Before sitting down to write this week my first that was that I couldn’t think of a single thing we accomplished this week. This is of course far from true, but in the thick of it, it is easier to remember all the things we didn’t get done than all that we did. But this is one way that writing weekly updates is a helpful personal time for reflection as well as a way to share what is going on at the farm. Something about reading last week’s update helps me remember that we did in fact accomplish a lot last week.
New stuff this week:
Cherry tomatoes have been slowly making their appearance over the past few weeks, so not entirely new, but if you aren’t the type of person to show up at market right at opening you might be excused for thinking they are. In a few weeks they should be quite abundant, but for now we will enjoy the first few. Same for cucumbers. We are starting to get a more noticeable in still small quantity of them.
Chicken is back in stock. We have a range of parts and chicken sausage back in stock after a few weeks without.
We are finally done with the lettuce mix from the greenhouse after an incredible run, but we have full sized heads now coming from the field so we still have you covered for lettuce. Cilantro and Dill are now abundant for the next few weeks at least so enjoy them while they last.
CSA this week we have Head Lettuce, Swiss chard, Strawberries, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots, Asparagus, and Cilantro
Early last week we got all caught up on transplanting with the next planting of lettuce going out as well as the summer cabbages, kale, and parsley finally heading for the field. We also got some Swiss chard and Rutabaga direct seeded in the field as a trial. But as things go, no sooner are you caught up but you are behind again. The fall cabbages are nearly ready to go to the field so maybe later in the week we can get the transplanter back on the tractor and hit the field again.
We’ve had a bit of rain again late in the week, but hardly enough to do much. But we’ll take what we can get to keep the pastures green for the sheep. Partially because the grass isn’t growing fast enough, and partially because we had problems with the fence the sheep were out of their fence a few times this week. We’ve been working on improving fences in strategic areas that seem to be problems while also working to determine why the electric fencer isn’t keeping enough shock on the fence for the sheep to care. We have made progress on both, but there is still progress to be made. We also just finished clipping the long grass stems and weeds on the low side of the pasture so it all looks really nice right now. The new batch of chickens are out on pasture now as well and looking great.
Our week started the best way it possibly could: with a two day slow refreshing rain after a month of drought. The timing couldn’t have been better. On Saturday we got the last of our first cut hay bailed and stored away, and then rain on Sunday night off and on through Tuesday morning to refresh the parched ground. It was a good chance the have the crew catch up on a bit of greenhouse work before heading back to the field to keep ahead of all the new growth of weeds. And there is nothing better than seeing the hayfields and pastures green up again after such a dry spell.
We have fresh chicken again this week. We will have a few whole birds available, tending larger than they were last time, and with luck we will also have parts available if we can get them cut and packed and back from the butcher in a timely fashion. We know many of you are eager for parts again so we will try our best!
This week in CSA we have Head Lettuce, Arugula, Asparagus, Cabbage, Rhubarb, and Dill
It was past due time for another planting in the field for many of our crops so we finally got some ground prepped and seeds in the ground this week. So the next planting of carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, cilantro and dill is started. Nathan also spent some time row cultivating the first planting crops, and the crew got the parsnips weeded so things look relatively nice again. This week we can hopefully get caught up on transplanting1 and irrigation set for the newly planted field.
We have new lambs again! The two ewes we were still waiting for both lambed this week so we have four more little lambs!
This week’s pasture management job was clipping paddocks behind the sheep and ahead of the next flock of chickens. Sheep are great at eating most of the grass, but they can be a bit picky. Some of the stemmy seed heads aren’t as tasty, and there are always a few weeds and thistles that they just don’t eat at all. So to encourage new (tasty) growth good pasture management requires clipping (mowing) the paddocks after grazing a few times per year. These paddocks had been grazed twice already so it was time to clip what was left behind. But first the mower required some maintenance. New blades and an oil change, plus some wiring had wiggled loose by a safety switch so that took some extra time to diagnose and fix. But it is back in the field and cutting like a dream with the new blades. All ready for the next batch of chickens to hopefully go out tomorrow!
Well it’s a long day today. We already have the chickens at processor but we have a lot of miles ahead of us before the day is done.
