Large, fluffy snowflakes are falling from the sky and the wind is howling as I write this... cozy inside by the fire. I'm sitting here, cross-legged on our wood floor, surrounded by seed catalogs, calendars and notepads planning for the upcoming growing season. I love winter... I love snow and I love a little down time. BUT my goodness, I am so excited, anxious and ready to start growing again!
We are planting the first seeds of 2017 this week, the alliums (onions, shallots, leeks and scallions)! I used to start these crops in trays but discovered a few years ago how happy they are if seeded directly in soil, where their roots have no limits. They'll be seeded in beds in the hight tunnel on Friday morning, as that is the next root day on the Biodynamic Calendar. They'll germinate slowly with our cool temps but then grow into strong plants. We will then dig them up in early May, trim their roots and transplant in the field.
The weather has been a little strange this winter... up until a few days ago we have mostly been getting rain at the farm. We usually have snow, not rain, this time of year so it has been odd and honestly, a muddy mess. I'm happy to report that we have about a foot of snow on the ground that fell over the weekend and more is falling. Keep it coming!
We just got back from the 5th Annual Western Colorado Food and Farm Forum. This is a wonderful farm conference put on by the Valley Food Partnership and is held in Montrose, Colorado. I love gathering with farmers, friends and mentors and being inspired by all the amazing things folks are doing in agriculture. This year's conference was the best yet. I brought home a lot of knowledge to put towards improving soil health... the enthusiasm of the speakers and the innovative techniques that farmers across the country are using to improve soil health gives me goosebumps. Mike has been interested in strip tilling for a while (worth a google search) and the speakers at the conference made him even more excited about it so we may just go for it and invest in a strip tiller this spring. Always learning!
We are finishing up the details for the 2017 Summer and Fall CSA Programs and will launch registration on February 1st! Until then... enjoy the snow!