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So Long Snow!

4/13/2023

Half Moon? What!? Why?
So many others do bimonthly newsletters on the Full and New Moon. They always get the attention. They always get the fandom. They always get the importance. The Half Moon, also called quarter moon, but when you look at it with your actual eyeballs it isn’t quarter, its half! (it’s a celestial pet peeve of mine) Half Dark. Half Light. And each switching sides every time. One time growing in light, the other time growing in dark. It isn’t the pause between the inhale and the exhale, it *is* the inhale and the exhale. It is the middle road.

It has been a long wait for the snow to leave but the wait is over!
And now it's time to transform the anxiety into action.
Repairing fences, moving trellises, finishing the high tunnel, seeding, moving seed flats, repairing the greenhouse, and a lot of heavy lifting.

It's go time now!
As the sap keeps rising, the leaves begin to unfurl, and the first flowers of the season spring up, the farmer dusts off their muscles and begins to harden their hands.

And if you want to learn more about our plant friends, be sure to check out the class availability below and on the website

Finally! The snow is cleared and the perennials are in the sun after hiding under their icy cover.

And along with the warmer days and rain-filled clouds, the seasonal stream returns and it welcomes the migrating geese and resident robins.

It's always makes my heart glow to see some of my favorites plant friends return like my favorite spring Nettles, my new planting of Willows, and our fungus friends. (It's great to find mushrooms in your garden or yard, it means the soil ecology is diverse enough to support fungi)

And Nettles will be a featured in the Early Spring Foraging Class on May 14th! I'll show you ways to enjoy it without getting stung :)

I was worried the spring bulbs would be super late coming up because of the late snow cover, but they came up even as the snow lingered!

Plant Identification can be daunting and most field guides are focused on wildflowers in bloom, but what about the non-flowering plants or wildflowers that aren't in full bloom?
I'll cover those (as well as the blooming wildflowers) in the Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID Class in Troy.

Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness?
Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program
I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here!

Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm
Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of Sunday, May 14th for our Early Spring Foraging to see what the wilds can provide! Sign up here!What's available this week?We are preparing for the upcoming market season, so look for everything to be available at our tent this season!

Where to find it all?

Select flower seed varieties saved right here on the farm are available at Homesteaders in Libby!

The Farmers Markets start the first week in May.
Find me and all the spring farm goodies both Thursdays and Saturdays.
Thursdays from 3-630pm at The Farmers Market at Libby
&
Saturdays from 9-1230pm at the Kalispell Farmers Market

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Only a week away!

4/13/2023

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Where has the time gone?!
I feel like I turned around and *bam* the farmers markets start next week.

I can't spend too much time gabbing here as I gotta go get ready, plant plants, and continue the spring clean up and market prep.

So here's a few pretty pictures to entice you to the 2023 market season opening week!
May the Fourth Be With You!

Nuit is telling you to get your tooshie to the farmers market next week!

Planting is moving forward in earnest!
So many seedlings are ready to be sent out into the world whether they can handle the continuing frosts, need a little protection under some frost fabric, or need the full season protection of a low tunnel.

Everyone gets planted out, watered in, and covered up!

And for those plants that need serious protection, the high tunnel is finally finished and ready for the season!

And it couldn't have been done without the help of some amazing fellow farmer friends, Bonnie & Rudy from Hoot Owl! I've spent two years repairing the structure with only my two hands and having help for the final push of getting the precious plastic on was monumental and I'm so grateful!

And it's just in time as the Dahlia cuttings and tubers are ready to be planted in safe from the early morning colds, brisk afternoon winds, and my sneaky summer frosts 😰

Let alone al the beautiful heat-loving blooms like Celosias, Zinnias, Gomphrenas, Basils, and maybe I'll sneak in a watermelon or winter squash, that I found couldn't handle my field conditions even with a low tunnel.

I can't wait to show you their blooms!

There's still time to sign up for the Spring Wildflower Identification and Plant Usage Class in Troy.
It happens on 4 Tuesday evenings (May 9, 16, 23 & June 6) with two indoor classes to deepen our knowledge about all the funky terms, latin names, and botanical technicalities that can make identification tricky and complicated. Then we'll strut out for the last two classes on local trails to practice and put all that knowledge into action!
Anyone who has spent time outside with me knows I love to introduce my friends to new plant friends and vice versa. Sign up at the link below and get ready to meet a whole bunch of new friends (plant and human!)

Future Learning OpportunitiesAre you ready to step into the wilderness?
Tuesdays in May: Troy Adult Education Program
I'll be teaching a Spring Wildflower & Native Plant ID class on Tuesday evenings in May and early June. Two indoor classes to cover the basics and two outings to meet all the wonderful spring plants around Troy. Sign-up here!

Seasonal On-Farm Foraging Classes: Dragon's Breath Farm
Come learn about commonly available seasonal edible plants in our region. We'll meet the plants, learn about their edible and also medicinal qualities, proper foraging etiquette, and taste the wonders of the wilds. Join me on the farm on the afternoon of May 14th to see what the wilds can provide!
Sign ups available soon!

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So Long Snow!

Only a week away!

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