Well it’s been an adventure of a week. Mostly two projects that we knew were going to be big, but we nevertheless underestimated. The short version is we got the new tarp on the coverall and we got the hay in. But it turns out it takes us a full day with two to three people to get the old tarp off the coverall and then a full day with three to six people working to get the new one on and secured. There is still some work to do around the edges to finish up (another one to two person days minimum I expect) but it is on and mostly done for now at least. And then there was the hay. After finishing with the tarp on Tuesday we got most of the hay baled on Wednesday. It was really nice knowing we had a nice new tarp to put them under and made a big difference not avoiding leak spots for having more storage space. But one field wasn’t ready for baling on Wednesday and that was the last of the really good drying weather we had last week. To the plan of Wednesday became maybe Thursday, then Friday, and finally Saturday night. It is finally done and we have 56 large bales stored away hopefully for the winter if we can maintain enough pasture growth to feed the sheep over the summer. So for many reasons, we could use rain! The bit we got last night was helpful, but only wet the surface. Hopefully today we get a good soaking.
This week in CSA we have Asparagus, Bunched Kale, Radishes, Carrots, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Mint.
One more week and we should have fresh chicken again! We are essentially sold out of parts from the few we had cut up from the last batch so it is fairly good timing for the next ones to be ready. And we are planning on having some sausages and burgers made this time as well so that will be exciting to have back in stock.
Long week, short update. Hopeful this week we can get more sleep and some sanity in our schedule. It is time for another round of planting in the field, and the parsnips are almost ready to weed, but those are at least jobs that are easier to keep to the normal work day. Things are looking good for the most part other than being dry so it feels like we are keeping on top of things at least mostly for now.
Last Monday we finally decided we were ready to trust the weather for tomato planting. We were able to get most of them planted on Monday, but ran out of landscape fabric for between the rows so had to continue with the rest on Tuesday after picking up another roll. Overall this new system is working well to both reduce weeding and reduce our use of disposable plastics so it is worth the investment. And we are so glad to be done planting so quickly especially given how late in the season it is already.
We may have just planted the tomatoes in the field, but the cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse are coming along very nicely and we are seeing just the first few ripe ones! It won’t be many this week but soon we will have cherry tomatoes!
This week in CSA we have: Asparagus, Arugula, Cabbage, Carrots, Rutabagas, Swiss chard, and just a first few cherry tomatoes.
Our other project last Monday was getting our third batch of chicks and getting them settled in. Chicks like heat so normally the challenge is keeping them warm enough, but Monday was so hot that when we got to the hatchery they were warning us not to overheat them on the way home. There is a first for everything.
Through most of last week were working on spreading wood chips any chance we got where we had time and the loader tractor wasn’t busy with the transplanter. It was a big project but we got chips spread for the biggest squash patch we have ever planted. Then we scratched in rows and planted squash late in the week. We have a few more rows to plant today but we managed most of it on Thursday and Friday.
Much of organic weed control is paring the right tool with the right timing. This year it has felt like we have done better on that than often happens. But to make it happen means making it a priority almost regardless of what else was happening that day. So on Friday Nathan was out tine weeding the potatoes. The potatoes are just coming up, but they are tough plants and the weeds were mostly still small so by disturbing the soil surface we are able to kill about 90% of the weeds while doing minimal damage to the crop. Another technique for a different crop and different timing is Flame Weeding. Again, best when the weeds are small, we pass a torch over the soil to cook the small weeds before the crop germinates. Ideally the day before for maximal results, but it is delicate timing and a lot of guessing. Parsnips generally take about two weeks to germinate, and since we planted them a week and a half ago and I wanted to be organized and efficient about it this year, I have a calendar alert to go cook some weeds today. But as things happen, the heat combined with the fact we have also been really good about watering them consistently since planting got them to germinate faster and the parsnips were up yesterday. Now we have to wait for them to be big enough so they are easy to see and carefully pull larger weeds from around small parsnips. So much for good planning. I need to make a note that we should flame weed 7 or 8 days after seeding next year.
Overall this spring we have been suffering from the lack of rain. It was dry before the rain we got two weeks ago, and while it helped some, it was insufficient and we haven’t had a drop since. On Friday there was rain in the forecast and it did rain only a few blocks from us, but we got nothing. But now, this week, we actually have a few days when we hope it doesn’t rain. We cut our hay on Saturday and need dry weather until Wednesday when we hope to get it baled and stored away for the winter. Because of the strange weather it hasn’t been a good year for hay for most people in our area, but our’s looks mostly fairly ok. We hope we can preserve good quality and make the best of the dry conditions while they last to make hay while the sun shines.
