Karen's Garden Delights Journal
3rd week of March 2011

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Spring decided it wasn't quite ready to become a permanent fixture and we are wearing our long johns again. The daffodils outdoors are budding but we have been picking blossoms from the greenhouse for over a week and they are even more valuable on those chilly days. Smelling them is such a fragrant reminder that spring really is approaching. Our daughter especially enjoys sharing little bouquets with friends and it's our way of spreading happiness. Even though the weather has temporarily reverted to winter, the spring birds are still calling. I love hearing my meadow lark serenade from the fencepost and even the peacock is resuming his calls to impress the chickens.

Temperatures dipping into the teens prompted us to haul all the flats of plants in the unheated greenhouse indoors to the flourescent light table. Hopefully next week it will be safe to let the lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, onions and leeks return to the greenhouse. Things tend to grow better under natural light plus I'll be needing room on the light table for the peppers and tomatoes that are peaking their heads out and soon needing to be transplanted. The tender crops will stay under the lights till I can safely move them to the greenhouse with no chance of freezing. Even with this cold snap, the greens under the barrels and tunnels are faring quite well and are adding growth during the sunny afternoons. I took a plate of greens to a farm seminar in Kidron on Friday and had many people earnestly wanting to know how to grow things they can harvest all winter. I learned that March might actually be a better time to teach my cold frame seminar than August. Folks are really hungry for fresh food this time of year and are motivated to think seriously about doing it for themselves. Also, that would give a whole summer to make plans for locations, structures, etc.. Does this bowl of greens make you hungry??? If so, you can order my DVD or make plans to attend one of my cold frame seminars this summer.

We love to learn about and experiment with soil fertility. The new project happening this spring is building a burnt lime pile. Olin visited someone who made one last summer and helped an Amish friend build one earlier this month. Currently, he is working on one for our farm. A burnt lime pile is an ancient practice that adds available lime and minerals to fields and typically was done every four years. 48 tons of limestone rock and 12 tons of stoker coal arrived last week. After building a wooden base, he is alternating layers of limestone and coal and depending on progress and weather, hopes to light the pile next week. It will take about ten days to burn down and the broken down elements will be applied to our pastures, garden and orchard. It involves plenty of hand labor but that's what a pile of boys are good for! Watch the BackYard section on the website for the pictures of the whole process.