Photo Update 6.3.14

Well, with four inches of rain in the last week the plants have been getting plenty of moisture. You can see things just growing and popping up. It seems as though some stuff has doubled in size - the garlic is standing tall, the broccoli is gaining great size and the peas just keep climbing. The weeds, of course, are popping too - time to attack them! The beets (below) got their first thorough hand-weeding.

Freeing beets from radishes that went to seed.

 After hand-weeding a row or bed it is just lovely to look back at the pretty rows - so gratifying! Mmm, next comes beet thinnings!

Colorful beet seedlings.

Sunday we went on a little farm date, for an event at Star Thrower Farm (Glencoe). We we able to tour their sheep farm eat some delicious local and foraged foods, and be rejuvenated by a day off. (Thanks Mom!) Slow Food Minnesota hosted the event - they are a pretty cool organization.

Sheep in pasture, with their guard llamas.

 On our insect farm tour (below). Discussing insect roles in agriculture and bees!

There were so many momma sheep and darling lambs!

 Back to the farm...my first irises bloomed and the second ones are ready to open up. I had no idea what color they were going to be, but these look black - sweet.

And into the field...as I said the peas are climbing! Strawberries in the foreground are moving from blooming to berry-making.

Strawberries in the foreground, snap peas climbing the fence.

The second planting of broccoli is ready to go it, and the first planting is looking great!

First broccoli planting.

 Kale and two plantings of radishes, amongst the weeds.

Basil, looking gorgeous. Ready to make pesto this summer?!

The first planting of lettuce gearing up for CSA deliveries!! The second planting is gaining size too. Now we have all four successions planted. Soon we will install a shade tunnel over the lettuce to protect it from summer heat and prolong the harvest season.

Tomatoes are tall enough to get their first trellising - we'll install posts and the first line of trellis string. After that, then they will get their first pruning. There are many flowers already!

Spinach - get your salad spinners ready CSA and Farm Share members!!

The new "Bee Hotel" went up this morning :) Making great use of these pretty scraps of fence posts.

Vera and Lilly, having breakfast. We think Lilly will have her piglets first, she is larger and last night she started some more nesting behavior. Stay tuned!

Have a great week! Enjoy the nice temps and sunshine :)