Related to storing hay, we have a new tarp for the coverall (fabric covered hoop building) where we store our hay. But it doesn’t do much good unless we install it. So we are hoping now to install it before Wednesday when the hay is baled so we don’t have to avoid piling hay under the leaky sections of the existing tarp. We don’t expect to have much room to spare.
Well we have had a very productive week last week, but there is lots to do this week as well. We got the first few tomato steaks in last week after planting, but hopefully this week we can do the rest of them. There is a little irrigation to finish up for them as well and the last of the squash to plant. And of course the hay to finish and tarp to change as mentioned already and the weeds are a constant source of work right now so we’ll be busy. But for now at least it doesn’t feel like we are much behind. So there are some positives at least.
It’s hard to believe it is almost June already. Not so much that the time has flown, which to an extent it has, but more that it is May 29th and we haven’t planted a single tomato in the field yet. The plants are ready. Have been for weeks. Really they are looking a little worse for the wear that they haven’t been planted yet. But then there is the weather. Wednesday and Thursday nights last week we had nighttime temperatures around freezing – Nathan saw frost on the grass Friday at 3AM when he was up to run sprinklers to keep the asparagus from freezing a fourth time this year. At least that looks like it worked and the asparagus is starting to come back strong after nearly two weeks of lacklustre performance. But field tomatoes will be late this year. Good thing we have lots of tomatoes in the greenhouse as well, and they should already be ready before asparagus is done. And this week’s forecast looks warm so we are thinking of finally planting those poor confined plants out in the field.
This week in CSA we have Carrots, Rutabagas, Asparagus, Arugula, Green Garlic, Swiss chard, and Oregano
On Monday we moved our second batch of chickens out to pasture and so far in spite of a few cold nights they are looking fantastic. So far we have them close enough to home to plug in heat lamps on the colder nights, but as they grow and the weather warms they hardly need it any more. And such as the cycle of chickens goes, we are getting another batch of chicks today. So the brooder is all cleaned and re bedded with wood shavings, and the heat has been on since Saturday night so it has time to stabilize before they arrive. Always something going on.
We got the parsnips seeded last week, so now we just have to keep them evenly moist for the next two weeks until they come up. And preferably in about a week and a half we will flame weed them to kill all the weeds that germinate faster than parsnips. No point giving the weeds a week head start on the crop right off the start.
So here’s a situation to figure. This weather has us run off our feet day and night trying to save everything from frost, and we are still behind on planting. But also because of the weather we haven’t been able to plant the tomatoes. So we have this fun situation where we are short on work for the crew because the jobs they should have been doing were delayed, and even the crops and the weeds are both slowed down so they are mostly caught up on weeding. So we simultaneously have too much work, and not enough work to keep the crew busy. We have been getting creative trying to catch up on whatever we can but it is just another reason we are glad that this week looks encouraging for tomato planting.
Since the season is getting on and our manure spreader refuses to cooperate with our efforts to repair it we have been looking for other options to spread wood chips for the squash field. Earlier in the year we were able to hire someone to spread the manure, but he is too busy to do the chips so we are on our own for that. We are however fortunate that Aleta’s parents were able to loan us a larger manure spreader and a tractor to pull it. So we are going like crazy trying to get the job done while we have the equipment. We are just glad it is getting done and we can still hopefully plant squash on time.
Well that’s the news for this week. One way or another we will be trying to run the one tractor a lot today since it is needed for both the transplant crew on the tomatoes and for loading the manure spreader. Im convinced that no matter how many tractors you have on a farm there will be days you need one more. And today would be one of those days.
Well it’s been a busy week and one we hope not to repeat for quite a while. There were ups and downs, but just way too much for one week. Between Monday chicken processing, and markets on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday there wasn’t much time to get things done at home, and naturally since it is late May, lots of planting that needs to be done between harvesting and preparing for three markets.
Just the way things lined up it was a big week of change for markets for us. Wednesday was our last market at Montgomery’s Inn after most of a decade. It was hard to say goodbye, but with everything else going on it was also easy to remember why we had to make this decision. It was a nice sendoff of a day and I know many will miss us, but I hope this can make room for new vendors to thrive. And then right on the heals of that we had the first Dufferin Grove market of the season back in the park. And what a lovely day of reconnecting with customers and fellow vendors it was. It’s so good to be back. Saturday was a little damp, which had all of us vendors in a bit of a mood during setup, but really we did need the rain so we shouldn’t complain. It was an ok day in spite of it all.
