Gone to the Birds

The beginning of June sees lots of caterpillars on the farm, caterpillar tunnels! This time of year I start planting out the tender annuals and they need protection from my regular frosts (even in July & August). As most of these tender annuals are for cut flowers, frost fabric isn't good enough or at least tall enough to protect them but the tunnels are! They are 4ft high and every morning as the sun comes I cinch up the plastic and every evening as the sun goes down so does their protective plastic blanket. More and more caterpillar tunnels will crop up as the crop go in underneath them.

I also finally got to start planting my tomatoes and peppers into the raised beds in the greenhouse. My Mom spent most of the last month lining the boxes and filling them ⅔ full and now I get to finish them up! The tomatoes got a little unruly while waiting but their stems don't mind being buried so no worries for me! Hopefully the cover of the greenhouse and the heat the raised beds can hold on to will help the tomatoes survive the chilly nights!

The baby ducks are getting their big girls feathers in, the barn swallows have returned to nest in, well, the barn, the chickens and ducks continue to enjoy lazy evenings catching bugs and other nummy munchies, the hummingbirds are busy eating all the feed I make for them (walking near the feeders feels like going into a war zone with all the Rufous chasing each other away), and I chase away the few little sparrows and butter butts (what birders call yellow rumped warblers) that dare to feed on the ground while Hella glares at me.

Oh yeah and the veggies keep growing!

Caterpillar Tunnels! The good kind of caterpillars on a farm. Under these are the first planting out of baby Cosmos, Dahlias, Celosia, Calendula, Honeywort, Rudbeckia, and more!

They grow up fast! Their ducky down is disappearing and being replaced by their big girl feathers! First they get the chest and shoulder feathers (they look like little epaulettes) and some pin feathers on their wings are showing but these will take a few more weeks to fully 'feather out'.

Also, the big ducks have discovered the little ones and are fascinated by them, or at least the drakes are. They better enjoy the company for now as once the little ducks are big enough the one remaining lady duck, Sapphire, will be leaving the company of her four male 'friends' to join all the little ladies. Then the drakes will be lonely bachelors once more.

What's available this weekend?

• Eggs!
  • dozen pasture-raised, rainbow chicken eggs $4
• Flowers!
  • wildflower bunches big & small
• Veggies!
  • Salad Mix
  • Stir Fry Mix
  • Arugula & Mizuna mix
  • Lettuce:
    • Butter
    • Red Leaf
    • Romaine
  • Spinach
  • Radishes
    • French Breakfast
    • Rainbow
  • Rhubarb

Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday, May 23rd from 3-7pm!

I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday, June 7th from 330-630pm!

I'll be at the Kalispell Farmers Market, this Saturday, May 25th from 900am to 1230pm!