It has been raining cats and dogs here on the farm since late last night. Or maybe I should say raining basketballs as Butler is in the NCAA championship game. I will surely be watching tonight for the Bulldogs to bring the championship home to Indiana.
Our nursery business has grown about 1000% this year. We have added a wholesale account that keeps me transplanting 6-8 hours a day for the past month. I love it. It is so quiet in the seedling room that I can hear the chickens and the geese talking back and forth. They don't get along very well.
I have most of the raised beds ready to plant. I had hoped to get some out on the 1st of April but it is forcasted to be below 32 degrees tonight..so I wait until Wed to get eggplants, tomatoes, cabbages and cauliflower in the ground. I know that I am rushing the season somewhat, but the Farmers Markets start mid May to early June and I want to be ready. I have the plastic to cover the plants at night to keep them toasty and healthy.
The fruit trees are just beginning to bloom. It is beautiful but them I have a job that I really detest. I have to knock off as many of the peach blooms as I can. Peach trees put on way too many blooms and can't support that much fruit. So you have to thin the tree or you either get quarter size peaches or the branches break. I have to watch closely this year to see if the brown fungus from last year returns. I"ll be on that like flies on poop.
I have finally hired someone to help me on the farm. My husband has an off farm job and does what he can but he is only one man afterall. (even though I think he is superman) My youngest brother is helping out a couple days a week. The farm is sure shaping up under his careful work. To date we have: mulched all the blueberries (all 2000 of them) with sawdust, mulched all the orchards (3 of them with countless trees), cleaned several neglected flower beds and mulched them, cleaned 2 chicken coops (nasty and disgusting job), and have done a consideral amount of just general clean up on the farm while trying to keep up with the starting and transplanting of the plants. We've had 2 weddings here on the farm, it looks so pretty right now, I think we are about ready for another if we had another child to marry off.
I have ordered 5 bronze turkeys from the local grain store. They will be here on the 15th. I can't wait. Going to try and raise them for food for Thanksgiving. Notice I said try. I also have 2 baby pigs coming sometime soon. Robert is not too happy about this but just shakes his head. These will definitely be for eating. This farm will become self supporting some day. I hope.
Even though it is raining, I have to get back to work. The rain has caused me to take a break and clean a dirty house. So bye for now.
See ya on the farm
Charlotte
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