Chicken is back in stock on the online store. We got a limited run of chickens cut in parts so some would be available before the next batch is ready. Many of you have been asking when sausages and burgers will be back in stock, and those are still coming. We’ll plan on some from the next batch, so probably in five or six weeks those should be available. Hopefully today we can move those birds to pasture, but they have a lot of growing yet to do.
The weather lately seems to be yo-yoing back and fourth between April and June. Another vendor at market says that May is a factious month that doesn’t actually exist. Well we got another dose of April and froze all the asparagus off on Wednesday night. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be back, but we lost almost a week of harvest. We saved one little circle by leaving a sprinkler on overnight, but it doesn’t amount to much. We could have done more if it was a less bust week, but such is the cost of doing farmer’s markets. It’s warm again, but we wonder how soon we can trust it enough to plant tomatoes.
Somehow between just surviving the busy week, on Thursday before market we managed to complete the automatic vent rollup wall on one side of one greenhouse. One vent down, five to go. And on Friday afternoon Nathan seeded some alfalfa for a new hayfield before the rain overnight. It is always nice when we can arrange to have the clouds water our seeds for us, so it was worth trying a little extra hard.
Our other big news of the week is we heard back on our funding for fencing improvements. All the way back on January 23rd we shared that we had applied for cost share funding for more fencing to support rotational grazing our sheep. Well on Saturday we heard back that we received the funding. Now all that is left is to decide on a fencing contractor and figure out where we are going to come up with our share of the cost for the project. So still a bit of work to do but it is exciting that we are one step closer to having better fencing for a significant part of the farm. The few hours we spent on Tuesday dealing with sheep on the loose because we try to make due with sub optimal fencing and multiple grazing groups was a good reminder of why we need this. As the flock grows, so do our infrastructure needs. It is at least nice to have some government funding to help with that this time.
Well that’s the news this week. There is a little seeding to do yet this week, but overall hopefully less insanity than last week was. Which hopefully means time to spend on things like greenhouse automation that will make things easier in the future. We shall see what the week brings.
There has been a lot going on this week. Too much really. We are getting things done, which is fantastic, but there have also been a few dumb mistakes that come with trying to do too much. Parts of some orders were missed and we are still sorting that out, we forgot to bring bags to market, and also for a second week in a row didn’t bring a watering can for the plants at market. It is all small things, but on a normal week might have more likely been caught before we left home. This week already looks even busier but hopefully we can start to settle into some sort of a routine after that. There are lots of updates to share so I’ll jump right into them.
Dufferin Grove is back in the park this week! We are excited to kick the season off and look forward to the full 2023 market season. This is also our last week at the Montgomery’s Inn Farmer’s Market. We will be sorry to say goodbye to so many long time customers and know we will be missed, but this last was more than enough confirmation of why this change is necessary for our sanity.
Fresh Chicken This Week! The first batch of 2023 is at the processor now and should be available for all three of our markets this week. If you want a fresh chicken we will be bringing some to market, or if you want one (or ten) reserved for you send us an email today so we know not to freeze them.
This week we got the new lambs out on pasture so now all the sheep are on fresh grass. They are happy to see something fresh and green, and we are glad for some relief from how fast they were eating hay in the last few weeks.
Most of why this week was so busy was getting caught up on planting. All the cabbage are now in and the onions as well. And on Friday we even started Potatoes with the first three beds planted. The seeds we planted last week are up as well so before long there will be weeding in the field to keep on top of. But after feeling hopelessly behind on planting a week ago it feels good to be caught up. On a less happy note, we were trying to get wood chips spread for squash on Wednesday and after the first three loads the newly fixed manure spreader decided it didn’t like working and broke again. Nathan took it apart on Thursday and re welded the part that broke, but now something else isn’t working so it is parked waiting for him to have the mental energy to figure out why it doesn’t work now. Never a dull moment.
This is the first week of our summer CSA season. If you intended to sign up but didn’t, you can still sign up and just start next week at a prorated price. We intended to mention something about CSA in last week’s update, but that isn’t how the week went.
This week in CSA we have Asparagus, Carrots, Arugula, Bok Choi, Cabbage, and Green Garlic
It is only the middle of May and we are already getting worried about how dry it is. We have some repairs we need to do on the irrigation system and lots of normal setup work, so if we have any time this week that is what we will be working on. It seems as though this might be the new normal. Just frustrating going from it won’t stop raining to it won’t rain at all in such a short time.
