Spring tour of the urban farm

Spring is in high gear and there are chores all around! I love this time of year because there is always something going on. Below are some pictures I took yesterday to show how the plants and projects are coming along. If the weather stays nice and all goes well, we should be good to go for the first spring farmers' market on May 11!

Plants to sell at the first markets. The peppers are getting really big!

Taking a peek under the row cover, the green (front) and red (back) lettuce varieties are growing well now that the weather has warmed up.

The kale is looking good, too.

My dad and I built the last of the new beds yesterday. This one will be for some of our market cut flowers. (Now to build the fence to keep the animals out!)

The chickens love the spring sunshine! Me too!

Rain rain go away!

It's been raining off and on for a week, but I really need to work and the rain and wet soil are slowing me down. I really shouldn't complain, however. I noticed yesterday that our grass is starting to grow and my mom's lilac is starting to leaf out. Spring is really here!

Luckily about half of our plots (two of the three yards we farm) are raised beds, so I've been able to do a few things this week. Our third plot has traditional in-ground beds, so I am waiting on Mother Nature to give me a break and dry out the soil.

April showers bring May flowers!

A quick plug for raised beds 

If you are thinking of gardening, consider putting in a raised bed. Even though they require extra time and money initially, they pay off dividends over the years. Because they are technically soiless (at least the top several inches) there is very little hoeing and zero need to ever till (raised beds are typically filled with a mixture of compost, peat moss or coconut coir, and pearlite. These beds dry out quickly, which is a huge benefit this time of year, and they also heat up faster, allowing for earlier planting. Another advantage is there is much less weeding, and covering them with row cover is a snap. Check out Raised Bed Revolution by Tara Nolan for some inspiring ideas.


This week at Two Wheels Urban Farm

We now have three crops in the ground-- peas, carrots, and as of yesterday we have kale!

Because we use a very high intensity planting system, I used a ruler to make sure the kale transplants were spaced properly.

The two PVC pipes will be supports for the row cover cloth that will protect the kale from frost and later from insects.

When the temperatures warm up later this week, we will start to see more rapid plant growth!

We should have garden plants for sale at the farmers market this spring: heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs, eggplant, etc. 

I was reminded this week why we farm in town-- great neighbors and neighborhood, local shopping, and bike transportation. 

Have a great week everyone and enjoy these first warm days!

Farming as a workout option

Two Wheels Urban Farm update

We have our first transplants in the ground! Today I put in the sugar snap pea sprouts, hoping to take advantage of the upcoming rains and warmer overnight temperatures. If all goes well, I should have some to bring to market in May.

Peas are in the ground!

Transplants are looking good. This little plant is kale.

Working out on the urban farm

This week my dad and I used shovels and a wheelbarrow to move 8 cubic yards of compost into the urban farm's garden plots (that's roughly 10,400 pounds of composted manure!). The compost is super important for the health of our crops and our soil's fertility and structure. It also combats pesky weeds and helps to hold moisture. All that hard work means tastier veggies this summer!

Our huge pile of compost-- I was so happy to see it arrive (and so much happier when we finished moving it!).

One of the benefits to this type of work is to the health of the farmer. According to my super scientific Googling, the average American office worker gets an average of 3,000 to 5,000 steps per day (this is supported by the office worker in our household who averages 4,000 steps). On just one of the days when we moved the compost I got 19,121 steps (this total does includes the 1/2 mile round trip walk to World of Beer for a much needed happy hour) and over the day I burned 3,062 calories. Not too shabby. And along with getting something important done, I didn't have to put on spandex!

What was I thinking ordering so much?!? 

I hope you all have a terrific week and a happy early growing season!