WOW!

Exactly two months after the last picture the difference is amazing.  We have been harvesting twice a week and sometimes more to keep up with the abundance of produce growing in the hoop house.  The tomatoes require ladders to continue to trellis them, we can no longer reach high enough to clip the tomato clips on.  The cucumbers are growing well and we have a good market for our squash blossoms. 
We are learning about succession planting this season in order to have a constant supply of produce for our customers.

Hoop House Progression

After getting the irrigation in place and the beds tilled we were very excited to finally see the annuals growing in the new hoop house.  We have  misters for the greens and drip irrigation for the tomatoes, peppers, squash, basil and cucumbers.  We can switch to either method of irrigation depending on what we plant.  This picture was taken on June 7, 2012.

Who moves all of that soil?

One of the contractors that has worked with us from the inception of Elkstone Farm is Deano Temple.
He started by creating  the road  and the initial pad for the green house.  When we discovered there was a lot more ground water running through the site we stopped to re evaluate our options and ultimately re engineer the drainage at his suggestion.
Deano created our pond where we get the water to irrigate the outside trees and perennials.
He cleans and reworks the ditches that keep the entire irrigation system flowing.
Deano's  suggestions on how to proceed on any phase of this project are well thought out and usually spot on. He is a tireless worker and is usually first on site and the last to leave.
I am not saying that he is a candidate for saint hood, but he is usually dealing with four strong willed women that run the farm and we want to honor him and all of his contributions.

Bulbs, bulbs, and more bulbs

Last fall we received over 4,000 bulbs to plant in the perennial beds in front of the farm house and the green house. In spite of the mild winter and lack of snow it appears that most of the bulbs have come up and are blooming.  It gives the farm a bit of color while the rest of the perennial flowers are starting to come up.

Prepping outdoor annual bed

While March was dry and warm April has lived up to its reputation as being a wet month. We had a short break in the mixture of snow, sleet, rain and hail and took the opportunity to do some prep work on our outdoor annual bed.

Hoop House Plastic

Today is the long awaited day for putting the plastic on the new hoop house. After many weeks of very windy weather, the guys were here bright and early to install the covering. While the actual cover went on quickly, it seems that doing all of the adjustments is what takes the time.

Meyer lemon with new flush of growth.

Our mint, planted in Wooly Pockets along the south wall, is looking good after a bit of winter dormancy.

Citrus have the unique characteristic of carrying this year's flowers at the same time as last year's fruit.

                 Springtime in the Greenhouse

Hoop House Progress

The hoop house construction at the farm is going well in spite of a bit of snowy weather.
It will be exciting to have this space dedicated to growing annuals.

Solar Farm

This week the farm started running on solar power!

4000 Bulbs in the Ground

Just in case you are wondering, here are pictures of the bulbs we planted.

We're having a lovely, prolonged autumn in Strawberry Park, with perfect blue skies and excellent fall colors.

We've outfitted the kitchen with supplies to start us on the way to making delicious value-added products out of our produce. Monica has already been experimenting with different recipes, as seen in the photo, with Henry supervising. Also, we've had Maya helping out with butterfly catching.

4,000 bulbs are in the ground, and we have new vestibules on both doors of the greenhouse to store supplies in and keep winter winds out. This should be a much more comfortable winter, with the pellet stove in the greenhouse, and of course Bohai to take shelter in if we have temperatures and snowfall like last year!

Beautiful bananas!

Flowers, figs, & bananas

With tons of perennial flowers, delicious figs, and our first bananas hanging on the tree, we've had a great summer. The Forest Garden is filled with apple, cherry, and pear trees; asparagus; raspberry, currant, and gooseberry bushes; lavender, sage, thyme, and other herbs; and of course flowers. We've used nitrogen fixing clover and vetch as cover crops between the plantings. The blueberries are in their own little bed, filled with acidic soil, and protected by grapes on a beautiful trellis. The pellet stove is installed in the greenhouse to keep us warmer this winter. New growth and flowers on the citrus is a good sign that next spring we'll be picking sweet juicy mandarins and Meyer lemons!