Planting has officially begun. Last Thursday we got a bunch of seeds planted in the field and Friday we were able to run the transplanter for a few hours and got most of a bed of lettuce plus one and a bit rows of cabbage planted out. There is lots left to do, but it is a start at any rate and that feels like progress. We also got the broiler chickens moved to pasture, the laying ducks out on pasture, and one group of sheep on pasture too. Soon we will get the group with lambs out as well, but the lambs are still so new that a few more days would still be good for them before having to keep up with their moms on pasture. Oh, and we are done lambing for a bit. We still have a (planned) late group, but they aren’t until the end of May, and even then it isn’t many.
CSA this Week we have Bok Choi, Radishes, Rutabaga, Cabbage, Carrots, and Spinach.
This is our delivery week on Wednesday so get those orders in by tonight for pickup or delivery. Also this means we are not in person at Montgomery’s Inn so preorders only! This is our last week for deliveries because next week we will be back in Dufferin Grove Park! Next week will also be our last week at Montgomery’s Inn. After the longest run we have ever had at a market and with very few missed weeks over the years it is time to say goodbye and move on.
Asparagus is coming. Well here a little bit already. We had an unexpected few bunches on Saturday from the part of the patch where we put the row cover on two weeks ago to try to prevent the frost. It might not have been as effective against frost as we had hoped, but it did warm it up and get it to grow faster. But the rest of the patch is probably less than a week behind so we will have it before too long.
Well that’s a lot of week packed into a short update, but we need to get back in the field. Lots of cabbage to plant, and if that goes well maybe we can get some onions in as well. And if we really wanted to check off the wishlist, our greenhouse parts are here for the automated sidewalls so we could work on assembling that too. I guess we won’t be bored.
It’s looking like a rainy start to the week and with the above freezing forecast for the next while that means we are behind on field work and planting. First there is some equipment to get home, and some figuring on how to get by without our normal planting tractor until it is done repairs. Anyway, it’s been an adventure of a week so we will just have to live with being a little bit behind for now and go forward from where we are.
This week we are at Montgomery’s Inn in person, so no deliveries. On Saturday we will be outside at the Stop’s Market so find us in our old spot by the courtyard. We look forward to seeing you there.
This week in CSA we have Lettuce, Bok Choi, Radishes, Parsnips, Carrots and Beets.
Lambing continues. Soon it has to let up because there just aren’t as many ewes we are still waiting on as what we have already had. It all blurs together by now especially with the two weeks of sleep depravation it has contributed to, but the short version is we are now up to 43 lambs. At least we are getting it over with quickly, but it is a lot to handle for a few weeks.
Hopefully sometime this week we can finally get the broiler chickens out to pasture. The beginning of the week doesn’t look overly encouraging weather wise and we seriously don’t need another project this week what with needing to get crops planted, but that’s just the way spring is. Everything needs to be done at once.
Last Wednesday was a bit of an adventure. The day started normally enough, just hectic. Chores to get through, lambs to deal with, while getting the van ready for Nathan’s day of deliveries in Toronto, and the car ready for Aleta to go to egg grading. So we are already a bit later than might have been ideal, but not terrible. Well, still ok if it wasn’t for construction. But then being late means modifying the route to prioritize reasonable timelines for locations with fixed schedules. The end result of all which being that instead of normally getting home around 3:30, he was still making his last delivery at about 4:00pm. Since there is normally time after deliveries, he had also arranged to pick up our seed potatoes before coming home since it saves time relative to a special trip out. Since 7:00pm pickup still worked for the potato farm he continued on. Made it there, got the potatoes loaded, and was ready to leave, but the van wouldn’t start. Half an hour work with tools and help form the potato farmer got it started, but to say the least it does not inspire confidence. We took the truck and trailer on Saturday. While this was all happening, Aleta was getting eggs graded, taking a dog to the vet, and looking after ewes lambing. While hauling around a toddler.
In last week’s update I shared that the asparagus was up. Predictably it froze off early in the week right through the row cover we put on to protect it. From previous experience asparagus freezing can be a bit like a groundhog seeing it’s shadow. It won’t be coming out for a bit now after that happened, at least in those parts of the patch. So once again I doubt it will be ready for the end of this week, but possibly sometime the following week. We’ll see.
What do you get when you cross a busy week in the greenhouse with a busy week lambing? Springtime on the farm!
