farm machinery to be used.
March is usually too late for frost seeding but not this year. If I would have done it before our last super rain event it would have all be washed away. Frost seeding is done when daytime temperatures warm up but the night time temperatures are still below freezing. The heaving of the ground give the seed soil contact and the ability to then germinate.
The clover plant is a perennial and it has a deep tap root so once established it can help break up heavy clay soils. It also helps with nitrogen in the soil which is beneficial to other grasses. The cattle find it very tasty and it’s good for them. It’s a win win.
March 6, 2021
It’s mud season here at TRF. You didn’t know there was a fifth season? Well, there is in farming.
Clay, manure and urine all combine to make boot sucking mud. It’s not your ordinary mud. It truly will suck your boots right off your feet!
Yuck! Some days I feel like I need a bleach bath.
March 12, 2021
It has warmed up and dried up at TRF! It always amazes me how quickly our soils can dry up after massive amounts of water. It isn’t dry enough or warm enough yet for most garden plants but cool season crops love this weather. Cool season crops are lettuce, spinach, broccoli and peas just to name a few. I have broccoli that I planted in the fall and overwintered in a hoop. It survived but did not thrive. I have removed the hoop so I’m hoping it will now be happy. It did get a little colder than a normal KY winter a few times and evidently it was just too cold for broccoli.
I also got my peas planted. Last year I had them in a raised bed. Crop rotation is important so I have them in the ground in my upper garden. They will add nitrogen to the soil where I had tomatoes planted last year. I planted 2 varieties, one for stir fry and one for fresh eating.
#spring
#coolseasoncrops
#eatwhatyougrow
#eatlocal
March 18, 2021
Dear Winter,
I absolutely hate you. I realize hate is a pretty strong word and I don’t like to use it very often but for you it is fitting. I really dislike your coldness. You make everything so drab. You rarely grace us with snow. It is depressing and I am glad to see you go, at least for the mean time. I know you will come back. You always do. I know it gives the Earth a rest. Maybe I should visit somewhere warm when you return. The only good thing about you is that Spring comes to visit as soon as you leave.
SPRING!!! It will officially be here on Saturday. Isn’t that wonderful? The spring flowers seem to know just when to stick their lovely heads out of the ground, don’t they? It’s always a wonderful surprise to me when I go out and see them blooming. Daffodils and crocus are the first I see. Oh, yes, I did put your sleepy little bulbs there! How nice to see you again. My lilac bushes are leafing out as are the blackberries and roses. All wonderful signs to a summer loving girl like me.
I have a theory. It is totally a theory and not based on anything scientific in any shape or form. It is just from my own observations. Birth month can indicate a favorite season. I am a June baby and summer is my absolute favorite time of the year. I can sit out or work in the heat and am very happy. Enjoying summer breezes on my front porch swing is delightful. Planting and caring for a garden is therapy to me. It’s cheaper than a therapist and you get tomatoes.
I have tested the soil temperature today. It is not ready for tomatoes yet. At 4 inches deep, it is 60 degrees. Many plants can tolerate that and thrive even. It’s still too cold for warm season crops but spinach, lettuce, peas, or broccoli will be very happy. Tomatoes, not so much. Got to wait on that one. Tomatoes are summer lovers like me.
Sometimes I am a very impatient gardener. I am impatiently waiting for my peas to pop up. It seems like they should have germinated by now. I will give them till the weekend I suppose and then go investigate.