Leaves & Weeds

The tulips are really starting to pop! The duck babies are growing, growing, growing! Hella catches rodents, at least one a day! The trees are finally leafing out and the weeds are already getting ahead of me! But projects are being completed and tasks are getting crossed off the list!

This is about as colorful as you'll ever see a flower farmers tulip patch. As soon as those buds color, they are harvested and thrown (gently) into the cooler.

The ranunculus start to go in. The little dry corms are soaked for a few hours then planted into a tray of starter mix. In a few weeks, they sprout up and are ready for the ground. The corms can be dug up and saved for the future (they can't survive freezing, so unless you live in San Diego or Florida, out they come). Last year the moles ate most of the corms before they were ready to come out, so this year I am experimenting with lining their trench with hardware mesh and using some other various deterrent methods. They'll be covered with a low tunnel to protect them from my summer frosts before I am done, but with the mild weather right now they get to enjoy the open sky. It can be a lot of work for the little corms, but the flowers are beautiful, delicate, and can last up to a month in a vase. Definitely worth it!!!

Hella (named after the Norse Goddess of Death & the Underworld :) ) is living up to her name and helping to save my tulips, lilies, ranunculus, beets, ... (the list goes on!) from these little pests. It has been one a day for the past week, this one was her second of the day, taken from my main field.

working from dawn to dusk can be hard but it has its rewards and I try to take a moment to enjoy views like this when I can!

The ducklings are growing and making a mess! Ducks are quieter than chickens but they love their water and splatter it, their food, their poop everywhere. Sometimes they just smack their bill in it getting more water on their bedding than in their mouth. One project not complete is building a full size run for their hut so that they will be safe from all the predators, including Hella, while they are still quite small. So they get to stay inside for a few more days and I get to have sleeping buddies. Yep they are in my bedroom where I can refill their food and water when needed. I think this may be the definition of bringing your work home with you.

What's available this week?

• Eggs! The grass is springing up and the coops are beginning to roam, gobbling up the fresh greens and worms!!!
  • dozen pasture-raised, rainbow chicken eggs $4
• Bouquets of Heirloom Daffodils & Tulips!
• Microgreen mixes with Lemon Basil, Red Radish, Mizuna, and more!

Where to find it all?
I'll be at the The Farmers Market at Libby on Thursday, May 16th from 3-7pm at the Chamber.

I won't be at the Kalispell Market this Saturday as the field greens need a little more time to be ready and I can use the time to catch up on planting and the million other projects that build up! I'll be back there next week!