Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Farm Hand


My farm hand surveys the land from the safety of the new "barn".

watching and waiting


The plants are into their interim homes in the ecotainer cups. I chose these because they are sourced from renewable resources, fully compostible, and affordable. The little guys are growing fast and I am itching to get them in the ground. A little miscalculation on my part has caused me some grief however; I thought I would get 24 plants in each tray, but I can only fit 18. So I have 74 trays instead of the 56 I had planned on. This takes up a lot more real estate. Fortunately Lainie is excited about the project or else all 1400 of us might be looking for a new place to live.
The brief cold snap that we just had is a warning about getting hasty with the farm. I was told frost could come anytime until about the 3rd week of May and it showed up last night. Thankfully, my little plants are still sitting snug and warm in the upstairs of the house. Getting a bit crowded in here, which underscores the need for a better set up for next year.
The land has been worked up and I am now waiting for final rotovating so that I can build my beds. While that is happening, I need to “ harden off” the plants so they don’t go into shock when they are moved outdoors. This means I carry them outside for a few hours of sunlight and wind, and then back indoors. A bit longer exposure each day and after a few sunny days, they are ready for life in the fields. If consider that I need to carry all 74 trays from the upstairs to the back yard and then back again, you can imagine the leg workout I am getting. Perhaps I should advertise some kind of pre-summer boot camp for those who want sculpted legs.
So for now its sit and wait and watch the weather. I guess that’s farming…