After a sudden start to a busy lambing season last Sunday the rest of the week hasn’t abated much in pace. Sure there were days without new lambs, but not many, and the total number of lambs has just kept stacking up. So one week in and we are at 29 lambs. Not quite half way through the ewes we are expecting to lamb, so this week is likely to be busy as well.
For those of you in the Dufferin Grove area this is our delivery week so if you haven’t already gotten your order in you have until tonight. Same goes for pickup at the Montgomery’s Inn. So get those orders in!
This week in CSA we have Lettuce, Spinach, Bok Choi, Radishes, Cabbage, and Rutabaga.
We continue to be busy harvesting in the greenhouse. It seems like as fast as we can cut lettuce more grows back. The radishes and Bok Choi are just beautiful right now and the ones in the unheated tunnels are nearly ready as well so we will continue to have them for several more weeks. The tomatoes are really growing and many of them are ready for their strings to trellis them for the summer. I think I even saw a few blossoms on the cherry tomato plants, so the season is coming. We have our first cucumbers planted as well, and if we have time this week maybe we can plant the peppers.
Since our week has centred so much on lambing we are thinking of it a lot so I thought we could share a bit more about what we actually have to do in lambing season. We get some questions basically along the lines of “don’t they just do it on their own?”. Well yes, most of them. But then there are the times that doesn’t work out and you end up with dead lambs, or even a dead ewe. Even when we try our best it can still happen, but often if we are there we have an opportunity to save them. So sometimes we are just there in case they need us. And sometimes they do it by themselves when we aren’t there and usually they are fine. But even for the ones that do have the lambs on their own the work isn’t over. We move them into a small pen to adjust to family life and so we have a chance to keep a closer eye on them. While they are there we weigh and tag the lambs and record the numbers and who the ewe was so we can keep track of our genetics and how each ewe is doing from year to year. We also dock tails so they don’t develop problems later in life from manure building up on their tales and attracting fly larva. Since we didn’t trim hooves at shearing time we are also trimming the ewes hooves while we have them separated. Then after a day or two they are off to the group pen of ewes with lambs. Someone also asked recently about the colour of some of the lambs that looked quite yellow. This happens because sometimes before they are born they poop and the little baby meconium poop colours them yellow. It most often happens if it was a long or hard lambing. Sometimes when there are twins or triplets the first one or two will be white and the last one yellow. But after a week they all look about the same. It’s just something that happens sometimes.
This last week might have been cooler, but the previous week really warmed the soil and last week hasn’t been freezing anyway. Much to our surprise, yesterday we saw the Asparagus peaking up. It’s too early. There is still cold in the forecast and our previous attempts to keep asparagus warm on cold nights haven’t been overly successful. Not that we won’t try. On the off chance we are successful we may have asparagus as soon as the end of this week. Just don’t hold your breath for it.
We haven’t been planting in the field yet, but progress is still happening. We got the manure spread for our squash field so it will hopefully be ready in good time for planting this year. Nathan has the spreader somewhat fixed, but he still isn’t happy with it especially for larger jobs so we were glad for the opportunity to hire someone with a larger spreader to get the job done for us. What might have taken us a week was done in an afternoon. The wood chips still need to be spread and we may have to do that ourselves depending on availability, but sometimes when there is an opportunity it is better just to pay someone to do the job rather than fight away all week ourselves.
We are coming up on the summer market season, so it seems like a good time to update everyone on our plans for the summer. On May 6th we will be back outside at the Stop’s market most likely in our usual spot by the courtyard but we are still waiting on the updated map. On the 18th we will be back at Dufferin Grove park for the summer market season there. Unfortunately, due to ongoing staffing challenges we will not be able to continue at Montgomery’s Inn. I know some of you know already, and it is a disappointment to many, but we have to prioritize our time where it is most important, which has to include enough time on the farm to actually grow things. We will be continuing for now on a biweekly schedule until May 17th.
Well I’ve rambled on long enough. According to the calendar we are supposed to move the chickens to the pasture pens today, but according to the forecast that is a terrible idea so we will wait a little while. Fortunately we have a bit of extra space where they are so the extra week of growth shouldn’t harm anything and we’ll have enough of a handful trying to keep the lambs and the asparagus warm without worrying about stuffing pasture pens full of straw to keep the birds from freezing. Anyway, we need ten more cases of lettuce harvested and packed for Wednesday so I’d better check how the guys are doing.
