Freezing my blooms off

Yesterday we went to The Herb Faire.  It is sponsored by the Wabash Valley Herb Society.  We are vendors every year selling a variety of things.  This year we had plants, aprons, jams, jellies, pie fillings, towels, and stuff from our bakery.  It was a busy day but boy was it cold.  I mean COLD.  I had on 4 layers of clothes and was still cold.  My sister wasn't able to watch Sam for us this time so she went with us.  I got to warm up by chasing her around.  She only had about 15 melt-downs.  These are Sam throwing herself on the ground and crying.  I just stand around and wait for her to quit.  When she finds out she is not getting her way she usually will calm down and go with the flow. She is so much like her mother it is scarey.

The gardens are looking fantastic.  I must have cut about 3000 maple seedlings out of the blueberries today.  I know I didn't get them all but I will keep after it.  The deer feasted on a lot of the blueberry plants through the winter.  The plants that we weeded around and put sawdust around were eaten pretty bad but the ones that we didn't get to and let the weeds grow up around look good.  We have decided that we will just let the weeds grow and try and confuse the deer. I did happen to find a few blueberries.  This is the first year that we will be picking from the bushes.  We aren't ready to open the u-pick just yet, but maybe in another year or two.

I am waiting on a load of "garden" dirt to put in the last 2 raised beds.  I plan to put in more tomatoes and have an asparagus bed in the other.  I have 100 asparagus crowns holding over to put in.  Within the next couple of years, I hope for at least 500 asparagus plants.  I have also planted 10 more rhubarb plants.  That makes a total of 62 in the ground.  Hopefully the deer won't find these. 

We have another faire this next Saturday at Marshall, IL.  Another garden show.  After that all plants left over will go into the ground for the final planting.  The greenhouse is already empty except for the green beans that have small beans on them.  I can't wait until all seedlings and plants are gone from the barn.  I live my life in seasons of the farm:  seed planting, transplanting, transplanting again, planting in ground, selling, planting, selling, and final planting.  By the time I get the last plants in the ground, I am so ready for snow (not really).  Then it is farmers markets time. 

Oh yeah, Happy Mothers Day to all.  Hope all  your kiddies at least called you today to tell you how special you are. Surprise, surprise both of mine did.  Both of those kids are keepers.

See ya on the farm
Charlotte