The gardens are starting to come together, and look like real gardens. I.E. producing things to eat and sending forth beautiful flowers (above: Calenula, RED! tomatoes in the hoophouse). It's very gratifying, realizing that all of my hard work is actually paying off. Well, let's not be too literal here folks (thanks credit card!). But really, there is nothing better than having people who frequent my farmstand, or participate in my first-annual CSA-style weekly produce box (my mom asked me the other day how my CSI was going....), or come up to the farm to pick raspberries or just say hi, and then being able to recognize that they truly value what I am doing and the results of those labors. Makes me want to keep plugging along up here.
(above: A bumper-crop year for (upside-down) raspberries. I picked 25 pints in 2 hrs 10 minutes the other morning; Nigella="love-in-a-mist"; call me crazy, but I'm prepping for the next raspberry row! )
Another thing that makes me want to keep at learning to be a farmer is the existance of other people of like minds and like work ethics within a 100 mile radius! (While the '100-mile diet' is all the rage, I have been focusing instead on the '100 mile friendship'....) To this end, it is with great excitement that I received the news that my friends Caren and Dave signed papers on a wonderful farmstead in East Andover last week! I really look forward to cultivating our friendships (and cultivating green things too!) and brainstorming on the Rural Renaissance that is alive and well in the little hamlets that comprise Andover.
Hopefully the momentum will continue. My neighors Zac and Marianne Lamas of Family Hierlooms Farm are hunting for land of their own, with their eyes on a property nearby--fields enough for sweet corn and pastures full of pigs. Lets all send some good energy their way so that they may realize their dream!
Red is the color of tomatoes...and the fresh coat of paint on the barn.
Poe says, "I don't see red. All I see is hot dogs, and cheese treats, and wild turkeys."
Look here! I fiddled around at the base of a potato plant and excavated these lovely new potatoes! I dun did grow me some spuds! Hurrah!
5 comments:
Everything is looking great! I'm rooting for you from across the map!
We just pulled up our garlic here, and I've been eating handfuls of raspberries for about a week. Broccoli went in the freezer, and we've grilled some zucchini. Oh and we have tons of artichokes.
No red tomatoes yet. A couple of green ones, though!
Adam and I seem to love to post :-) it makes me feel closer to you! It makes me happy to read about you and your friends making communities of like minded souls. I wish I could live closer to you and come and visit your farm. Corbin would love to come and see your gardens. Someday. Love you!
hey girly,
no ground for me at our new apartment, but there is a deck so i'm hoping to do some container gardening. not the same as "real dirt" but it will do as it's what i have. so exciting that your doing well! how is patrick's trip down south going?
tlak to you soon!
love
sabe
Yeah for Andover! :)
Yeah! I found your blog and I love it! Where did you get that Gerbera seed?? Gorgeous. All the garden shots look great. The harvest time differences are remarkable. I guess you have to have hoophouses up there. Hope you get some dry days....
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