Crop Planning & Cat Grass

Lots of time spent pouring over seed catalogs, websites, and spreadsheets to make sure I get to grow what I want, can get the seeds, and have space & time for it all! 
It's like juggling because if I change one variable it affects the others. It is a great task for this time in winter as I start to itch for planting things, seeing flowers and birds, and watching the trees leaf out. I get to visualize and daydream of all the seeds I'll be busy sowing in February, March, and April, all the tiny seedlings I'll be planting out in April, May, and June, and all the veg and flowers I'll get to harvest from June through October because it can get hard to dream about while in the thick of it and all the weeding, watering, and chores that go along with it that we tend to forget to include in our daydreams. 
The daydreams are just for the fun stuff! The original instagram where the world looks perpetually rosy!

One of the new crops that gets a debut even in winter are little trays of fresh, growing Wheatgrass. Cut them for healthy juice or to add to smoothies or as a kitty cat treat when there is no outside grass to chew on or if they stay inside safe and cozy year-round with no access to fresh grass! I started growing some for Hella with really ancient seeds I had. She chewed it all down to little nubbins as she was also trying to find any stray blade of grass hiding outside. I thought other kitties might enjoy it to help keep their tummies happy!

Under all that snow and ice and debris is some happy soil waiting to grow some happy plants!

Most of the crop planning is done on the computer, but mapping it out helps me conceptualize the space I have available and all the seed catalogs and websites help me to dream the future!

Especially for the increasing amount of perennial crops I have, keeping a map of where everything is planted and where I hope future additions will go is a great tool to make sure everything has a home. The office ceiling in the attic is a great place to tack them all up!

A fresh refill of dusty dirt gets the hens in a bathing mood!

Why use the dirt bins if you have deep bedding of pine shavings and dirt, that way you can spread out and have plenty of space for all to bathe at once!

A sneaky little Dandelion is taking advantage of the pots of biennials that get to overwinter inside. It's a cheerful reminder of spring!

I've been working on some new sprouts and the first one up is Wheatgrass!
It's available in 4 inch diameter dishes still in it's soil so it will stay super fresh for juicing and smoothies or place it out for your kitties to chew on! Hella likes to nibble on it and it'll last for a few weeks in a bright windowsill (which is also a favorite of Hella's)
Left: the Wheatgrass just sprouting
Right: How thick it gets after about 1 week

One of Hella's new fun toys is a kitty scratcher so she can groom and scritchy-scratch herself even if I'm not around! I stuck it to the washing machine for now to see how she likes it but will move it to a better (less noisy) spot soon, since it seems like she likes it a lot!

What's available this week?

• Eggs!
  • dozen pasture-raised rainbow eggs
  • half dozen pasture-raised duck eggs 
• Flowers!
  • Dried Statice Bunches
  • Everlasting Wreaths
  • Potpourri Bundles
  • Flower Crowns
• Veggies!
  • Microgreens
    • Spicy Mix: Radish & Arugula
      • Large 4oz
      • Small 1oz
    • Mild Mix: Broccoli, Mizuna, Ch. Cabbage, Kale
      • Large 4oz
      • Small 1oz
  • Wheatgrass Tray: for kitties or juicing!
• Crafts!
  • Treasure Bowls
  • Dragon Clips
• Botanicals!
  • Dragon's Balm
    • 0.25 oz
    • 1 oz
• Yard Sale!
  • Kitchenware
  • Dinnerware
  • Tea Pots
  • Vacuum
  • Utensils
  • Vintage Home Goods
  • LEGO
  • Playpen

Where to find it all?

I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm!

I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!